History students took learning outside the classroom, as they explored Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire on an educational fieldtrip.
The group of first years visited the partly ruined ‘Old’ Hardwick Hall and the ‘New’ hall, both of which were built in the late 16th Century for Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury, who was also known as Bess of Hardwick.
Dr Fiona Pogson, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History, said: “The field trip enabled us to better understand the ways in which members of the Elizabethan elite displayed their wealth and ambitions.
“A special feature of the ‘New’ hall was the great chamber, built and decorated on a royal scale, reflecting the countess’ hopes that her granddaughter Arbella Stuart might succeed Elizabeth I.”
Owned by the National Trust, Hardwick Hall is described as an ‘Elizabethan masterpiece’.