Description

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Originally constructed in the late 16th century for the notorious Bess of Hardwick, Countess of Shrewsbury, Hardwick Hall is now among the National Trust’s greatest architectural landmarks, with much of its original interior and ornamentation still intact. This splendid publication is the definitive source of scholarship on the remarkably well-preserved exemplar of late-Elizabethan style. Composed of extensive research and newly commissioned photography, this beautifully illustrated book traces the history of the house and its inhabitants through the centuries, showcasing a remarkable collection of portraiture, tapestries, furniture, and gardens, and providing readers with a genuine sense of the house’s environment. 

Published in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art

About the Author

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David Adshead is chief curator and David Taylor is curator of paintings, both at the National Trust. 

Praise For…

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“This ample, illustrated monograph has an elegiac quality, comprising a series of well-written essays by leading art historians on all aspects of a great building… a record of a unique national monument.”—John Martin Robinson, House & Garden
— John Martin Robinson

“This new study, comprising 20 chapters and several appendices by leading scholars in their respective fields, gives credit to the huge amount of scholarship that the house has already attracted, yet here builds a narrative of further subtle character.”—Maurice Howard, Apollo
— Maurice Howard

“How welcome to have a major new assessment of architecture, furnishings and collection of this celebrated and vastly important house.”—John Goodall, Country Life
— John Goodall