Hardwick Hall
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Address – Doe Lea
Chesterfield
Derbyshire
S44 5QJ
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| Phone | 01246 850430 |
| Opening times |
The garden: 17 Mar–28 Oct 07 11–5:30 We Th Fr Sa Su
Parkland gates: open all year 8–6 Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su |
| Collection/special features | rare breeds, excellent mixed borders |
| Dog friendly? | On leads and in the park and car park only |
| Child friendly? | Probably not. It’s an astonishing place and probably requires some grasp of the history of the Tudors to fully appreciate – this is one place where you must visit the house as well as the gardens and Bess of Hardwick’s ‘propaganda’ paintings fascinate adults while boring children rigid. |
| Description |
Walled courtyards enclose fine gardens, orchards and a herb garden, and the surrounding country park contains rare breeds of cattle and sheep. The garden is still divided into the original two main areas, the South Court and the East Court. South Court has a newly renovated herb garden, containing many varieties familiar to the original house owners. Look out for the long border full of tree peonies, old shrub roses and philadelphus with perennials and a form of Lily of the Valley discovered here and called 'Hardwick Hall'. The other two courts provided fruit and vegetables, in vast quantities, for the house by being planted as orchard and crop gardens. |
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Hardwick Hall photograph by Andrew Norman used under a creative commons licence
