Hardwick Hall, Elizabethan country house in Derbyshire, England
Description
Hardwick Hall is an Elizabethan country house in Derbyshire known for its extraordinarily large windows that stretch across multiple floors of the stone facade. The building rises as a rectangular block with six towers and displays the initials ES (Elizabeth Shrewsbury) carved in stone on the roofline parapet.
History
The estate was built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick after she was widowed for the fourth time and had become one of the wealthiest women in England. She commissioned the house on the site of her birthplace to mark her rise from modest beginnings to one of the most powerful households in the country.
Culture
The enormous windows on every facade earned the estate the nickname "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall", reflecting the owner's desire to display her wealth through expensive glazed openings. Tapestries hanging in the grand rooms show scenes from mythology and everyday Tudor life, illustrating how people dressed and lived at the end of the 1500s.
Practical
The visit covers several floors with winding staircases between rooms, so visitors with limited mobility should check accessibility options beforehand. Gardens surrounding the house offer flatter paths and resting spots for those who prefer a break from touring the main building.
Did you know?
The Long Gallery on the top floor stretches over 50 meters and is one of the longest rooms of its kind in an English house. During the war, the estate served as a training base for airborne troops before becoming a resettlement camp for Polish refugees.
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Group Of Six Statues In The Gardens Of Hardwick Hall
108 m
The Hardwick Inn
585 m
Hardwick Old Hall
165 m
Range of cottages to south west of Hardwick Hall
259 m
Range of outbuildings and stables, and walls enclosing a courtyard to south of Hardwick Hall
268 m
Shed to north of engine house and saw mill
358 m
Conduit House south of Hardwick Old Hall
188 m
Gazebo And Garden Walls At Hardwick Hall
79 m
Engine house, saw mill and attached chimney at Hardwick Saw Mill
370 m
Stables to north west of the Hardwick Inn
592 m
Joiner's shop to north of saw mill
336 mWork of art, statue
111 mWork of art, sculpture
385 mStatue, Work of art
111 mHardwick Old Hall
154 mWork of art, statue
123 mStatue, Work of art
124 mStatue, Work of art
52 mWork of art, sculpture
269 mSculpture, Work of art
264 mMary Queen Of Scots
13 mWork of art, sculpture
253 mWork of art, sculpture
394 mWork of art, sculpture
358 mWork of art, sculpture
571 mWork of art, sculpture
470 mWork of art, sculpture
126 mWork of art, sculpture
217 mDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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