Bess of Hardwick returns to the city next month as part of an exhibition telling the story of two of the region’s most influential women.

She became the second most powerful female in Elizabethan England and helped turn Sheffield Manor Lodge into a prison for Mary Queen of Scots. Married to George Talbot 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, Bess of Hardwick is returning home to Sheffield Cathedral alongside her grand-daughter, Lady Arbella Stuart, who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England.

‘Fame, Fashion and Fortune’ – which has attracted nearly £50,000 in National Lottery Funding – has seen a team of volunteers working tirelessly to re-create the costumes worn by the two influential women.

The stunning period outfits will be the centre-piece of the display that tells the individual stories of both women.

The display will be in the cathedral for the whole of August, throughout normal cathedral opening hours.