Thoresby Park / Thoresby Estate various photographs.

Above: Nelson's Pyramid. Charles Pierrepont, like his father before him, served in the Navy and saw active service against the French in 1798. Not surprisingly then, the Pierrepont family were ardent admirers of Lord Nelson. The south side of Thoresby Lake in particular features many tributes to the famous admiral, such as Nelson’s Grove, incorporating Nelson’s Lodge (used for many years by the game keepers), and Nelson’s Pyramid. (See aerial photograph on THIS LINK for details). Nelson’s Pyramid is approximately 12ft high (c.3.5 meters). It was built in 1799 by Charles Herbert, specifically to commemorate Nelson’s victory at the Battle of the Nile, and on each inner side of the entrance way were listed both the French and English ships involved, together with details about guns and casualties. I have not visited Nelson’s Pyramid myself, but am told that soldiers billeted in that region during the first and / or second World Wars added their own names to the walls. (My thanks to Stephen Richard Aizlewood for the use of his photograph).

Above: Proteus Camp. There are several post cards depicting troops billeted in Thoresby Park during those wars, especially in tents across the road from Perlethorpe Church. Also, there are Lady Manvers’ splendid paintings which record such times. In 1942 a more permanent military presence, Proteus Camp, was established in the woods near Ollerton roundabout. This photograph shows Proteus Camp as it was in 1965. At its peak Proteus Camp contained 1,000 personnel. In later years the camp became known as the Dukeries Training Centre before becoming “surplus to requirements” and closing down in 2004. (In 2008 plans were being discussed regarding the development of the site’s buildings as holiday homes).

Above: The Roundhouse, also known as “Summer Boxes”, stands amongst the trees a little further up the hill from Thoresby Hall itself. In the days when horses were the most common source of power throughout Thoresby Estate, for transporting timber, or working on the farm, this is where they would be kept during the Summer months. During Winter they would be moved into the stables in the courtyard opposite. These days the Roundhouse is used to sell plants to visitors. Below: Today, a feeding trough in the corner of Thoresby Gallery indicates its former use as just such a stable.

Above: William Gordon Craig (centre), father of William Craig the Woodyard’s foreman of the time, was the head gardener at Thoresby Hall during the second half of the 1950s. I don’t know the names of the two men seated each side of him. (Possibly Charlie or Edgar Leapins on the left?) When William Gordon returned to the land he was homesick for he was replaced by Mr MacSkimming, another lowland Scot, who would be replaced in turn by Mr Nettleship (1963 / 64).

Gargoyles on Perlethorpe Church, Thoresby.

This is just a selection of the splendid gargoyles to be found placed around Perlethorpe Church, Thoresby Estate. (Church of St John the Evangelist). There are many others, and it seems no two are the same. Surely as splendid a collection as can be found anywhere.

For more about Perlethorpe Church see THIS LINK, and THIS LINK.

Thoresby Hall's final days as a Stately Home.

Thoresby Hall the "Stately Home", as opposed to the successful hotel it is today, opened its doors to the general public on 29th March, 1957. It was an event largely organised by Major Beattie, Lady Rozelle and Countess Manvers being on holiday in the Mediterranean on that day. (Link). Chris Stanley, originally appointed as Estate Accountant, would then take over in subsequent years as the main organiser for such Open Days. Typically, the Hall would be open on weekends, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Bank Holidays.

During the late 1950s / 1960s, when visits to stately homes were a favoured pastime with the British public, Thoresby Hall was a great success. It’s charm originated from the authenticity of the place, there being a distinct lack of “novelty attractions” apart from the model railway which operated for a time. Standing inside Thoresby Hall one sensed that this was indeed a Home; an atmosphere Countess Manvers’ paintings made even more tangible. Any suggestions of noisy theme park rides were thankfully absent.

It is a sad irony that the coal mining beneath Thoresby Estate, responsible for much of its wealth, would one day help provoke the downfall of the Hall itself as the 1970s drew to a close. I remember visiting Thoresby Hall in 1979. Countess Manvers was standing by the piano in the Main Inner Hall, and spent some time chatting to my parents, especially my father with whom she’d had a lot of contact during his years on the Estate. Amidst the nearby boxes of souvenir pencils and brochures, there was a tangible sense of things coming to an end.

