Hardwick Hall

From Newstead it is 11mi/18km to Hardwick, where there is a fine Elizabethan mansion, Hardwick Hall - "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall", the contemporary jingle went, for the house has 50 windows and relatively small areas of wall. It was built by Robert Smythson in 1591-17 for Bess of Hardwick (Elizabeth, daughter of John Hardwick), who married four times, her last husband being the sixth Earl of Shrewsbury. Inside the hall there is a rich collection of tapestries, furniture, embroidery and portraits. In the center of the house is a large two-story hall, with a magnificent staircase leading to the upper floor. From the house there are beautiful glimpses of the gardens. Close by are the remains of Hardwick Old Hall, with fine plasterwork. In the park, to the north, is Ault Hucknall Church, with the tomb of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the philosopher and author of "Leviathan". Many of the appliqué embroidered wall panels based on Classical themes were made by Bess's needle women from the recycled church vestments given to her husband by King Henry VIII at the time of the English Reformation.

A thorough study of the textiles was undertaken by the Victoria and Albert Museum, department of textiles and dress, which included an extensive series of early household inventories.