Dronfield Eye Issue 213 September 2023

dronfield EYE
Splendour on our doorstep
Sometimes we overlook the historic houses
close to where we live and work. Hardwick Hall,
just over the hills from Dronfield near Junction
29 of the M1, is one such place; an Elizabethan
manor with the story behind it of a remarkable
woman who rose to wealth and power, second
only to Queen Elizabeth I. Deborah Wain
pays it a visit for the first time
A
FTER a drive up
country lanes to
Hardwick Hall, the first
glimpse of the property
takes your breath away.
Get closer still to the
house, and against the sky
can be seen the letters
‘ES’ and a coronet carved
into its six turrets.
This is a stately home
that makes a statement
on behalf of the
ambitious woman who
built it and whose initials
it bears; today best
known as Bess of
Hardwick.
Bess was born Elizabeth
Hardwick to Derbyshire landowners in Ault
Hucknall about 1527. By today’s standards, Bess had
already been married and widowed while still in childhood, and
was then cast into noble circles in London as a lady in waiting.
She married William Cavendish, Treasurer of the King’s Chamber,
in 1547, going on to have six
children who survived into
adulthood. The couple set up
their family home at Chatsworth,
the first of a number of homes
that Bess commissioned.
A decade on, Bess was
widowed again and later
married Sir William St Loe,
inheriting further wealth from
him when he too died, in 1565.
Bess’ last marriage, two years
later, was to George Talbot, 6th
Earl of Shrewsbury, making her
the Countess of Shrewsbury,
Bess of Hardwick’s jewellery
chest, complete with
elaborate locking system
from which the imposing letters on the towers of the house derive.
There was much acrimony in this relationship, prompting Bess to
return to her childhood home and build what is now Hardwick Old
Hall and then Hardwick Hall itself, starting in 1590, after her
husband died.
Significantly, Robert Smythson, known as the first English
architect, designed the building, which took seven years to
complete. It is unique in its symmetrical design and its extensive
use of glass. The adage ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’ is
borne out by the more than 138,000 panes in the building –
hugely expensive to install at the time.
As well as grand interior features such as the 162ft long gallery -
the largest surviving from the Elizabethan era - Bess’s home was
adorned with lavish furnishings and portraits.
Many of its treasures passed on through the Cavendishs, the
family name of the Dukes of Devonshire, who lived at the hall right
through to the mid-20th century when the house was given to the
government in lieu of death duties. Visitors can see them today on
a tour of the house, now a National Trust property.
The house is particularly known for its textiles including the
collection of 76 tapestries, most of which are from the Tudor or
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