Bess of Hardwick

Bess of Hardwick (Elizabeth Shrewsbury) was a very wealthy countess. She rose through Elizabethan society to become the most important woman in England after the queen.

She used her fortunes to indulge her passion for building. Her houses display her taste, wealth, and business sense. She was rebuilding the old hall, when her fourth husband died. She was then financially able to build her final house from the ground up. It was known by the saying "Hardwick Hall, more window than wall." All of the house’s towers are topped by her initials and countess’s coronet.Læs mere