More glass than wall

[gillo]

It's over a week ago now, but on my way home from Yorkshire I decided to stop at a classier place than the service station. I had my National Trust card with me, so I turned left after about an hour.

Comments

[petzipellepingo]

Ah, Bess of Hardwick - what a character. Thanks for the tour.

[gillo]

It's a fabulous place - and she was quite astonishing. She'd have wiped the floor with Maggie Smith's Countess of Grantham!

Glad you liked it.

[keswindhover]

Ooooh - I envy you Hardwick Hall. The plasterwork is especially amazing. There's also no lack of ego in show. :D

[gillo]

Hardwick is very much worth the trip, never mind the detour. The plasterwork is superb; they have done a lot of work recently on the Old Hall, and there is some exceptional plasterwork there too.

As for Ego, you'd have thought Bess invented the concept. Except that Elizabeth got there first and did it even better!

[paratti]

Besses For The Win:)

[gillo]

\0/

[curiouswombat]

Thank you for the tour - I really must go there sometime - it's been on my to-do list for ages but I've never done it!

[gillo]

That area - the junction of Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire - has a surprising number of spectacular places - Chatsworth, Bolsover, Haddon Hall, the Dukeries. More than you might expect.

[joyeuce]

Indeed - it's not so far from where I grew up, so there were school and/or family trips to a lot of these places. I love Hardwick, though haven't been there for years, and your pictures brought back happy memories - thank you!

[brunettepet]

What a fantastic place. The plasterwork is breathtaking.

[gillo]

It is indeed. It's a superb house and all ego!

Here's more plasterwork:

[spikesjojo]

Oh, that was a wonderful tour! If you ever get a chance to drop by Hever or Blickling, I would love to see pictures. Actually, I would love to see any pictures. Going to England has always been an ambition of mine - love to see it by proxy. I read a book about Bess a few years ago - that included the building of Hardwick Hall. Never though i would get a chance to see inside it though!

[gillo]

Hever is to the south of London, about 130 miles; that is, in British distances, a good four to five hours. I've been there once; it's a bit artificial in feel, as the Astors invested a lot of money in "modernising" it about a century ago.

Blickling's in a part of England I haven't spent much time in. It's not so far, really, just feels that way. My parents went there when I was a student, but I had a job I couldn't afford to leave that summer.

If you click on the tags I've put with this entry, though, you'll find some other historic houses and castles. I rather enjoy overdosing on them, I'm afraid. And then there's our own local castle: points to icon...

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hardwick is pretty darned cool, I must say.