In 1980, whilst still permitting Thoresby Hall to remain the home of Countess Manvers, the National Coal Board purchased its actual structure. Their motivation for doing so made sound business sense: Mining was still active in the immediate surroundings, resulting in considerable damage to Thoresby Lake, and a risk of structural damage elsewhere. Lady Manvers was allowed to open the Hall to the public if and when she so desired, but I have no precise date for when Thoresby Hall, as a “stately home” closed its doors to that practice. Lady Manvers passed away in 1984.

According to the Telegraph colour supplement (27 November, 1988), the subsequent sale of Thoresby Hall to the Australian-based Roo Management, would it seem prove controversial: Roo were apparently clear about their intention to strip the five main Victorian State Rooms of their contents, converting them to part of a hotel. In opposition to their proposal was local developer Geoffrey Whittaker, who vowed to preserve intact the unique contents of these State Rooms as a part of his own plans also to convert Thoresby Hall into a luxury hotel. Not only that, but Whittaker outbid Roo in a written offer of £1.6 million as opposed to Roo’s £1.5. However, and for whatever reason, The National Coal Board seemed intent on selling to Roo, “in spite of strong opposition and protests from the heritage lobby and at least 15 Mps” *. As a consequence, in May / June 1989, Sotheby’s auctioned off much of the original and unique contents of Thoresby Hall, soon after Roo had acquired the property. Roo would then own the Hall for approximately only one year, before putting it back on the market with an estimated price of £3 - £4 million. This time Geoffrey Whittaker was successful in buying it, but only six months later the developers went bankrupt and the Official Receiver had to take over.

The 1990s was surely Thoresby Hall’s darkest decade. I remember having a conversation with retired Perlethorpe teacher C. Allan Bollans (see sidebar credits), during this time, when he was working at the Art Gallery there. The threat of looting had been a problem, and perhaps understandably, repairs such as those made by the National Coal Board to the Lake in 1992, were based on finances rather than historical restoration. But there was to be a happy ending…

In 2000 Warners successfully took over and opened Thoresby Hall as a luxury hotel. Not only that, but their policy towards an adult clientele, was surely a positive influence on the re-opening of scenic routes leading from Thoresby Hall to Perlethorpe Village, together with path ways down to the water’s edge at Thoresby Lake. Such walkways, now enjoyed by hotel guests and visitors alike, had not been accessible for considerable years. The success of Warners, combined with the quality of the Art Gallery, restaurant, and craft shops based in the Courtyard, once again make a visit to Thoresby Hall an attractive proposition.

Note: This website has no official links to Warners Holidays, nor Thoresby Estate itself. Recommendations to visit the same are 100% positive; given in independent good faith.

(*Quotes and details regarding the sale of Thoresby Hall in 1988 / 89 taken from Telegraph Magazine, November 27th., 1988. The details and machinations of this sale have no links to subsequent sales of the Hall).

Top b & w photo: A final family visit to Thoresby Hall, the stately home. 1979. Above: The Inner Hall now used by the hotel guests. 2008.

Thoresby Estate Lodges and Cottages.

