Millstone Grit

We decided to go to Hardwick Hall today, it sounds like something Dickensian to me but with a posh house and an old ruin in the same place it seemed a good bet. I agreed as long as I could feed my millstone addiction on the way. We headed up to Hathersage and then found the quick and easy path up to Stanage Edge after a false start. 

I left Marian in the car with her embroidery, pulled my hat on tight and zipped my coat up. It's another day with a chilly wind blowing. As I got closer to the gritstone edge, I wandered off the path to look for abandoned millstones. Apparently the fashion for white bread in the mid 18th century put an end to the Derbyshire gritstone which turned flour grey. Millstones imported from France took over the industry and as a result unsold millstones litter the quarries in the White Peak where they have been made in one form or another since the 9th century (and probably before).

I was soon back to the car and we travelled on to Hardwick Hall which is looked after by the National Front Trust, where we started off with lunch in the stables. 

There are two Hardwick Halls, the old hall and the new hall. I have to say I enjoyed the old hall the most, it's looked after by English Heritage. It's a magnificent ruin, probably because Lady Bess chose to use the lead for the new house she was having built. One of her sons sold off the stones of the front wall for some unspecified reasons. I have loads of pics which I'll put up when I've finished the processing but in the meantime, there are a few more from Stanage Edge here including a mono version of this blip image.

I'll make it a Wide Angle Wednesday, expertly hosted by BobsBlips. The link is A for abandoned.