In the second year of This Girl Codes worked with the National Trust at Hardwick Hall. Hardwick Hall was built by one of the most powerful and influential women in 16th century England, Bess of Hardwick.

‘‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’, is a well-known local saying that actually characterises one of the key features of Hardwick, namely the exuberant use of an expensive and rare material for houses in 1590s England, namely glass. Begun in 1590 and completed only seven years later Hardwick is a house that shouted innovation….’ (extract from National Trust website).

The importance of Bess and her connection with Hardwick Hall was explored through the language, science and symbolism of light and colour. Natural light and the sun’s luminosity was used as inspiration for STEAM activities throughout the year, drawing links to how light effects our wellbeing.

We built on our work celebrating local women’s voices whilst taking inspiration from the famous ‘Noble Women’ embroideries that are housed at Hardwick Hall. The embroideries feature strong female characters from the ancient world surrounded by symbolism of their virtues and sent a powerful message to visitors at Hardwick.

Within the themes of light and heritage, there is the importance of conservation. This Girl Codes explored the data science behind the National Trust’s conservation efforts at Hardwick Hall and we explored how we visualise their light data stories. Inspired by NASA’s Mars Rover we created our own mottos and binary coded them.