Thoresby Estate has what may be an almost unique collection of lodges and cottages dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, all originally intended to house key workers on the Estate. Many are under private, well maintained ownership today. Above: Home Farm Lodge.
White Lodge (above) stands on the Southern side of Thoresby Estate, approximately a mile along the A614 from Ollerton Roundabout. It was once called Proteus Lodge, and is referred to as such on late 19th and early 20th century maps, even though local records of 1904 / 08o at that time refer to it as White Lodge.
A building known as White Lodge stood in this area in 1683 when the 3rd Earl Kingston purchased 1270 acres of Bilhaugh woodland for £7,000, thus making it a part of Thoresby Estate. It is not known just how much of the present building (if any) is that original house, but records indicate that the private road alongside the property and leading into Thoresby Estate, was the one originally laid by Evelyn Pierrepont the 4th Earl. However, the arches that stand there today are the ones which originally stood at Buck Gates until the 1950s.
In 1832 White Lodge was occupied by Chas Paschoud the park keeper, and the Estate's fox hounds are believed to have been kept in the vicinity. In 1851, subsequent park keeper Richard Kemshall shared the lodge with Reverend Augustus C Masters, followed in 1862 by Joseph Cross, in 1864 by head game keeper Thomas R Kemshall, and in 1922 by Thoresby's Estate Agent Hubert Davys Argles. When Lady Sibyl Pierrepont (daughter of the 4th Earl) married Argles in 1923, alterations were carried out on the lodge which became their marital home. Lady Sibyl Pierrepont was superintendent of the Perlethorpe Sunday School.
Rose Cottage (above), which stands a little further up the A614 from White Lodge, was originally built as two homes. Curiously absent from most maps, some 19th century Thoresby Estate records refer to the property as Rosedale Cottages. In 1851 it was the home of Perlethorpe Village miller, J. Chamberlain. In 1862 the estate's milkman Thos Day lived in one cottage, whilst Henry Dodd occupied the other. By 1864, Dodd had moved on and been replaced by miller Robert Budd. It is known that in the very early 1950s Rose Cottage was still divided into two properties, one of which was occupied by carpenter & joiner William Craig.
Shepherd's Lodge (above) stands near the mini roundabout, approximately another two mile up the A614 from Rose Cottage. At various times in the 20th century it has also been referred to as Clarke's Lodge. It was built c.1800 by John Carr, at a time when he was engaged in modifications to Thoresby Hall itself. Records indicate that in 1862 John Carnall lived there, and in 1864, Joseph Ellis. One can only assume from the Lodge's title what their occupations were. However, in the 1930s George Hind, who worked the boilers at Thoresby Hall, was the resident.
Chameleon Lodge (above) stands approximately two miles South West of Shepherd's Lodge, alongside the road which cuts through Thoresby Estate and by passes the Hall and the Lake.
Chameleon Lodge was known as Red Lodge in the 18th century because of its red tiles. However, Repton had the lodge washed with stone colouring, painted, and thatched. The name Chameleon was taken from the Roman Goddess. This property has been most associated with the head woodsmen who have worked on Thoresby Estate over the decades, examples including David Jamieson in 1864, and John Smith in the 1930s. Dennis Turnbull took on the role of Head Forester at Thoresby directly after his demobbing from National Service, and lived there in the 1950s / 60s.
The Almshouses, Perlethorpe, (above) stand opposite Home Farm, on route to Perlethorpe Church (St Mary's), and were built in 1894 by the 3rd Earl "for the benefit of the old labourers on Thoresby Estate". This implies such elegant properties were perhaps intended for those retiring from their labour? Certainly by the 1950s they were occupied by still active workers from the farm and the Woodyard, such as the Kenyon family.

Buck Gates Cottage (above & below), has already been written of extensively here and here. But I would like to thank Craig Mosley for locating these postcards for me, and which are different to the ones already on site. Buck Gates was a notably beautiful and important exit for the Duke of Newark in the days of horse and carriage.

All these places are marked and illustrated on my aerial photo of Thoresby Park. (See side bar on right for the link.)

Perlethorpe Churchyard and the Pierrepont mystery.

Above: The memorial tomb of the mysterious Charles Alphonso Pierrepont.

There were at least two churches in Perlethorpe before the present one. In 1744 Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston, laid the foundation stone from a previous church to commemorate its rebuilding. That stone (long since gone), used to lay in the right east end of the current graveyard and read: "The Church of Peverelthorpe, The Noble and Generous Prince Evelyn, Duke of Kingston, Knight of the Garter, Rebuilt in the year 1744".
Perlethorpe did not have its own vicar. A shrewd agreement was reached in which the vicar of Edwinstowe would receive a small fee from the Duke to hold a service in Perlethorpe once a fortnight, but not be able to lay claim to the kind of tythe he received from other villages. (A tythe barn was a place where 10% of a farm's produce was given to the church and stored). The site of the building was apparently called Pinfold Close. It was described as being of elegant stone, with some stained glass, and carved figures of "Hope" and "Meekness" in the western end. At the east end, inside the buiding and near to the High Altar, stood the memorial tomb of the mysterious Charles Alphonso Pierrepont. His monument stands there to this day, but sadly open to the elements.
In 1836 an Act of Parliament allowed Charles Herbert Pierrepont, 2rd Earl Manvers, to combine Perlethorpe and Thoresby as one parish, supported by his Estate independantly of others, and granting him and his heirs the right to select their own vicar. In 1837 an endowment was made by Charles Herbert of £100 a year. This would be the only source of income for the Vicar of Perlethorpe, and would be charged to Whitemoor Farm.

