The place is very well preserved since it hasn't been used or lived in very much in the last few hundred years. Just reading the guide book I bought, it seems tha the two are even more related than I thought. It seems that Sir William Cavendish of Chatsworth (see Martin's guide book) was Bess of Hardwick's second husband & she built Hardwick Hall in 1591-97 after the death of her fourth husband, George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. Bess's descendents were the Earls & Dukes of Devonshire went back to Chatsworth so Hardwick was almost deserted & so left unchanged. Most of the contents are the same as listed in an inventory of 1601.

I was originally planning on heading staight for Sheffield tomorrow, but I've become interested & I think I'll head over to Chatsworth first then get to Sheffield by suppertime.

But to continue about today, after Hardwick, I went up to Bolsover hoping to spend the night there but couldn't find anyplace with a room. So I missed looking round the castle though I got a good picture of its exterior. After a long search, I finally headed to Chesterfield where I'm staying in a rather expensive pub in sight of the church with the crooked steeple.