Tag Archives: country

Hardwick Hall

C59F3147.jpgWhile Donald Trump might be well known now for putting his name all over his buildings, he certainly isn’t the first to do so. Head back to the Elizabethan period and you can find another example of someone who wanted you to know who they were. Bess of Hardwick had an interesting life that led her to be one of the more powerful people in England. Indeed her daughter could conceivably have been queen. That wasn’t to be but Bess acquired a substantial estate and built an impressive house on it.

C59F3226.jpgHardwick Hall is just outside Chesterfield (home to a church with a twisted spire that is worthy of a post of its own if I had only got close enough to get a shot of it). There is a new Hall and an old Hall. The new hall is only new in relative terms but it is a grand affair. For fans of the Harry Potter movies, it is Malfoy Manor although a certain amount of CGI added elements to the actual structure. You approach along a road that loops around the back of the house and gives you plenty of time to appreciate its grandeur. Once you are closer, you walk through a small enclosure of estate buildings and past the ruins of the old hall. They were both used at the same time but the old hall fell out of use and has deteriorated accordingly.

C59F3174.jpgWe only briefly looked inside but there was a great introductory talk about the history of Bess and the hall which was well worthwhile. We also got to look around the grounds and also appreciate the view over the valley below. Until the M1 was built, I imagine the view was pretty unspoiled! The building itself has an inordinate amount of window space for its time. This was a statement of how important Bess thought herself to be and if you look to the roofline, her initials are all along the tops of the walls. I guess she wasn’t a shy person.

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Cross Country

My trip to upstate New York had a certain sporty theme to it.  We had a triple header of sports to watch.  Today you get part two!  My niece was taking part in a cross country meet for her high school.  She was glad to be running again after having been out with an injury for a while.

The course was a fun one for spectators but less so for the runners I imagine.  A section lower down the hill was apparently quite damp – one girl lost her shoe but continued without it – and the climb back up to the main viewing area looked like something I was glad someone else was doing.

I only saw Sara’s race in full.  There were plenty of other age groups at different times and the guys were racing as well but I wasn’t there to see them.  Family viewing is what counts.  Here are a couple from the day.  It’s hard to photograph cross country runners since they always seem to be in so much pain.  Most of the pictures involve expressions that I am sure they would not be too grateful about if I were to share them with the world.  I’m a nice guy I guess!