BRITAIN'S BEST BUILDINGS - HARDWICK HALL
BBC Two Tuesday 17 May 2005 7pm-8pm
Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury (otherwise known as Bess of Hardwick), was one of the most capable and ambitious women in Elizabethan England. Hardwick Hall has become her lasting monument and is full of coded references to her desire for one of her descendents to sit on the throne of England.
Hardwick Facts
An old rhyme captures one of Hardwick Hall's most notable features: 'Hardwick Hall - more glass than wall'
Bess amassed fortune and influence by marrying four husbands in succession
The house was built between 1591-1597 and the architect was Robert Smythson
Elizabeth's initials ES can be found all over the house - even worked into a tapestry of the royal motto "Dieu et mon Droit" (see the photo gallery)
