Matlock in the Midlands, Hardwick Hall and a whirlwind visit to Wales

Matlock in the Midlands

Not Matlock south of Woods Point but not far from Derby in Derbyshire. Our friends, the Buntings welcomed us again. Penny is the daughter of Ken, our friends in Andover, and had stayed with us in Merrijig in June last year during their 10 week tour of Australia. They've seen more of Australia than we have!

The beautiful view from Penny and Rich's house looking across the River Wye valley

They guided us to the English Heritage and National Trust property, Hardwick Hall not far Matlock, where we enjoyed the beautiful gardens for a picnic lunch before venturing inside to this incredibly grand  Elizabethan house.

From left standing, Louise, Laurie, Penny and Millie.
In the front, Izzy and Richard in the orchard at Hardwick Hall

Hardwick Hall

I'll rabbit on a bit about this place so just scroll down if it's all too much.

Taken from the National Trust website:

It was the formidable Bess of Hardwick who first created Hardwick in the late 1500s, but it was Robert Symthson who designed this magnificent house. The new Hall was designed deliberately to symbolise Bess' wealth and status and pushed the boundaries of architectural design.

The most incredible part of this grand place from my point of view are the magnificent Flemish tapestries which hang on the walls in many of the rooms. There are 87 tapestries in all.  Some have been really well restored. Others are waiting this painstaking process.

The Long Gallery - designed to house the
tapestries

The Gideon Tapestries are Flemish and were woven in 1578 for Lord Christopher Hatton, the Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. They were sold to Bess of Hardwick in 1591, who at the time was building Hardwick Hall and specifically designed the Long Gallery to house them.

The tapestries are unusual in their massive scale, as each one measures between 5.80 metres and 6.01metres in height, and between 2.40 metres and 8.75 metres in width. Originally these dramatic biblical scenes were full of vibrant colour and made a clear social statement about their owner. While the stunning colours would have overwhelmed the 16th-century visitor, their current condition is barely legible. Faded by sunlight and covered in dirt the original colours can only be appreciated by viewing the reverse of the tapestries.

The Long Gallery is about 150 feet long and roughly 24 feet high, particularly impressive due to the enormous windows.

The rush matting is one of the furnishings that has continued to be used in the house from the beginning, sprinkled with water to refresh it and replaced as necessary.

The Long Gallery - about 150 feet long
The rest of the house is just as magnificent.

Portions of two of the 87 tapestries which adorn the
walls at Hardwick Hall.

The stunning dining room

We then explored outside. The gardens are lovely even at this late-winter nearly-spring time of year. Some of the trees in the orchard are obviously extremely old.

Part of the formal garden

A very old apple tree in the orchard

Some of the striking lines created in the formal part of the garden

Aberdovy - Wales

Our next destination was Aberdovy, Wales. A drive through Snowdonia National Park was a treat. Little villages and beautiful scenery at every turn. Small patches of snow on the mountains and very full lakes.

On the way through Wales

We were travelling to Wales to visit Crona Hodges and her family. Laurie knew Crona from when she was an assistant at Timbertop School.

Crona, Laurie and Louise at Aberdovy in Wales

The beautiful villa of Aberdovy on the coast os Wales

After a beautiful meal with the family, next morning we headed back to Nottingham to return our hire car and jump back on the train to London - about a two hour journey.

Next we visit Bletchley Park - the headquarters of the WW1 British code breakers which was a secret until 1974.  And a few days later to Chiswick House not far from where we live in Kensington.