[slideshow]Coming back from Dewsbury on Thursday, I took ther opportunity to stop off at Hardwick Hall near Chesterfield in DerbyShire. Built by Bess of Hardwick the second most powerful woman in England after Queen Elizabeth the First.

The Main Reception Hall upstairs is quite extraordinary. I think it must one of the most fabulous rooms in the world. The walls are almost all glass, the huge plaster frieze is like another little world and must have been amazing when it was freshly coloured. With the wall hanging tapestries too, it must have made jaws drop when it was first built. Made to impress, it does its job. The rush matting adds a sense of smell to the whole. I love it. What a fantastic studio it would make!

Go see if you are passing, its well worth the visit.