22 July 2016 - Littleover Farm, Sutton Bonington, near Loughborough

The ruins of Old Hall

Did I say that our camp is under the flight path into the East Midland’s airport? This is only a problem if one lies sleepless very early in the morning, or restless in the heat of the late evening. The camp is otherwise without fault, well-appointed with waste facilities, a couple of showers and toilets, all diligently cleaned by our lovely hosts every morning. Internet is a little spasmodic, but functions if one perseveres. And the M1 lies a mere two and a half miles away. What more could one want for?

With such motorway proximity, we were quickly on our way north this morning, heading for Hardwick Hall, less than thirty miles to the north. We arrived soon after 10 am and made our way up through the lovely rural landscape surrounding the historic dwellings. We had been a little confused to see that the Hall appears under the auspices of the National Trust and that of English Heritage. 

From the tower of Old Hall

Once ushered into the expansive grounds, we understood the confusion. Within the same grounds are the English Heritage Old Hardwick Hall and the marginally more recent structure, simply named Hardwick Hall. We were glad to be subscribers to both institutions; hence there was no question as to which property we should pay entry for.  Alas, many visitors may choose to miss the Old Hall, simply to save their entertainment pounds, but really both need to be explored to completely understand the amazing story surrounding Hardwick. While there have been generations since the famed Bess of Hardwick built the properties and others in the surrounding county, it is she who monopolises the saga, and rightfully so.

Remains of plasterwork in Old Hall

From small beginnings, Bess Hardwick (1527 – 1608) rose to become one of Elizabeth I’s oldest friends, outstandingly wealthy and a powerful landowner in the region. She rescued the historic family estate at Hardwick after her brother died penniless, and returned to live in the house where she was born.

Views of the New from the Old

Aged sixty, having been widowed four times, she began a new building project to transform the old manor house. Here she was her own designer, and she put into practice some cutting edge ideas for the design of aristocratic houses. Bess’s passion for architecture was so great that she went on to commission the New Hall at Hardwick even before the Old Hall was finished.

The history of such a woman, and the families whose lives she touched or begat, is far greater than this nutshell portrayal, but must suffice for now; in fact it is for the visitor to be left with something to find out for themselves. And for myself, we now have the souvenir booklet to refer to when we wish to relive our visit, and of course, there is always the internet.

But is interesting to add that after her death, it took twenty years to survey all the land that her sons had accumulated, a grand total of 200,000 acres between them, almost all by their mother’s endeavour. 

A peak of the New Hall from the garden

It is also interesting to note that the 6^th Duke of Devonshire expressed his opinion of his ancester, Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, as a “hideous, dry, parched, narrow-minded, but my prudent, amassing, calculating buildress and progenitrix, Bess of Hardwick”.

Our introductory guide said that Bess was often considered “a shew”, but she thought she was more “shrewd”.

The ruined state of the Old Hall came about in various stages. The 5^th Duke of Devonshire ordered the eastern half to be demolished and the salvaged remains sold from 1747. The surviving western half was still lived in by servants until the 19^th century, however the roof was not repaired and it became increasingly dangerous to go up the stairs. The family began to repair the ruins from the 1890s, to prevent further decay. Visitors came to see both the Old and New Halls and the ruins took on a new role as a public attraction. Old Hall left family ownership in 1959, the Ministry of Works taking it into care. English Heritage took it over in 1984 and opened up the west lodge to visitors.

After the deaths of her husband and her eldest son, Evelyn, the last Duchess of Devonshire, and the last resident, became responsible for an estimated £7 million of death duties. Even with a reduction of £2.5 million in 1954, it became clear that drastic action had to be taken to clear the tax bill. In 1956, ownership of Hardwick passed to the Government in lieu of tax. Three years later the Government transferred Hardwick Hall to the National Trust to look after on behalf of the nation. 

There are other stately homes, and properties held under the National Trust umbrella in the region, but the day had been quite complete enough, so we joined the M1 once more and headed home, this time finding ourselves in the slow late afternoon traffic.