Issue 40 winter 23 web - Flipbook - Page 87
Hardwick Old Hall:
securing the layers of history
by Tom Bromet
Hardwick Old Hall in Derbyshire, a 16th-century ruin,
was closed to the public for three years due to stone,
concrete and plaster falling from its walls. Stabilisation
work led by Donald Insall Associates for English Heritage
is now complete and the site has re-opened to the public.
The site is a remarkable case study for understanding late
16th- century construction techniques as well as the
architectural innovations of the time, widely recognised
as a pioneering example of the early Renaissance style in
England.
From family quarrels to an open-air museum
The Hardwick family had established themselves at
Hardwick since at least the end of the 14th century.
Hardwick Old Hall today still incorporates fragments of
an earlier house built by the family. Bess of Hardwick, who
was a leading figure in Elizabethan society, bought the
house in 1583 when her brother James (the former
owner) died. She moved into it in 1584 following a
quarrel with her fourth husband. She greatly enlarged it
between 1587 and 1597. Bess's husband - one of the
richest men in the country, died in 1590. With her
widow's portion, Bess built Hardwick Hall between 15901597 while continuing to live in the Old Hall.
In the 1750s, the Old Hall was partly dismantled to
provide stone for Chatsworth House. The west wing
continued to be partly inhabited until at least the end of
the 18th century. During the 19th century, the building
deteriorated following lead and stone removal. In 1912,
the SPAB carried out extensive conservation works on
the site. In 1956, internal floors were removed. In 1959
the estate was transferred to the National Trust. English
Heritage (then Ministry of Works) took up guardianship
of the Old Hall and carried out significant repairs and
interventions each decade until 1990s.
The building fabric of Hardwick Old Hall thus tells the
story of the evolution of conservation techniques
spanning over a century: SPAB in 1912 and then Ministry
of Works 1960s, 1970-80, 1990s, and the 2000s. The most
remarkable aspect of the building, perhaps, is that despite
it being open to the elements, many of the original plaster
and decorative overmantels are still in place. It acts as
an open-air museum of late 16th century construction
techniques.
Arresting decay
The stabilisation works, which began in 2020, sought to
secure the ruin so that it is once again safe for visitors to
enjoy. This needed to be in alignment with English
Heritage’s Sustainable Conservation Strategy & Asset
Management Plan (SCAMP) principles. These set out a
Below, Hardwick Old Hall Credit Donald Insall Associates
Photography Credit © Damian Griffiths