Hardwick Hall and Park.

Hardwick Inn | Stainsby Mill | Robert Smythson

Hardwick Park lies to the north of the Ashfield district just off M1 Motorway Junction 29.

Hardwick Hall.

As the old rhyme goes 'Hardwick Hall - more glass than wall'. That's certainly the first impression that the visitor gets on visiting the magnificent Elizabethan house.

Sitting on the same westward facing slope as the nearby Bolsover Castle it is one of the finest examples of Elizabethan architecture in the country.

Local materials and large amounts of glass were used to build the house between 1591-1597 and contains a fine collection of tapestries. The house was owned by Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Shrewsbury - perhaps better knows as 'Bess of Hardwick'. She undoubtedly had a hand in designing the house with architect Robert Smythson.

By the time Smythson designed Hardwick Hall he had already worked on a number of great houses including Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, Worksop Manor and, further afield, Longleat House.

The stature of the hall reflects Bess's wealth and status, with six imposing towers and a vast array of windows. Glass was an expensive material but the effect is spectacular. Fascinatingly some of the windows appear to illuminate only one room but in actual fact light two rooms on two storeys. Some of the windows are false, concealing chimney pieces. The hall also boasts a stone grand staircase and the High Great Chamber - reputed to be the most beautiful room in Europe.

Close to the hall stands Hardwick Old Hall which was transformed into a large house from modest origins by Bess in the 1580's. The hall is now in ruins.

Hardwick Hall lies about five miles to the north of Sutton-in-Ashfield close to Junction 29 of the M1 motorway.

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Hardwick Inn

At the south entrance to Hardwick Park stands the Hardwick Inn on the banks of the river Doe Lea.

The inn was not designed by Smythson - but it does have an interesting connection with one of his trusted workmen.

For his long and loyal service to the Hardwick estate Bess rewarded John Ballechous by allowing him to build the inn and live there rent free as its first landlord.

The spelling of his name caused the clerks of Hardwick a problem because he was listed in the accounts as John Painter because painting was his trade and he was responsible for the frieze in the hall's Long Gallery.

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Stainsby Mill.

Stainsby Mill is situated at the northern edge of Hardwick Park and is close to Junction 29 of the M1 motorway.

A workplace of an 19th century miller the mill has stood on the site since the 13th century, providing flour for local villages and the Hardwick Estate.

In 1850 it was restored by the sixth Duke of Devonshire, the owner of Hardwick Hall.He spent the modern day equivalent of £1,000,000 putting it in working order after years of neglect.
The advanced engineering of the mill machinery meant it could be operated by one person. It provided flour until 1952 and is still in good order. One of its main features is its massive enclosed 17 foot waterwheel.

Directions: From Junction 29 of the M1 motorway, follow the signs for Hardwick Hall. Park in the lane near the war memorial.

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Builder Robert Smythson.

The Elizabethan period was a time when the gentry displayed their wealth by building mansions which were bold in their design. It was a time of peace and prosperity.

Against this backdrop the concept of the architect emerged.. Amongst the first was Robert Smythson who was described as a 'freemason'. In the modern sense he was without doubt the first English architect. He brought originality and freshness to his designs.

Buildings were no longer fortified castles but elegant homes for the gentry. His houses were compact and symmetrical in design.

Amongst his house designs were the Hunting Lodge at Chatsworth, Wollaton Hall, Longleat House and Worksop Manor.

Smythson died in 1614 and there is a memorial to him in Wollaton Church. His tombstone bears the inscription 'Architector and survayor unto the most worthy house of Wollaton and diverse others of great account'.

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