The Countess of Shrewsbury — or Bess of Hardwick, as she’s more widely known — was one of the richest people in England by her death in 1610. Yet she hadn’t even got a dowry when her father died. How did she do it? Through many fortunate marriages (and a canny mind), Sharon Bennett Connolly, […]
More Glass than Wall
Hardwick is approached from below; the road winds round through the valley with a tantalising vista opening up, offering a glimpse of golden stone looming above, and then disappearing once more as you climb. Still invisible on the long drive through parkland scattered with sheep, Hardwick only reappears when you are almost upon her (she, […]