Bess of Hardwick – A Remarkable History
Daring, dynamic and driven – the impoverished landowner's daughter who queened it over all
TV chefs, footballers pop stars... lightweights, all of them, compared with Bess of Hardwick!
Bess was the greatest celebrity of her era – the flame-haired prodigy who rose through four moneyed marriages to become queen of all she surveyed was an icon of Elizabethan England. She lived through four reigning monarchs and for more than 80 years, almost unheard of in those times.
Proud and extravagant, yet extremely skilful in business and with a talent for making friends – Bess of Hardwick was no meek mouse, for sure. The social-climbing firebrand still fascinates us today with her feistiness, her energy and her dynamic spirit of ‘Never Say Die'. Responsible for the repair and building of many halls and houses through her lifetime, they stand today as her final lasting legacy.
400 years have passed since her death yet still today, everywhere you follow her trail through the glorious countryside of her native Derbyshire – from her birthplace at Hardwick to Chatsworth House then on to her final resting place in Derby Cathedral – you sense the timeless spirit of this bold and gutsy woman for all seasons.
Hardwick Hall: Off the Wall >>
