Hardwick Hall and Gardens
Built in 1597, Hardwick Hall was designed by Robert Smithson, a British architect and advocate of the Renaissance style. The hall uses a lot of glass, making it both avant-garde and bold, and a display of wealth, as glass was an expensive luxury at the time. This gave rise to the saying: "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall." The large glass windows of Hardwick Hall inspired the Crystal Palace at the first London World's Fair in 1851 and the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition in 1876. The letters "E" and "S" on the roof of the hall are abbreviations of Bess's name and title: Elizabeth Shrewsbury, Countess of Shrewsbury. The hall's collection consists mainly of 16th-century tapestries, furniture, and portraits, with the tapestries being particularly impressive for their quantity, size, and exquisite patterns. The collection includes the famous Gideon Tapestries. Gideon is a character from the Old Testament of the Bible, a famous hero of Israel. Under the guidance of Jehovah, he rose from a commoner to a general and led 300 elite warriors to defeat the Midianite army of 130,000. The Gideon Tapestries consist of 13 pieces, measuring approximately 70.1 meters long and 6.09 meters high, and date back to 1578. The tapestries were originally collected by Bess's friend, Sir Christopher Hatton, and became part of Bess's collection after his death in 1591. The Gideon Tapestries are like a series of giant comic strips, each depicting a major event in Gideon's life. This one shows Gideon destroying the altar of Baal. To help viewers identify Gideon, he is depicted with a blue patterned sheath on his calf. The gardens of Hardwick Hall are large, with open views, long hedges, and beautifully shaped tree crowns. After spending 3 hours at Hardwick Hall, we left at 4 pm and drove to our accommodation in Nottingham. July 2, 2024 National Trust - Hardwick Hall