Hardwick Hall (46)

This painting is from a photo I took of Hardwick Hall, at the end of a summer’s day when the shadows were just starting to creep across the lawn.

Hardwick Hall is an imposing Elizabethan house in Derbyshire. It was built in the 1590s by Bess of Hardwick, who, at the time, was the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth I. It has not been altered since – much of the furniture is original and magnificent tapestries still line the walls of the house. There are a great many windows in the house, which is unusual for the time and a sign of conspicuous wealth. As children we were taught a little rhyme about it: ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall!’

Hardwick Hall will always have a special place in my heart because it is very close to the village where I grew up. Hardwick Park was our playground - we often had picnics there as kids, I used to ride my horse, Fudge, through it, and my brother played cricket on the cricket ground behind the hall. In those days, the road through Hardwick Park was open to through traffic. That was before trucks started to use it as a short cut, which resulted in it being closed and traffic being diverted a long way round.

I painted this picture last year, while I was living back in the UK. My 12 year old niece, Bethany, and I spent a day together and decided to each do a painting from my photo of Hardwick Hall. Hers was in acrylics and mine in pastels. I thought hers was much better than mine – kids are often amazingly creative.