We said farewell to Ken and Edna. They very kindly guided us out of Sheffield onto the motorway heading south towards London. We had arranged to meet another good friend from our days in Haifa , Anne Wong. We were due to meet her at the train station in Leicester so we decided to visit another National Trust home on the way.
Hardwick Hall was built by Bess of Hardwick between 1590 and 1597 and it is an outstanding example of Elizabethan architecture. There are several buildings on the site but we had time to visit just two of them. we spent most of the time at the main building where we were treated to a fantastic introduction to the story of Bess and her several marriages and how she came to build two large homes so close to each other. The N.T. volunteer who gave the introductory talk was able to dramatise the story beautifully. Following the introduction, we went on a tour of the house. There are some wonderful art works and beautiful furnishings throughout the house. We also had time to explore the walled courtyards and gardens where we took many photos of the spring blooms as well as exterior views of the house and the decorative sculptures displayed in the gardens.
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