Ault Hucknall: Churches, Country Houses and Historic Discoveries

Ault Hucknall is a destination for travellers who want to combine their stay with church art, exceptional architectural history and historic discoveries. The main highlights are St John the Baptist, Hardwick Hall and Hardwick Old Hall. The picture is completed by a war memorial, a historic inn, Stainsby Mill and the Lady Spencer walking trail. For families with different interests, this creates an itinerary in which short visits and more detailed explorations can be connected by theme.

St John the Baptist and the History of the Village

The Church of St John the Baptist in Ault Hucknall is a Grade I listed parish church with fabric dating from the 11th, 14th and 15th centuries. Particularly noteworthy is a blocked-up 11th-century western doorway. Its carved tympanum depicts a centaur, as well as a lamb and cross. This means that the church offers not only a historic setting, but also specific details through which visitors can explore the development of the building and its visual language.

In the extension to the churchyard stands a modern cross containing the base stone of a medieval cross. A black plaque in the church, in front of the tomb, also commemorates the philosopher Thomas Hobbes; Hobbes died in Hardwick in 1679. Anyone interested in churches, inscriptions and the connection between older and newer forms of remembrance will find several different points of interest here.

Hardwick Hall and Hardwick Old Hall

Hardwick Hall, in the parish of Ault Hucknall, is a Grade I listed country house built for Bess of Hardwick between 1590 and 1597. Hardwick Old Hall tells a different story: this now-ruined, roofless country house preserves remnants of gables and parapets. Visitors can climb through the four storeys of its roofless shell and view 400-year-old plaster panels. It is precisely this contrast between the preserved country house and the open, ruined structure that makes the two sites distinct stops on a cultural and historical day out.

When planning your trip, you should distinguish carefully between the names: Hardwick Hall is the country house built between 1590 and 1597, while Hardwick Old Hall is now a roofless, ruined country house with remnants of gables and parapets. Hardwick Old Hall is located on the A6175 near junction 29 of the M1. This information may be useful when planning your journey if you want to combine Ault Hucknall with other stops.

Further Historic Impressions

The Ault Hucknall war memorial is a Grade II listed classical obelisk of local historical interest. It stands on a small green at a junction of three roads near Stainsby Mill. Stainsby Mill itself is a Grade II listed, water-powered late-18th-century corn mill on the Hardwick Hall estate. The Hardwick Inn complements this selection as a Grade II listed inn dating from the 17th, 18th and mid-19th centuries.

The village of Ault Hucknall lies on the Lady Spencer walking trail. Anyone who wants to include a walking route in their day plan as well as visiting the buildings can combine this aspect with the cultural and historical attractions. Depending on your interests, you can therefore focus your stay more strongly on churches and country houses, on historic details, or on a combination of sightseeing and exercise.

The Right Accommodation as a Base

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house in Ault Hucknall, the main consideration is the focus of your trip. If you want to place historic architecture and memorial sites at the centre of your plans, you can use your accommodation as a base for a day taking in St John the Baptist, the war memorial and the sites around Hardwick. If you are particularly interested in architectural history, Hardwick Hall and Hardwick Old Hall offer two clearly distinct themes. The Lady Spencer walking trail also provides an opportunity to add a walking experience to your itinerary.

Discover More Places

For further orientation, you can also explore other places at the same higher administrative level: Alton, Mickleover, Newton, Yeaveley, Brimington, Kirk Langley, Chinley and Unstone.

To the higher-level travel overview: Derbyshire.