Hardwick Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hardwick Hall |
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"More glass than wall"
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| Type | Prodigy house |
| Location | Doe Lea, Ault Hucknall, Derbyshire |
| OS grid reference | SK 463 637 |
| Built | 1590–1597 |
| Architect | Robert Smythson |
| Architectural style(s) | Renaissance |
| Owner | National Trust |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name: Hardwick Hall | |
| Designated | 11 Jul 1951 |
| Reference no. | 1051617 |
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Hardwick Hall is an amazing old house in Derbyshire, England. It was built a long time ago, between 1590 and 1597. This house is a great example of an Elizabethan "prodigy house." These were huge, fancy homes built to show off wealth and power.
Hardwick Hall was made for a very rich and powerful woman named Bess of Hardwick. The famous architect Robert Smythson designed it. He used the Renaissance style, which was new in England at the time. This style came from Florence, Italy, and slowly spread across Europe.
One cool thing about Hardwick Hall is how many windows it has. People used to say it had "more glass than wall!" This was a big deal because glass was very expensive back then.
For many years, the house belonged to the Cavendish family. In 1959, it was given to the National Trust. They are a charity that looks after historic places. The building needed a lot of repair work. Today, Hardwick Hall is open for everyone to visit. In 2019, almost 300,000 people came to see it!
Contents
History of Hardwick Hall
Building a Grand House (16th Century)
Hardwick Hall sits on a hilltop in Derbyshire. It looks out over the beautiful countryside. Bess of Hardwick ordered the house to be built. She was one of the richest women in England, second only to Queen Elizabeth I. Bess wanted her house to clearly show how wealthy and powerful she was.
The many huge windows were a sign of her wealth. Glass was a luxury, so having so much of it was very impressive. The chimneys are built inside the walls. This allowed for even more windows without making the outside walls weak.
Hardwick Hall also showed new ideas about how a big house should be designed. It was one of the first English houses where the main hall was in the middle. Before, these halls were usually built at a different angle to the entrance.
The house has three main floors. Each floor has a higher ceiling than the one below it. The higher the ceiling, the more important the people who lived in those rooms were. The grandest rooms were at the very top.
A wide, stone staircase leads up to the important rooms on the second floor. These rooms include one of the longest art galleries in any English house. There is also a "great chamber" decorated with tapestries. This room has a cool plaster design showing hunting scenes. It hasn't changed much over the years.
Bess of Hardwick owned many houses. She became rich through her four marriages. She was born in an older house on the same land. This old house is now a ruin next to the "new" Hardwick Hall.
The Cavendish Family (17th Century)
After Bess died in 1608, her son, William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire, inherited the house. Later, his great-grandson became the 1st Duke of Devonshire. The Devonshire family made Chatsworth House their main home. Chatsworth was another grand house Bess had owned.
Because Hardwick Hall was not their main home, it wasn't changed much over the centuries. This means it still looks a lot like it did when Bess lived there. It was sometimes used for hunting trips or as a home for a widowed duchess.
The famous thinker Thomas Hobbes died at Hardwick Hall in 1679. He had been a friend of the Cavendish family since 1608. He even taught William Cavendish when he was young. Many of Hobbes's writings were found at Chatsworth House after he passed away.
Hardwick Hall in Modern Times (20th Century)
In 1950, the 10th Duke of Devonshire died unexpectedly. Because of high taxes on his estate, many of the family's properties had to be sold. In 1956, Hardwick Hall was given to the government instead of paying taxes.
In 1959, the government gave the house to the National Trust. The Duchess of Devonshire, Evelyn, lived there until she died in 1960. She worked hard to protect the old fabrics and rush matting in the house. She was the last person to live in Hardwick Hall.
Hardwick Hall Today
Hardwick Hall has a huge collection of old embroideries. Most of these are from the late 1500s. Many of them are listed in a detailed list from 1601. Some of the needlework even has Bess's initials, "ES." She might have worked on them herself!
The house also has a lot of beautiful tapestries and furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries. It's amazing that much of the furniture and items you see today are listed in that 1601 inventory. The Sea Dog Table is a very important piece from around 1600. The Eglantine Table has a special top that is interesting to music historians.
Hardwick Hall is open for visitors to explore. It has lovely gardens with different kinds of plants. There's also a vegetable and herb garden, and an orchard.
The large grounds also include Hardwick Old Hall. This house was built a bit earlier than the "new" hall. It was used for guests and servants after the new hall was finished. The Old Hall is now a ruin. English Heritage helps the National Trust look after it, and you can visit it too. Many rooms in the Old Hall had amazing plaster designs, especially above the fireplaces. You can still see parts of these designs today, even though most of the building doesn't have a roof.
Both Hardwick Hall and the Old Hall are considered Grade I listed buildings. This is the highest level of protection for historic buildings in England.
In 2012, a big restoration project costing £6.5 million was finished. This included adding a large restaurant. More restoration work was completed in 2020, and even more is planned for the future.
Hardwick Hall in Movies and TV
Hardwick Hall has been featured in several TV shows and movies:
- It was the setting for a 1972 BBC series called Mistress of Hardwick.
- In the 1978 TV series Connections, it showed how home design changed because of the Little Ice Age.
- It was shown in the 1985 TV documentary Treasure Houses of Britain.
- Hardwick Hall was used as Malfoy Manor in the 2010 film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. You can see its outside and some inside scenes in the movie.
See also
In Spanish: Hardwick Hall para niños
- Grade I listed buildings in Derbyshire
- Listed buildings in Ault Hucknall
- Chatsworth House
- Stainsby Mill
