Hardwick Hall on a rainy day in Derbyshire, September, 2017. Last time, I wrote about the magnificent Bess of Hardwick, who built this house beginning when she was four times widowed, at age seventy. And lived in it for 18 years until she died in 1608. It is often admired as one of the finest of the Elizabethan prodigy houses, alongside houses such as Longleat and Burghley House, below.
About Prodigy Houses, Wikipedia writes, "...there was an Elizabethan building boom, with large houses built in the most modern styles by courtiers, wealthy from acquired monastic estates, who wished to display their wealth and status. A characteristic was the large area of glass – a new feature that superseded the need for easily defended external walls and announced the owners' wealth. Hardwick Hall, for example was proverbially described as "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall."
Among the other 'firsts' for Hardwick Hall was the knowledge of its architect, Robert Smythson, (1535 – 1614) who may have also worked on Longleat. Up to this time, houses were built by master masons and their workers, whose names were not recorded. The house was built of stone from a quarry owned by Bess, and the glass was made in her glass factory, thanks to the fortunes she acquired throughout her life and marriages.
By the time her fourth husband died, Bess had arranged the marriages of many of her children, grandchildren, stepchildren and other relatives. She was an immensely rich woman and the guardian of her granddaughter Arabella Stuart, a potential heir to the throne. She was known as a capable manager and businesswoman, a worthy companion of both the Queens she knew so well: Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots.
Above, left: The Hardwick Coat of Arms above the fireplace in the Hall, which is where the young attendants would wait to be called. On the right, decorative weapons in the Hall. Below, views of the kitchen.
Wide, tapestry-lined stairways led to the upper two floors where Bess received her guests and entertained. The booklet about the house, acquired on the site, describes Bess as formidable: “managing, acquisitive, an indefatigable collector, tough, emotional, fond of intrigue and (of) amazing vitality.”
The house is filled with portraits and precious objects including furniture such as the cabinet below.
The portrait of Arbella, left, shows her at 13 years old. Her long hair left untied means she is unmarried. The books indicate her good education and her pearls denote purity.
The cabinet, right, is a French 'du Cerceau', probably once a possession of Mary Queen of Scots, also known as the 'spice cabinet' a.k.a. a private altar for Mary.
The portrait of Arbella, left, shows her at 13 years old. Her long hair left untied means she is unmarried. The books indicate her good education and her pearls denote purity.
The cabinet, right, is a French 'du Cerceau', probably once a possession of Mary Queen of Scots, also known as the 'spice cabinet' a.k.a. a private altar for Mary.
Below, the Great High Chamber. The magnificent friezes and tapestries have faded to near monochromatic tans. The frieze represents the forest and court of the goddess Diana. This room would used to entertain guests and for dining.
After the meal, guests would go up to the roof where dessert was served in one or more of the six banqueting pavilions and the guests could stroll the roofs to "survey the Prospect." The pavilions were crowned with fretwork bearing the initias E.S. for Elizabeth Shrewsbury.
The Long Gallery is decorted with tapestries, portraits, and dcorative artwork for strollers to enjoy. One formal occasions, Bess, the Dowager Countess, would receive while sitting beneath the great canopy, impressively throne-like.
Below, two more views of the Long Gallery:
Two rooms below, are furnished as bedchambers. In the Green Velvet Room, Bess would sometimes receive her most intimate friends and family,surrounded by her magnificent and priceless tapestries.
According to the website, "This blue bed originally belonged to the wife of the 2nd earl of Devonshire, Christian Cavendish. Made of oak and hung with embroidered blue damask the back of the bed bears the coats of arms of Christian Cavendish herself plus the original year of the bed, 1629. However, it also bears a second coat of arms and the date 1852. These arms are that of the 6th Duke. Under the Duke’s instruction a matching roll of blue damask was commissioned, the original embroidery removed, re-applied to the new silk and the entire bed was rehung."
According to the website, "This blue bed originally belonged to the wife of the 2nd earl of Devonshire, Christian Cavendish. Made of oak and hung with embroidered blue damask the back of the bed bears the coats of arms of Christian Cavendish herself plus the original year of the bed, 1629. However, it also bears a second coat of arms and the date 1852. These arms are that of the 6th Duke. Under the Duke’s instruction a matching roll of blue damask was commissioned, the original embroidery removed, re-applied to the new silk and the entire bed was rehung."
The damp weather kept us from exploring the gardens as fully as we would have wished.
Bess of Hardwick died in 1608. Her son William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire, and his family lived nearby at Chatsworth built by Bess and his father. Their descendants remain at Chatsworth today. Remarkably, as a secondary residence for the family, Hardwick retained most of its original character, much to the advantage of visitors and scholars, well maintained by the National Trust.
Next time, the Hardwick Tapestries and a modern apartment for the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire in the 1950's.
Next time, the Hardwick Tapestries and a modern apartment for the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire in the 1950's.
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