Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall, was built in the 1590s for Bess of Hardwick, the Countess of Shrewsbury who became one of the richest women in Elizabethan England; her initials ES still crown the parapets. A processional staircase climbs to second-floor state rooms hung with 400-year-old tapestries and embroideries, ending in the kitchen with its copper pans. Ground floor rooms tell Bess's story, the herb garden, orchards and lakeside parkland fill the rest of a day, and Harry Potter fans will know the exterior as Malfoy Manor. Reviewers praise the volunteers, the Great Barn restaurant and the snack van, and note the ruined Old Hall next door is included with entry, though access is sometimes limited to its courtyard. Tips from regulars: allow two hours for the house, take the covered buggy if the walk from the car park is too far, and keep to the flatter routes beside the exit roads if steep banks are a problem.
