Hardwick Hall Resource Pack

Transcription

1 Hardwick Hall Resource Pack This resource pack will provide information relevant for the AQA GCSE History Syllabus Part Four Unit: The Historic Environment on the Elizabethan Golden Age. Hardwick Hall was built in for Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, also known as Bess of Hardwick. Built by Robert Smythson, Hardwick is one of the earliest English interpretations of Italian Renaissance architecture, and stands as one of the greatest of all Elizabethan houses. Huge grids of glass are used to great effect in this rectangular, turreted building, leading observers to rhyme Hardwick Hall, more window than wall. Each tower is crowned with a balustrade incorporating an E.S. motif (for Elizabeth Shrewsbury), and each of the three main storeys has a ceiling higher than the one below, which is an important feature to show off its grandeur. Hardwick was transferred to the National Trust from Bess s descendants, the Dukes of Devonshire, in (1) Hardwick Hall (West Court) Bess moved into her new house in 1597 and four years later compiled an inventory, a list of the contents of the house that emphasises the richness and quality of the interior furnishings of Hardwick.

2 (2) The Front of Hardwick Hall (West Court) (3) The East Collonnade (East Court) (4) The back of the Hall (East Court)

3 (5) View from the Gardens (6) Arial view of Hardwick Hall and the Wine Glass. The Wine Glass does not date to Bess time, but shows the land around the Hall. (7) Arial view of the south side of the Hall and gardens. Both Hardwick Old Hall and Hardwick Hall s households used this area, as well as both using the Stableyard.

4 (8)The Herb Garden In Bess time this will have provided herbs not only for flavouring food but to help make drinks, medicines and for fragrances in the Hall. There would have been herbs such as fennel, sage, mint and parsley. There were also vegetables and fruit for cooking but we do not know exactly how the gardens were arranged. Bess did plan and build the four rectangular walled courtyards and thought to have grown wild honeysuckle, lavender and roses amongst others. Bess will have planted orchards and for the winter there would have been a hay meadow for any animals kept. Sheep may have been kept in the orchard, with the wool and mutton providing food and fabric. (9) Sheep pictured in front of Hardwick Old Hall, where Bess was born in 1527 into a minor gentry family who earned their living by farming sheep. The grazed landscape of Hardwick Park looks very similar today to what it would have done in Bess time when cattle and sheep would have grazed the land providing meat, milk, wool and leather for the estate.

5 (10) View across the Great Pond towards Hardwick Old Hall (centre) and Hardwick Hall (left) The big draw to build Hardwick Hall in the locality that it sits, is that Bess wanted to see everything, so she could survey most of the land that she owned. The position of the Hall allowed people to look up and marvel at the turrets and initials on her rooftop. Bess owned quarries, lead mines, iron smelting works, brickworks and coal mines. Men from her mines, masons, carpenters, smiths, painters and mat-makers to name a few were all busy building and creating the finished works. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries Hardwick Hall continued to be a working estate where the Stableyard developed its own slaughter house, candle house, laundry house and brew house. (11) The new quarry in the lower parkland. Sandstone from this quarry has been used for repairs on Hardwick Hall. The original quarry sits below Hardwick Old Hall. During the build of Hardwick Hall each mason signed the stone block he cut with a unique mark, making it identifiable only to that mason. There are thought to be around 50 marks discovered in Hardwick Hall and some of these marks can still be seen today.

6 Interior Environment: The Entrance Hall (12) View down the Entrance Hall This room is situated in the centre of the house, running from front to back, rather than lying across the width of the house. Brightly coloured tapestries, the coat of arms and decorative furnishings on display. Originally home to the lower servants this was their common room. The servants would have slept on straw mattresses on landings, in the kitchens, outside bedrooms in the Great Hall, or in one of the turrets. The stone screen dating from 1597 supports the gallery which connects to the rooms on the first floor. These elements make the Entrance Hall unique to its time and not a typical layout of an Elizabethan building. To understand in greater detail the layout of the building the National Trust Hardwick Hall guidebook contains floor plans for each floor. Go to the link to find out more hardwick-hall-guidebook/p7313 (13) Plasterwork of the Hardwick coat of arms

7 Interior Environment: The Long Gallery (14) Today s view down the Long Gallery When Bess lived here the decorative tapestries were shown off on both sides of the Long Gallery, marvelling her guests by the sheer size of the room. It would not have been typical to find this room on the top floor. Used as a space to proceed to after enjoying the food, guests would relax here using this space like a promenade. (15) One of two great alabaster chimneypieces in the Long Gallery (16) Today portraits are displayed down both sides of the length of the Long Gallery.

8 Interior Environment: High Great Chamber (17) Around the upper half of the walls is the dazzling frieze in the High Great Chamber. This tells a story of exploration showing off exotic animals. (18) The arms of the Queen Elizabeth I is above the chimneypiece. This was important because Bess wanted to show her loyalty to the Queen. (19) Close up of part of the frieze

9 Interior Environment: Decorative Furnishings (20) The walnut table showing off the fashion and one of the most important pieces of 16th century furniture in England. Supported by chimeras or sea-dogs resting on tortoises. The table was based on engraved designs of about 1560 by the French architect Du Cerceau. (21) GT Cabinet. It is assumed that this chest was created for Gilbert Talbot, Bess' son in law.

10 Interior Environment: Textiles Hardwick is renowned for its collections, most notably its textile collection, largely sourced and collected by Bess of Hardwick in the later years of the sixteenth century. By the mid-1590s when Hardwick was taking shape, Bess could only bring a small proportion of the contents with her when she moved back to Hardwick from Chatsworth, so in the winter of 1592/3 Bess went on a shopping spree while in London. Amongst her purchases were the Gideon set of tapestries purchased from the estate of Sir Christopher Hatton for the huge sum of s 9d (from which 5 was deducted because Bess had to change the Hatton coat of arms to her own). (22) Gideon building an altar to the Lord, 1578 (23) Detailed section showing off colour of Gideon building an altar to the Lord, 1578

11 Interior Environment: Textiles As well as fine tapestries Hardwick also has some of the finest early embroidery in the country, not least in the large scale set of embroideries known as the noble women. This is a set of four (originally five) hangings that all take their subject matter from worthy heroines and their virtues. These pieces were made by professional embroideries while Bess lived at Chatsworth and are made out of a patchwork of pieces of velvet, cloth of gold and figured silk, part cut out of medieval church vestments. (24) Penelope with her associated virtues of Perseverance and Patience

12 Room Layout: Green Velvet Bedroom (26) The Return of Sarah by the Egyptians circa circa 1590 This tapestry is made of wool, silk and metal thread. (25) The Green Velvet Bedroom (27) Rebecca at the Well Tapestry circa circa 1590 This tapestry is to the right hand side of the bed chamber and is made of wool and silk. Extra detail is below.

13 Interior Environment: Portraits (Showing the fashions of the time) Bess collection of portraits consisted of family members, royalty, foreign leaders and churchmen which were predominantly displayed in the Long Gallery. These portraits can tell us about the fashions of the time as well as the story behind the picture. Highlighted below are some of the fashions in women's and children s clothing. (28) Portrait of Bess of Hardwick (around 1600) (29) Queen Elizabeth I ( ) (30) Lady Arabella Stuart, later Duchess of Somerset ( ), aged 13 1/2

14 (31) Mary Queen of Scots ( ) (32) King James I (James VI of Scotland) ( ) as a Boy, aged 8, 1592 (33) An Unknown Child, possibly Henry, Duke of Gloucester ( )