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Hardwick Old Hall – west wing

Hardwick Old Hall is the ruin of an imposing Elizabethan mansion built around the core of an older medieval manor house, which had been the birthplace of Bess of Hardwick in 1527, (See SK4663 : Hardwick Old Hall: east wing for further historical information). Although the east wing is just a shell, much of the west wing, although in a ruinous state, can be accessed from a central staircase and an impression of the grandeur of the building can be gained. The views through the windows across the Derbyshire hills get more impressive the higher you climb.

This wing was planned in three vertical sections: the staircase flanked by the buttery and kitchen sections, each with living accommodation, known as lodgings, with the smaller windows, on the first and second storeys above. Occupying most of the third floor at the top is the Hill Great Chamber, with the larger full height window. The second-floor rooms were allocated to two of Bess’s senior staff, Mr Reason and Mr Digby, while Bess's son, William Cavendish, (the1st Earl of Devonshire) occupied a suite of rooms on the first floor.