Back Hardwick Hall Afrikaans Hardwick Hall German Hardwick Hall Spanish Hardwick Hall French Hardwick Hall Irish Hardwick Hall Italian Hardwick Hall Polish Hardwick Hall Portuguese Хардвик-холл Russian Hardwick Hall Swedish

Hardwick Hall

For Hardwick Hall in County Durham, see Hardwick Hall Country Park.

Hardwick Hall
"More glass than wall"
TypeProdigy house
LocationDoe Lea, Ault Hucknall, Derbyshire
Coordinates53°10′08″N 1°18′32″W / 53.1688°N 1.3088°W / 53.1688; -1.3088
OS grid referenceSK 463 637
Built1590–1597
ArchitectRobert Smythson
Architectural style(s)Renaissance
OwnerNational Trust
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameHardwick Hall
Designated11 Jul 1951
Reference no.1051617
Hardwick Hall is located in Derbyshire
Hardwick Hall
Location of Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire
Hardwick's skyline features six rooftop banqueting house pavilions with Bess of Hardwick's initials "ES" (Elizabeth Shrewsbury) in openwork.
Chimneypiece in High Great Chamber
Hardwick's long gallery in the 1890s
Hardwick's long gallery today

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is an architecturally significant country house from the Elizabethan era, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Robert Smythson, an exponent of the Renaissance style. Hardwick Hall is one of the earliest examples of the English interpretation of this style, which came into fashion having slowly spread from Florence. Its arrival in Britain coincided with the period when it was no longer necessary or legal to fortify a domestic dwelling.

The British Army's 1st Parachute Brigade was formed at Hardwick Hall in 1941. The Airborne Forces Depot and Battle School was located on the grounds of the estate from 1942–1946.

After ownership for centuries by the Cavendish family and the line of the Earl of Devonshire and the Duke of Devonshire, ownership of the house was transferred to the Treasury in 1956 and then to the National Trust in 1959. The building was approaching ruin and required stabilisation and restoration.[1]

The Hall is fully open to the public and received 298,283 visitors in 2019.[2]

  1. ^ "History of Hardwick Old Hall". English Heritage. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  2. ^ "ALVA – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions". www.alva.org.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2020.

Developed by StudentB