Hardwick Hall
Built by 'Bess of Hardwick', a powerful woman of the Elizabethan age, with giant windows like a glass wall, giving rise to the saying 'more glass than wall'.
Hardwick Hall was built in the 1590s by Bess, Countess of Shrewsbury, who was among the wealthiest women in England, second only to Elizabeth I. The mansion is famous for its enormous windows, which were unprecedented at the time, and the saying 'Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall' comes from them. The initials ES, for Elizabeth Shrewsbury, are carved into the parapet along the roofline. The interior preserves many 16th-century tapestries and embroideries, and the house is considered the pinnacle of Elizabethan architecture in England. It was also a filming location for Malfoy Manor in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The old mansion ruins stand nearby. It is managed by the National Trust, admission costs about £20, and it is next to the M1 motorway, about 35 minutes' drive from Bakewell.
Opening hours
approx. 10:00–17:00 (mansion open seasonally)
Nearby sights
- National Tramway Museum (Crich Tramway Village)
- Cromford Mills
- Matlock Bath
- Heights of Abraham
- Chatsworth House
- Haddon Hall
- Padley Gorge
- Bakewell