Visit to Hardwick Hall - Part 2

Hello there Everyone:
Again, it's Isobel posting this week's blog - Cy Bear is doing his guardian duties sitting on my pillow in the flat, while I continue to stay with Clare, Alan and GrandsonE.  This arrangement has been on going for some time, and although I've done some sewing (replacement Baby Bunnies), I've found it difficult to get stuck in - with notions and fabric often in the "other place", when I do get around to it in the evening.  Hopefully, things will be back to normal soon - but in the meantime, the ColdhamCuddlies have been very fortunate in being highlighted in a huge number of Treasuries - thanks to the wonderful supportive actions of several Team Mates on my Etsy Teams in the past week.  That's also meant less time for making Cuddlies!
However, at the end of last week's unexpected topic, I did say I had further pictures of our visit to Hardwick Hall to show you - so without more ado, here they come!

This is the west facing view of Hardwick Hall (pretend you've come along the side of the south side and turned in to this side of the house - from the left of the picture).  The family group is in the foreground.  You can see the balustrade along the roof continues, and each wing of the house has the E and S indicating it's the residence of "Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury"!  The windows are also well to the fore.

If one was inside and looking out of the southern face of Hardwick Hall, this avenue of Yew Hedges would be what you see - looking towards the stables and other Estate out-buildings I showed in my last week's post.

There is a huge pond just in front of the west-facing side of the Hall, and the afternoon we were there, just one drake could be found swimming in the immense structure.  The whole pond can be seen in the first picture - just to the right of the family group!

If you were looking out of Hall, on the west side, this is the view you would get - looking over the Estate for as far as the eye can see.  Being Springtime, the Estate sheep were grazing and the day we were there, we could see lots of baby lambs - although, because of the very blustery wind, they weren't doing their usual skipping about.

We walked across the grass to the gap between the yew hedge, to see how the sheep were being kept away from the Hall gardens, by means of a big ditch - otherwise known as a "Ha-Ha".  You can see from the previous photo, the ditch is not visible from inside the Hall. Having arrived early on in the afternoon, we had, had to wait to enter the Hall itself.  So, as the weather wasn't improving, and the front door opening time was imminent, the party moved back to the front entrance and moved out of the bitter cold wind - into the Banqueting Hall, which runs from the front entrance through almost the whole length of the house.

The Banqueting Hall seems to be a dark place, but in fact it is not.  I'd hazard a guess that on a bright, sunny day, the light would flood in and the embroidery and paintings would show off to a much better effect.  However, my snapshots do give you an idea of the height and splendour of the inside of Hardwick Hall.  (This is just the ground floor!)

Here is a better view of the Coat of Arms of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and throughout the inner rooms on the Ground Floor of the Hall visitors can see examples of the exquisite embroidery commissions by Bess of  Hardwick during the 1570's.  One commemorating some of the "Legend of Good Women" by Chaucer - which as a well-educated lady of the time, Bess of Hardwick would have known well. -  is shown below of  Penelope, Lucretia and Cleopatra. 

Photography is allowed inside Hardwick Hall, but flash lights are not.  So, although I did use a flash to take these inside pictures, they are not as clear as they might be had a light been allowed.  Given that all these hangings were made from medieval church vestments and sewn mostly by Bess of Hardwick's household servants, they are in amazing condition.  Professional embroiderers would have been responsible for the designs.  In all, according to a 1601 inventory, there are "fyve peeces of hangings of Cloth of golde velvett and other like stuffe imbrodered with pictures of the vertues.....every piece being twelve foote deep".    Here's another example - 

and yet another - which I think could be part of the collection celebrating the Noble Women of Chaucers tale.

Even to the untrained eye, and allowing for no flash lights, there is real difference in quality of these hangings, and given that they've been hanging since the 1570's, these embroideries are currently being conserved at the National Trust Textile Conservation Studio, the work having been started in 2012.  Each hanging have different types and levels of damage, so will vary in times taken for the conservation work to be carried out. Certain stages do remain the same however. For those who currently enjoy embroidery or other stitching crafts, according to the leaflet describing the work - 
(a) The condition of the hanging is assessed - and conservation needs decided. (b) Pictures are then taken- because everything a conservator does should be reversible, and they provide a record of the work done on each hanging. (c) The front is then cleaned - making the fabric colour and threads more visible.  Previous repairs will kept unless they threaten the hanging's overall stability. (d) Very fragile areas will be covered with protective netting.
As I said in my last week's post, the trip to Hardwick Hall was halted because I had found myself unable to walk much more.  We'd only done the Ground Floor of the Hall, and there are two more floors to explore another time. 
But before I close this blog about Hardwick Hall, before the weather closed in and made outside exploration uncomfortable, I did manage to take one more picture - confirming that Spring is not too far away - with daffodils showing between some of the trees in the Hardwick Hall gardens.

So - here's to the next time:  goodness knows what I'll be posting about then, but I do hope you've enjoyed sharing this visit to one of the picturesque Stately Homes in our local vicinity.  We're blessed with many of them. Your Friend, Isobel

Another Change of Topic - Visiting a Local UK Stately Home

Hello Everyone!

