According to the National Trust, Hardwick Hall was the first architect designed house in the country. Bess of Hardwick, commissioned Robert Smythson with the design. Internally, the walls of most rooms, including the long gallery, are adorned with magnificent textiles that have and are still being painstakingly restored and cared for by the National Trust. If only we were allowed to throw open the curtains to see them in all their light-filled glory.

The promise of sunshine and warmth at the beginning of March inspired us to get out into the great outdoors to enjoy those earliest hints of Spring on the horizon.

As someone who loves to nosey around gardens and houses, I'm often disappointed when we can't go into the best bits because we have a dog with us, so hallelujah for Calke Abbey - dogs on leads are welcome to explore the gardens.

Last weekend we visited Harewood House, located on the outskirts of Leeds. Built in the 18^th century, the house sits within 100 acres of gardens, which has a surprising collection of rare Birds, including penguins and flamingoes! The house plays host to many events and we had made the trip to see the current exhibition ‘Useful / Beautiful: Why Craft Matters’, which runs until 1 September 2019.

Adam Barclay is a Sheffield based photographer and, alongside his wife Katie, co-founder of In-Grid – a contemporary women’s label celebrating minimalist design and British craftsmanship. We particularly admire the sculptural quality of his studio work so were delighted that Adam suggested taking his camera outside to document a Simple Day at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park...

 

Photographer Lydia Harper is never happier than when travelling, so it seems fitting that when we asked her to capture a Simple Day in the UK she chose to explore somewhere new.  Lydia drove along the South East coast, stopping off at a few places along the coastline from Birling Gap to Dungeness.

Jim Marsden is a photographer from Lancashire. So enamoured with the quality of image that is produced when shooting with film, he doesn’t use digital. We approached Jim to photograph a Simple Day inspired the British seaside, as we knew the rich, almost tangible quality of his work would be perfect.

Richard Gaston’s photography has been a favourite for a long time.  A little ironic, but in a world that is increasingly urgent and lived through small digital screens, Richard’s Instagram feed provides escapism.

A few months on our small island can mean a world of change and we saw that for ourselves here. The green seemed much greener and definitely more full - we found that we had less room to navigate our way around the glasshouses and we ogled at tomatoes on our way.