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| Eileen Hardy (by Lord Snowdon) |
Earlier this week, I went for dinner in the Long Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Now, I’m not a huge cricket fan (remember my Andrew Strauss story?) but you don’t say no to dinner at Lord’s along with a bunch of cricketing legends during The Ashes. I was there as a guest of Hardys, official wine sponsors of the England cricket team. And one of the highlights was the telling of the story of Eileen Hardy – as told by her son, James – born in 1893 and married to Tom Hardy. Tom was the third generation of the Hardy family to run the wine business but tragically, he was killed in a plane crash aged 46. Eileen, left with a daughter and three young sons to raise, took charge of the family business along with Tom’s cousin Kenneth. She received an OBE in 1976 for her services to the Australian wine industry and was, by all accounts, an incredible life force. This beautiful picture, taken by Lord Snowdon for Australian Vogue magazine in 1977, shows Eileen aged 83. Apparently, she had potential outfits laid out on the bed but Snowdon insisted she wear whatever she would normally wear, doing something she loved – in this case, feeding the seagulls on the beach. It’s such a beautiful shot and, I think, hints at both her courage and warmth. Quite wonderful, indeed.
Chin chin x
Nb. This is not a sponsored post. But I did go for dinner, the wines were brilliant and I really wanted you to see this photo.
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Well done you I love this – I am researching great – I mean in all senses of the word – people who shouldn't be lost to history – what a fabulous photo.
I love cricket and pretty much understand it….xxx
Ah, thank you! So pleased you liked it. Loved her story x
Hi Helen, with Lord Snowden’s passing I was motivated to see if one of my favorite photos of my Grandmother (Eileen Hardy) was on the web and I came across your website.
Very nice article re her and ‘the’ photo I was looking for, however there is one slight omission, with regards to “Tom was the third generation of the Hardy family to run the wine business but tragically, he was killed in a plane crash aged 46. Eileen, left with three young sons to raise” …… must not forget she also had a daughter….. eg, My Mum!! Ha Ha.
All the best
Hi Andrew, oh my goodness I am so sorry! Please tell me her name and I shall amend the post right away. Such a beautiful picture not to mention an incredible woman!