"New" Hardwick Hall tour

Hardwick Hall should really be called "New Hardwick Hall" because as with many great British estates it was built to improve upon one which already existed, Old Hardwick Hall is seen below.

Built for Bess of Hardwick, the Countess of Shrewsbury, in the 1590s by architect Robert Smythson, the house is more glass than wall. This may impress us even today but imagine the effect this would have had on guests 500 years ago; the saying was "Hardwick Hall more glass than wall"!.

It was also built 'upside down' in effect as the main entertaining spaces are on the top level to take advantage of the views. In Elizabethan times it was also popular to dine on the roof - we weren't the first ones to have rooftop decks!

Much of the interior paneling found inside came from Old Hardwick Hall, which was kept as a ruin for scenic effect.  Trees were even planted inside the old house in the 18th century.

 The Hardwick coat of arms is seen above the fireplace in the entry hall.

The drawing room and dining room also feature salvaged paneling and more Hardwick coats of arms on the chimney breast.

 These rooms are fairly cozy and one can imagine using them on a daily basis.

 Not used as often perhaps was the Long Gallery on the top level, measuring 167 feet long!

Generally in these older houses the stairs wouldn't be used very often by guests but here they were a prominent feature. Built of stone, extra-wide, and lined with tapestries, these stairs would have impressed the most notable guest.

Many of these tapestries were restored in the early 20th century by the houses's last inhabitant, Evelyn Cavendish, the Dowager Countess of Devonshire. She was quite the battle-ax and reading about her is really entertaining!

 Notice the poems incised on the stone stairs.

 "Look to her well, she will one day be even as I am" Queen Elizabeth I

 All those stairs...all those tapestries.

The Long Gallery was lined with treasures of the family - everything was built and decorated to impress the visitor with the wealth and importance of the family.

Many of the tapestries were cut to fit the spaces where they are displayed but here in the Gallery they could be displayed to their full size.

Bess of Hardwick was obsessed with textiles and tapestries and household records still list her collections.

The 'Sea Dog Table' is the most important treasure inside the house. Made in 1600 of walnut it is considered one of the wonders of the Elizabethan age.

This marquetry woodwork is also pretty amazing though!

The Great Chamber's notable decorative element is the plaster frieze depicting hunting scenes.

Diana the Huntress is featured throughout the frieze.

 The coloring is really extraordinary.

 Can you imagine anything so beautiful in your own home?

 The Arms of Bess can be seen on the chimney breast above.

 The house is full of amazing plaster, stone, and wood work.

 Of course no great house in Great Britain is complete without a host of bedrooms with canopy beds!

Naturally they are all surrounded with tapestries as well -the blue room seen above. Here they were actually useful in trying to keep out drafts.

 This simpler bedroom above is probably my favorite, with Venus in plaster on the chimney breast.

Imagine being a guest of the last resident in the 1950s and pulling up to stay for the weekend and being put up in one of these (dusty) bedrooms!

 The Green room is seen above.

The Green and Blue rooms were the primary bed chambers located right off the long Gallery and would have also been used for entertaining.

 The muniment room is lined with drawers, each one labeled with a Cavendish property.

My favorite spaces in these houses are always the store rooms. Imagine rooting around in here for treasure! This one started out life for another purpose obviously as it has a grand mantel and chimney breast.

The kitchens are an extraordinary space with tall ceilings to help dissipate the heat. The furnishings were built for the space in the 18th century.

The collection of copper cookware is astounding! The scullery below features a charming sign that I feel is so important and I constantly see people forget during tours of historic buildings "A single act of carelessness leads to the eternal loss of beauty".  PEOPLE, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING, WERE YOU RAISED BY WOLVES? (I'm obviously not as subtle as the British)

To read more about Hardwick Hall, particularly the kitchens, visit the LostRememberedPast blog HERE.
Many thanks to penpal Neil as always for providing photographs from his travels!

Two architectural masterpieces in one!

Last week I had the pleasure of touring the Carnegie Institute of Science with our local branch of the ICAA (these lunch time tours we offer are my favorite aspect of the ICAA).  I have been walking past this building on 16th street NW for as long as I've lived in Washington but never knew the glories that were inside!

The old front door facing 16th street is seldom used (it is solid bronze and weighs literal TONS) which is a shame because the detailing on the front porch is phenomenal.

The original building (located on 16th street) was completed in 1908 by architects Carrere and Hastings for Andrew Carnegie (click the link for more projects by Carrere and Hastings featured on this blog).  You can see the front facade in the first photograph of this post and the side elevation (on P street NW) below. 

