280615 – Tapestry – Hardwick Hall, Durham

Gideon Tapestries. So the road trip begins with a visit to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, an architecturally significant and leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for the formidable Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Robert Smythson, an exponent of the early Renaissance style of architecture and renown for its brave use of glass. Hardwick also houses the Gideon Tapestries. The images below capture the intense and detailed workmanship of the tapestries used to line the walls of the stairwell and main hall and are themselves a virtual addition the enclosed space.