Invest in the means of production

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Many years ago I was friendly with an older couple who I used to refer to as ‘my mad old friends’, because they were ‘old friends’ in both senses of the word, and they were definitely eccentric. I must write more about them sometime… Anyway his favourite motto was ‘invest in the means of production’ – in other words, if you need something doing, like a set of shelves, don’t just pay someone else to do the job, invest in some tools so you can do it yourself. When we visited Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire I noticed that its creator, Bess of Hardwick, perfectly exemplified this approach although she was 400 years ahead. When she had the house designed and built, starting in 1590, she knew she was going to need a lot of glass. But she didn’t just order a job lot – instead she bought a glass factory! The result is the house locally referred to as ‘Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall’. I would love to have experienced it the way Bess would have intended, flooded with light, with expansive views over her estates as far as the eye could see. Sadly, though necessarily of course, the National Trust who now own and care for the place keep all the blinds drawn to protect the large collection of enormous 16th century tapestries that adorn the walls from damage caused by sunlight. We can only imagine what it would be like to stroll along the ‘long gallery’ from where you could admire the countryside on a fine day, or enjoy a pleasant stroll even when the Derbyshire weather was not conducive to going outdoors! I've tried to add a picture but for some reason I'm just not able to yet, watch this space! All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2025.