Well we've made the most of my days off with little time spent around the house: And today it continued with a trip down the M1 to Hardwick Hall. We've seen it many times when driving down the M1, perched on top of a hill to the east of the motorway, and last summer we spent an evening in the grounds watching open air cinema; but we have never actually visited the house or grounds before.
It's an unusual place for a visit as the old Hardwick Hall is next door to the 'new' Hardwick Hall, however one is owned by the National Trust, and the other by English Heritage. Obviously in line with their preservation lines, the older of the halls is the one owned by Heritage. Unfortunately only the new National Trust hall is open at the moment so you have to make do with seeing the ruins of the old hall as you walk past on your way to the grounds of the more recent building.
Before we started to have a look around, we went into the cafe and had lunch, a Ratatouille for Donna and Rarebit for me; and unusually the Rarebit was made not on bread, but on a cheese scone. Both meals we very good. Mine was washed down (ok I had actually drunk it before my meal arrived) with a large Mocha, and Donna was calorie conscious and had sparkling water.
So now time to visit the house, and what a house - sorry hall, it is. It's so different to most old houses that you visit in that the vast majority of the walls are covered in tapestries. with plain ceilings so as not to take away from the beautiful weaving adorning the walls. There are so many historical pieces in the house, probably more functional than decorative, which all added to the slightly unique feel of the place. Don't get me wrong, there were also many stunning paintings on the walls and plenty of vases and other decorative pieces, but more focused on other items of antiquity such as shields, armour, tools, pots and pans etc.
The history of the place is also very interesting as it interlinks with many of the other historical establishments in the area, particularly the Devonshire estate, and the guides around the house are extremely knowledgeable and always there if and when you needed some clarification.
Before leaving we popped back into the cafe for afternoon tea, Donna had a fruit scone with her jam and cream, I had a rhubarb and ginger one with mine, and both washed down with a hot drink. We'd been at Hardwick for close to 5hrs so time to head back up the M1 with the tea-time flow of traffic. And as there was a lovely sunset, we made a slight 15 minute detour up into Laughton to take a few photos of the setting sun. A lovely end to a lovely day.
It's an unusual place for a visit as the old Hardwick Hall is next door to the 'new' Hardwick Hall, however one is owned by the National Trust, and the other by English Heritage. Obviously in line with their preservation lines, the older of the halls is the one owned by Heritage. Unfortunately only the new National Trust hall is open at the moment so you have to make do with seeing the ruins of the old hall as you walk past on your way to the grounds of the more recent building.
Before we started to have a look around, we went into the cafe and had lunch, a Ratatouille for Donna and Rarebit for me; and unusually the Rarebit was made not on bread, but on a cheese scone. Both meals we very good. Mine was washed down (ok I had actually drunk it before my meal arrived) with a large Mocha, and Donna was calorie conscious and had sparkling water.
So now time to visit the house, and what a house - sorry hall, it is. It's so different to most old houses that you visit in that the vast majority of the walls are covered in tapestries. with plain ceilings so as not to take away from the beautiful weaving adorning the walls. There are so many historical pieces in the house, probably more functional than decorative, which all added to the slightly unique feel of the place. Don't get me wrong, there were also many stunning paintings on the walls and plenty of vases and other decorative pieces, but more focused on other items of antiquity such as shields, armour, tools, pots and pans etc.
The history of the place is also very interesting as it interlinks with many of the other historical establishments in the area, particularly the Devonshire estate, and the guides around the house are extremely knowledgeable and always there if and when you needed some clarification.
Before leaving we popped back into the cafe for afternoon tea, Donna had a fruit scone with her jam and cream, I had a rhubarb and ginger one with mine, and both washed down with a hot drink. We'd been at Hardwick for close to 5hrs so time to head back up the M1 with the tea-time flow of traffic. And as there was a lovely sunset, we made a slight 15 minute detour up into Laughton to take a few photos of the setting sun. A lovely end to a lovely day.
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