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Hardwick Hall, Chesterfield, Derbyshire added to National Trust in East Midlands by D0c.Col on 15/06/2023

National Trust's Hardwick Hall

Hardwick Hall was the home of one of the most influential women during the Elizabethan era. Known as, Bess of Hardwick, Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, was one of the richest woman in England after Queen Elizabeth I. The Hall was regarded to be a conspicuous statement of her wealth and power and was a primary example of an Elizabethan prodigy house that arrived in a Britain when it was no longer necessary, or legal, to fortify a domestic dwelling.

Designed by Robert Smythson in the late 16th century, the Hall was positioned with commanding views on a hilltop in the Derbyshire countryside and essentially consisted of six projecting towers that stood at the sides of the rectangular house.

One of its main features isthe numerous number of windows that are exceptionally large for a time when glass was considered a luxury. The Hall's chimneys form part of the internal structure of the walls in order to give a greater capacity for the huge windows without weakening the exterior walls. Smythson began its construction in 1590 and Elizabeth moved in on its completion in 1597, a residency that was to endure until her death in 1608.

The house's design was one of the first English houses where the great hall was built on its central axis rather than at right angles to the entrance. It holds an internationally important collection of 16th-century textiles, furniture, and portraits.

Bessy’s self-importance continues with a plethora of ES initials, that stand for Elizabeth of Shrewsbury, carved, stamped, sown and printed everywhere you look. As a visitor your certainly left in no doubt as to who was responsible for building this grand house. Each of its three main storeys has a higher ceiling than the one below, the ceiling height being indicative of the importance of the rooms' occupants. The house has one of the largest long galleries in England & there is also a tapestry-hung great chamber with a spectacular plaster frieze illustrating hunting scenes that has changed little since its conception.

Hardwick was just one of Bess's many houses. Each of her four marriages had brought her greater wealth. She was born in her father's manor house on the site of the later, now old Hall at Hardwick, which today is a ruin that lies just beyond the forecourt of the 'new' hall. After Bess's death in 1608, the house passed to her son William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire. His great-grandson, William, was created 1st Duke of Devonshire in 1694. The Devonshires made Chatsworth, another of Bess's great houses, their principal seat so Hardwick was therefore relegated to the role of an occasional retreat for hunting or used as a dower house and as such escaped the attention of modernisers and received few alterations after its completion.

From the early 19th century, the antique atmosphere of Hardwick Hall was consciously preserved. And a low, 19th-century service wing is fairly low key, at its rear. In 1950, the unexpected death of the 10th Duke of Devonshire, with the subsequent 80% death duties caused the sale of many of the Devonshire assets and estates. At this time, Hardwick was occupied by Evelyn, Duchess of Devonshire, the widow of the 9th Duke. The decision was taken to hand the house over to HM Treasury in lieu of the Estate Duty in 1956. The Treasury transferred the house to the National Trust in 1959. However, the Duchess remained in occupation of the house until her death in 1960. Having done much, personally, to conserve the textiles in the house as well as reinstating the traditional rush matting, she was to be its last occupant.

The flight was not in a FRZ and the local council does not have a bylaw to prevent TOAL. It was pretty busy, but I was able to launch the DJI mini 3 Pro close from just outside the National Trust property boundary.

Parking is a breeze in the Harwick Park Area and is outside the Trust's boundary.

View and discuss this location in more detail on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.16628, -1.30299 • what3words: ///types.dome.cage

The originator declared that this location was not inside a Flight Restriction Zone at the time of being flown on 03/06/2023. It remains the responsibility of any pilot to check for any changes before flying at the same location. Landowner permission may be required before taking off.

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Goddington Park, Bromley (By grandad1950)

aerial view of the 64 hectare Goddington park in Orpington in the London borough of Bromley. Extensive sports facilities and lovely parkland with trees

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.36705, 0.115153 • what3words: ///cages.signal.strict

Wainman’s Pinnacle, Craven (By markas)

Wainman's Pinnacle, originally built as a folly (and still used as a folly), is a stone obelisk in Sutton-in-Craven, North Yorkshire. It tends to be referred to as ‘Cowling Pinnacle’ or 'The Salt Pot' and could also be seen as being a part of the village of Cowling. It has been a grade II listed building in the National Heritage List for England since 23 October 1984. Wainman’s Pinnacle is situated upon Earl Crag and is often associated with Lund’s Tower as they are both locally known as the Salt and Pepper Pots

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.88236, -2.024918 • what3words: ///owned.rider.hatter

Lund’s Tower, Craven (By markas)

Lund's Tower is a stone-built folly situated to the south-west of the North Yorkshire village of Sutton-in-Craven. It is also known as Cowling Pinnacle, Sutton Pinnacle, the Ethel Tower, the Jubilee Tower or, in conjunction with the nearby Wainman's Pinnacle, the pair are referred to as the Salt and Pepper Pots.