As the institution grew the need for more space was accommodated by a large addition by the architects Delano and Aldrich in 1938 (click the link for more projects by Delano and Aldrich featured on this blog).  Part of this addition is the carriage drive and new entrance which is a streamlined version of the Carrere and Hasting's Classicism.

The block to the left of the new entrance very closely matches the original structure but with a stripped-down style of classicism so popular in the 1930s (which I find to be my favorite classical 'flavor').

The 'new' entry opens into a sedate 2 story stairhall which closely matches the pared-down classicism of the exterior.  Notice the nod to Andrew Carnegie's Scottish heritage with the thistle motif incorporated into the balustrade (more on this later).

1938 was nearing the end of grand public classicism and hints of what were to come are to be found throughout the structure; the custom light fixture below was designed in a 'scientific' Art Deco style for the space by Delano & Aldrich. Notice the barrel vaulted ceiling with Greek key plaster trim.

At the top of the staircase is Carrere and Hasting's meeting room -which was a multi purpose room used as both large meeting room and auditorium.

The classical detailing here is superb.  Notice the excellent care which the institute takes of the building - they are to be commended for it! Everything is original; maintained and kept in admirable working order.

The herringbone floors add a layer of scale to the enormous space.

The only modern touches are the occasional (dreaded) recessed lights.  Other than occasional use in kitchens and bathrooms I would be very happy to BAN recessed lighting from all buildings - ceiling acne.

Symmetry and classical detailing make sense of the space and add human scale. This is something modern architecture has a hard time dealing with.

The enfilade effect created by symmetry make the building seem much larger than it actually is by setting up views.  People may poo-poo lining everything up in plan but I've never met anyone who wasn't impressed with this architectural trick when viewing it in person; it just feels good.

The original entry foyer is a grand domed space; so sad it isn't still used as the entry! It is however available to rent and is frequently used for weddings and other private events.  On these occasions they'll open up the original front doors as Carrere and Hastings intended (money talks).

The graceful stair to the 2nd floor is off the entry hall.

Who doesn't love a curved staircase like this?

The columns aren't marble but rather scagliola, a faux-finish which mimics the stone.  The Carnegie just restored the scagliola finish to 8 of the columns last year and plan on doing the remaining 8 this next year -all part of the maintenance of an old building (or house!).

The use of natural light is found throughout the building with skylights as well as the large French doors found on the exterior.

Above are the original bronze front doors.

One's eyes are instantly drawn up into the dome though - topped with a chandelier centered on a skylight.

Probably my favorite part of the entire building though is the economical use of linoleum on the 2nd floor instead of the marble found on the main level.  I think linoleum is going to be making a comeback and you can see why!

The wood paneled library on the 2nd floor is also lit by a large skylight making for a pleasant environment.

These HVAC vents in the library also feature the Scottish thistle. I wonder if they date to Carrere & Hastings and Delano & Aldrich picked up on this motif for their new staircase or if this custom vent was lated added by D&A.

On the main level this impressive wood paneled room with enormous marble mantel was originally the office of the president. It is used as rental space and for meetings today.

These enormous old brass andirons in the fireplace caught my eye.

As did the beautiful brass cremone bolts on the french doors.

An easy and inexpensive trick found in some of the other lesser rooms help with the proportions of the tall ceilings is seen above. Rather than a standard base of 5 to 8" tall a chairrail was added about 18" off the ground, everything below it painted the same color as the base. This raises the visual height of the base without a lot of expensive woodwork (which would sloppily jut beyond the door casing). I'm definitely filing this away for future use!

The main aspect of the Delano & Aldrich 1938 addition was a formal auditorium for lectures.  This beautiful wood-paneled, art-deco vestibule seen above leads to the auditorium.  Notice the barrel vaulted ceiling and bowed (rounded) ends - much like a ship. I also loved the very art deco linear light fixture.

The auditorium space is lined with an expansive mural which was recently restored.

This room has a lot of personality between the beautiful murals and the purple mohair upholstered seats!

The mural is painted on perforated homosote board to help with the acoustics.

The most unusual feature of the auditorium is the light fixture: recessed lights in the barrel-vaulted ceiling are covered with photocells featuring the phases of the moon! Ok -so maybe not ALL recessed lighting is so bad.

This bust of Andrew Carnegie is prominently displayed in the entry hall.  He may have amassed his wealth in a less than friendly fashion (as is most wealth accumulated to this day) but he spectacularly donated it to the public through institutions such as this and the libraries we all know and love to this day.
I hope if you're in the area you'll join us at the ICAA on our future tours!

Monograms at Sandringham

Queen Elizabeth has her own monogrammed terracotta planters with her Cipher at her Sandringham Estate ; this makes my beloved Guy Wolff pots seem downright plebeian!
Image courtesy of Neil, my penpal