I had actually chosen to visit Hardwick Hall as I was on my way back from visiting Yorkshire and they had (according to the website) EV charging facilities. For me this meant that I could stop there, charge the car, enjoy visiting the house, walk the grounds and still have time for a scone and a pot of tea.
However… the EV chargers were not by the house, so I couldn’t charge the car.
Of course I got my card scanned and headed off to the amazing house.
Hardwick
An English interpretation of Italian Renaissance Architecture. This impressive masterpiece casts a dramatic silhouette across the Derbyshire skyline.
Current saving £164.30
One adult £23.00
Parking Free
Total saving £23.00
Cumulative saving £283.30
Membership cost £96
Net cumulative saving £187.30
There were some amazing authentic rooms. It would appear (after a conversation with a volunteer) that after the death of Bess of Hardwick the woman behind the building of the hall.
Bess of Hardwick was the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth I, and her house was conceived to be a conspicuous statement of her wealth and power.
A wide, winding, stone staircase leads up to the state rooms on the second floor, which include one of the largest long galleries in any English house. A tapestry-hung great chamber with a spectacular plaster frieze illustrating hunting scenes has been little altered.
The rooms get higher ceilings as you go up to different floors. Impressing those who entered the house.
After exploring the house, I went to see the ruins of the previous hall.
I drove to the East Midlands Designer Outlet. It was busy and I put the Funky Cat on charge there.