It is listed in the National Heritage List for England at Grade II.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.88379, -2.013314 • what3words: ///muffin.enveloped.tornado

Westwood Manor, West Wiltshire (By gasbag43)

Westwood Manor is a 15th-century manor house in the village of Westwood, near Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire.

The manor is set within gardens featuring modern topiary and offering excellent views over the Frome Valley. Taken as a whole, the house is an outstanding example of medieval and Tudor architecture, with wonderful topiary, in an idyllic country setting.

It has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1956 and was designated as Grade I listed in 1962.

The manor is immediately adjacent to a lovely 12th century church – St Mary the Virgin. It so close its hard to get a shot of the manor without it encroaching :)

If making the trip to the area, you can easily combine this location with flights at Iford Manor and Farleigh Hungerford castle which I posted earlier this week (both no more than 10 minutes drive away)

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.32997, -2.270844 • what3words: ///trying.insist.rinse

Monsal Head and Viaduct, Derbyshire Dales (By robsumm)

Monsal Head and Viaduct, part of the Monsal trail starting at Bakewell, this site has everything, stunning views, big bridge, a tunnel and a pub near the carpark!

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 53.24064, -1.727504 • what3words: ///chitchat.foremost.dusty

Priory Gardens, Bromley (By grandad1950)

Very pleasant ornamental park with a large lake at one end and a walled formal garden at the other. Lots of space to fly.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.38053, 0.105985 • what3words: ///gent.piano.chimp

St Bartholomew's church, North Wiltshire (By gasbag43)

St Bartholomew’s in Corsham, Wiltshire, is a beautiful Grade I listed building with a rich heritage and architecture dating from its Saxon origins through development by the Normans in the 12th, 15th, and 19th centuries (the current building dates back to the mid-12th century and is actually built onto the original Saxon foundations).

The church and its tall spire stands out in its scenic setting adjacent to Corsham Court, Corsham Park and the surrounding historic listed buildings of the town centre. It is surrounded by a large, peaceful churchyard and has featured in Poldark and other films

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.43383, -2.18231 • what3words: ///proofs.handbook.proposals

Corsham Court, North Wiltshire (By gasbag43)

Corsham Court is a country house situated in a park designed by Capability Brown. It is in the town of Corsham, 3 miles west of Chippenham, Wiltshire. It is currently the home of the present Baron Methuen, James Methuen-Campbell, the eighth generation of the Methuens to live there.

Corsham was a royal manor in the days of the Saxon kings, reputed to have been a seat of Ethelred the Unready. After William the Conqueror, the manor continued to be passed down through the generations in the royal family. It often formed part of the dower of the Queens of England during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. During the 16th century, the manor went to two of Henry VIII's wives, namely Catherine of Aragon until 1536, and Katherine Parr until 1548.

During the reign of Elizabeth I the estate passed out of the royal family; the present house was built in 1582

In 1960, the house was recorded as Grade I listed

Impressive house situated in large park incorporating a big lake

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.43501, -2.182578 • what3words: ///loaded.affair.comforted

Iford Manor, West Wiltshire (By gasbag43)

Iford Manor is a Grade II listed building in Wiltshire, about 2 miles southwest of the town of Bradford-on-Avon.

It is a Grade II listed building sitting on the steep, south-facing slope of the Frome valley. The Manor House was built in the late 15th or early 16th century, but most of what is visible is from a rebuilding as an early Georgian house c1725-1730.

Iford is best known for its beautiful gardens, which are designated Grade I in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens by Historic England

The Manor house and Gardens are the main reason for recommending this as a location to fly your drone, but its setting in one of the "20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland" (Condé Nast Traveler in 2020) strengthens its case as a great place to visit

To cap it all, immediately outside the manor is a very pretty and ornate medieval stone bridge built circa 1400

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.32901, -2.287597 • what3words: ///vague.leans.healers

Farleigh Hungerford Castle, Mendip (By gasbag43)

Farleigh Hungerford Castle is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset.

The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 on the site of an existing manor house overlooking the River Frome.

A deer park was attached to the castle, requiring the destruction of the nearby village.

Later, the castle was extended with an additional, outer court, enclosing the parish church in the process.

In 1643, the castle was seized by Royalist forces in 1643, but recaptured by Parliament without a fight near the end of the conflict in 1645. As a result, it escaped the destruction of its defensive capabilities following the war, unlike many other castles in the south-west of England.

It is now owned by English Heritage, is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.31743, -2.286771 • what3words: ///full.worry.both


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