Hong Zicheng

View towards Bolsover

View towards Wingfield

View towards the new hall

The fireplace wall faces west, the direction of Chatsworth, the home Bess created with her husband Sir William Cavendish.  The windows to the north are facing towards Bolsover castle which was owned by her son Sir Charles Cavendish and the windows to the  South face towards Wingfield manor.  The later was a property of her last husband the Earl of Shrewsbury and Bess temporarily lived there whilst she built the Old Hall.

The central panel makes a point about Bess’ long life and her slow, steady rise to the top:

The winged figure is copied from a Flemish engraving, published in 1559, that shows the triumph of Patience, sitting on a carriage, over desire, who is being made to pull the carriage, and over Fortune, who has to follow behind.  Like other educated Elizabethan’s Bess was familiar with symbols and signs worked into decorative schemes, and would have expected her guests to understand the reference.

If her guests knew anything about their host, they would have known that Bess had outlived four husbands and had overcome legal debts, legal challenges and political intrigue.  She was confidently handing over unthinkable wealth and lands to her sons.  Patience had certainly won over life’s many setbacks.

The central panel can be viewed in more detail in this previous post.

Information from the English Heritage guidebook and visitor information board situated at the hall.

The Duke of Devonshire invited the experts at the Society for the preservation of Ancient Buildings to oversee essential repairs to the house, which was partially roofed. The repairs were meant to stand out, so they could not easily be confused with Elizabethan work. The distinctive tiles used to fill holes are still easy to spot around the house. The plaster protection roofs were also made of tiles, but they have now been replaced by lead. The plaster like the stonework was also heavily blackened by industrial soot, deposited by the region’s historic textile, coal and mineral activities. *

Routine monitoring of the condition of the plaster-work is a challenge, without floors to walk on; conservators have to use mountaineering ropes.

To view mosaic tiles in full size use the links below.

1. Top Left, 2. Top Right, 3. Middle Left, 4. Middle Right, 5. Bottom Left, 6. Bottom Right

*From the English Heritage Guidebook

Bess of Hardwick is almost as famous for her four marriages as she is for her building activities. She was married at 15, but her young husband, Robert Barlow, died a year later. She outlived three more husbands, all Elizabethan courtiers, bore eight children and became an intimate friend of the queen. After the violent collapse of her fourth marriage to the earl of Shrewsbury, Bess retreated to her family estate at Hardwick.

As a countess, Bess needed something grander than her father’s medieval manor house, She began to build Hardwick Old Hall in its place in 1587, making use of its bold views across the open Derbyshire landscape. In 1590, Bess began building another house immediately adjacent – the New Hall – this time using a professional architect Robert Smythson. The Old and New Halls were intended to compliment each other, like tow wings of one building. *

When Bess died in 1608 she left her son, William Cavendish in charge of Hardwick. William was the founder of the Cavendish family, dukes of Devonshire based at the Chatsworth estate. Over time the dukes came to prefer Chatsworth and the Old Hall was partially dismantled in the 1750s.

*From the English Heritage Guidebook

But ever one for an opportunity despite the forecast for rain, I detoured to visit Hardwick Hall on the journey home.  This property came highly recommended by my brother when we discussing National Trust properties a few weeks ago.  There are two halls; an old ruin and a fully maintained and furnished hall.  The former is managed by English Heritage and the latter by the National Trust.

On arrival it was misty which created a rather ethereal atmosphere ideal for visiting the Old Hall first, especially because it wasn’t raining and the hall is open to the elements.  The hall was fascinating and there are some spectacular views from the higher levels.  It would have been lovely to see it fully intact in it’s heyday but it was equally as interesting to see it in it’s current state.

After the visit it was time for a quick bite to eat in the National Trust cafe which was waitress service and you had to wait to be seated.  Despite the rather large sign stating this it was quite amazing how many people just sat down in the nearest place and wondered why they hadn’t been served!!  Hmm… let me see… that  would be because the staff didn’t know you had arrived!  Anyway, the service was quick and the food was delicious

After lunch the sun had come out to treat us which meant the garden was the first port of call before visiting the new hall.  Once I was inside the hall the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour, which miraculously stopped as soon as I stepped outside again to go to the car.

So that was the end of a lovely weekend away, except I had sneakily booked a couple of extra days leave to chill out at home

I hope you enjoyed the virtual journey and still to come is a bit of history on some of the places I visited.