I visited Hardwick Hall in August, interested in visiting both the house and the grounds. The Hall is now looked after by the National Trust, and is a popular destination, especially in the school summer holidays. This is the first good view of the Hall you get, through a gate, as you approach from the car park. This is one end of the building, and already you can understand the rhyme:
Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall.
There are formal gardens to one side, this first picture shows the hedges separating the herb garden from an orchard and other areas, and more gardens in front of the house. Unforntunately, the design of these gardens dates from after Bess’s time, so we don’t get much of an idea of what the surrounding gardens looked like when she lived there.