First of all, my apologies for missing last week's blog, but time simply flew by, and as there was little more to post about, I decided to let the occasion pass!

This week, however, I'm delighted to tell you that the White and Yellow Plush Baby Rabbits  mentioned in our last post who were en route to Florida - got to their intended destination in time for Easter.

MrsDM, the Buyer, who intended the Yellow one for her Sister - to remind them both of their childhood in England, sent this message - which I picked up on Easter Saturday.

"The little bunnies arrived today, just in time for Easter tomorrow. I took my sister her yellow bunny and she just broke into a huge smile and started cuddling it. I adore my little one as well. Thanks so much, they are a so very cute."

The more Cuddlies I make, the more I am convinced that although I make Toys for EVERYONE, most of them seem to end up with folks who like to be reminded of childhood days, rather than those who are actually experiencing them now!!  Not a problem, but.........!!

In my title, I allude to the fact that you are going to be told about one of the local visitor attractions - of which there are fortunately quite a few in the local vicinity - Hardwick Hall - a National Trust property which is located 7-9 miles from where I live in Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. There are several ways to approach Hardwick Hall (HH from now on), which is actually over the country border in Derbyshire (which is only a couple of miles away from Kirkby) and that accounts for the mileage variation!!

Built by Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury (which she became as the result of one of her four marriages), parts of the site have been in existence since the 1500's.  Bess is mostly described as being "formidable", and when you consider she lived at the same time as Queen Elizabeth I, and was the second richest person in the land at that time, you get some idea of the lady's stature!  Her grand daughter, Arbella, was niece of Mary, Queen of Scots (having married Mary's nephew Charles Stuart) and a serious contender to succeed the childless Queen Elizabeth.  However, that possibility was scuppered by the fact that Charles Stuart died, and Arbella was imprisoned by Elizabeth in the Tower of London, so the crown passed to Mary's son, James I (VI of Scotland) - and the rest, as the saying goes - is History!!

Bess was intent on making a statement of her status - hence the creation of Hardwick Hall, which is now part of the National Trust - having been acquired for their portfolio in place of death duties from the Estate of the Duke of Devonshire.  (Hardwick Hall, became part of the Devonshire's Estate as the result of an earlier Duke of Devonshire's marriage, and is not very far from Chatsworth - where the current Duke of Devonshire still lives.)  HH is built on the top of a ridge which over looks the M1 motorway - connecting London and Scotland - and despite the Old Hall (original, but burned before being replaced by the current structure) being in ruins, both structures can still be visited.  

A view of the Old Hall, with visitors in the foreground.

Our visit was on a grey, Spring day with gusty winds, which were enough to nearly blow us away at times, so the buildings and garden don't show themselves well.  However, I hope the photographs which follow will give folks an idea of the grandeur of the site, and may be entice overseas readers to visit when they come to the UK.  (As most of you are aware, I am sure, there is a lot more to the United Kingdom than just London - although one can spend a lot of time there, and not see EVERYTHING worth seeing in that City too).

The view from the Hall Grounds at the entrance Visitors take to view the Grounds and Hall.

Stableyard and Estate Buildings - now used for displaying tourist attractions.

Rear of the Stable - now used as Visitor Restaurant.  Too cold for outside lingering when we visited.

Entrance to Hardwick Hall on its South-facing side.

Just to prove the family were all there!  Grandad was taking the picture!

On the right of the above photo, you'll see the branch end of a magnificent fir tree, which has obviously been in situ for decades, if not centuries.  Alas, the combination of heavy snow and gale force winds suffered over Christmas a couple of years' ago, resulted in the trunk being shattered at the top of the tree. 

To leave it was against every tenet of the "dreaded" Health & Safety regime,  It required the services of the "biggest crane available in the UK, and two days' labour" - to quote one of the staff directing visitors along)  to remove it safely and get it over the wall!

The coat of arms of the Earl of Shrewsbury are depicted in the centre of the balustrade running along the top of the South Side of the Hall, and atop each front wing of the building there are the letters ES- Elizabeth Shrewsbury - just to make sure everyone knew to whom the building belonged!  Also, take note of the number of windows  - at a time when there was a window tax in effect!  Bess, who "married well", despite being widowed thrice, did not care - and was happy for all to know it! 

Thanks to an accident the week before last, in which the family dog got spooked and I ended up falling in the road collecting some interesting bruises (most of which could not be exhibited and so get sympathy) the visit to the house and gardens had to be curtailed.  However, I took sufficient photographs on this occasion for at least another post here - and as this one has gone on for some time, I'll post the rest of the visit illustrations next week.  (There are two more floors for me to explore - the next time(s) I go, whether it be with family or my fellow residents.  After all, 7-9 miles is no distance even for those of us in the UK -  but next door for many of you Folk!)

Good to be back.  Will try to post more regularly in future, as time and events allow.  Belated Happy Easter wishes to all of you - my lovely Friendly Followers.

Your Friend - Isobel