Hardwick Hall - Morning Tour

Left later than expected to visit two historic houses in Derbyshire.

Hardwick Hall is a National Trust property and not privately owned like many historic properties we have seen. It is located near Mansfield on the outskirts of Nottingham and we arrived to find the on site cafe serving lunch. Vegetable soup and a big cheese scone for lunch before taking our tour of this tapestry laden castle.

Hardwick Hall was built in the last decade of the 16th Century on a hilltop in Derbyshire. It was a marvel of its age with its extensive use of glass which was expensive in those early days. It was built next door to the old Hardwick Hall, a small manor house, where Bess was born.

Bess became an immensely rich widow and also became Bess of Hardwick, Dowager Duchess of Shrewsbury. She was married and widowed many times and in the process her wealth grew. Bess had the new Hardwick Hall built and had the builders include her initials, E S, carved in stone standing atop each tower. They are still there today.

I have never seen so many tapestries before. Bess purchased them to display her wealth. Indeed one of the guides explained that the reason no bathrooms were open for display was because they were being used for storage of the surplus of treasures.Read more