Above left and below: The grave of the 3rd Earl Manvers (1825 - 1900) who was responsible for so many of the fine buildings we see on Thoresby Estate today. Above centre: The grave of the 6th and final Earl Manvers (1881 - 1955)

The church of 1744 was still standing when in 1876 the 3rd Earl Manvers built the present one, designed by Anthony Salvin, just a year after building the present Thoresby Hall. It was not until 1877 that permision was granted to demolish the old church, and one can only imagine what they must have looked like side by side!
The present graveyard naturally contains the graves of Dukes and Earls, whilst others are situated at Holme Pierrepont. But who was Major Charles Alphonso Pierrepont? His imposing tomb is dated 1812, and tells us he was "A Major in the British Service who lost his life so gallantly while storming an outwork near Burgo". It goes on to describe him as "Of an ancient and respectable family on whom, by his excellent conduct, he conferred honour. He was interred on the field where he fought and fell, September 19th 1812." But although his military records are quite detailed, no-one has established exactly who his parents were, nor where he was born...

Beech Avenue, Thoresby

Above: Birklands Wood.
In the 19th Century the wooded areas of Birklands, around the Major Oak, and Bilhaugh, next to Ollerton Corner, were popular tourist attractions, both a part of Thoresby Estate. Birklands was landscaped and maintained with a mixture of Oak and Birch, and there is an interesting record of how a 1902 scheme to seed the area with new birch trees was thwarted by pre-myxomatosis levels of rabbit population, before which up to 10,000 rabbits had been shot annually on the estate. The 20th Century naturally took its toll on both the Bilhaugh and Ollerton Corner areas in particular. Timber was needed for two wars, not to mention the opening of a Colliery (the name of which was at first objected to by Thoresby Estate). In 1942 Proteus Camp (eventually re-named the Dukeries Training Area) was established, and both Birklands and the woods at Bilhaugh and Ollerton Corner, were used as ammunition dumps. During these decades the emphasis was clearly not on landscaping for leisure pursuits, but on hard core profitable production and National needs.

Above: Two paintings of Beech Avenue. For a video of Beech Avenue click here.

Beech Avenue.

These four rows of trees apparently rivalled Robin Hood's Major Oak as a place of both local and national interest. When in 1925 a railway track was planned to run from Thoresby Colliery, through Cockglode, and into Ollerton Corner, letters of protest appeared in The Times. Thanks to public support of Earl Manvers' petition the scheme was dropped. But the woods of Ollerton Corner were cleared for timber needed by the mine.
It is known that the war time entertainer Gracie Fields once visited Beech Avenue whilst staying at the Coaching House, now known as the Hop Pole. Beech Avenue aquired the nickname "the Cathedral" because of the way it branches met over the roadway like the arches over a cathedral's aisle. Alledgedly, at the height of summer, the only light which penetrated was from each end of the Avenue.
Beech Avenue was finally cleared in 1976 / 78, following decades of neglect, overgrowth, old age, the storm damage of 1976, and of course the military presence of Proteus Camp. But it is still clearly labelled on certain maps, and marked by an aging gate at the side of the A614 near Ollerton roundabout (although I believe it was situated a few yards to the right of that gate).

Above: The gate near Ollerton roundabout where Beech Avenue was once situated.

Chestnut Avenue.

From the north western end of Beech Avenue one could continue to Buck Gates and Chestnut Avenue. Chestnut Avenue was a straight carriage ride to the original Thoresby Hall, and it is said that in the 18th Century one could view the original Hall beside Thoresby Lake from the area of Buck Gates lodge.
Chestnut Avenue suffered like every other landscaped area of Thoresby as trends in forestry changed. However, there is a story that the Estate Manager Mr Holder was dismissed in the early 1950's when Lady Manvers discovered he had started felling trees there. Holder was replaced by Mr Tapper, who's foresight started a vigorous planting scheme in Thoresby. Apparently Chestnut Avenue was restored in 2000 by clearing it of the silver birches which had taken root along its length over the decades.

Beech Avenue video, Thoresby Park

This film was taken at the gate where the entrance to Beech Avenue once stood. Just inside that gate no signs nor barriers indicating the Private Property of Thoresby Estate were transgressed. Please note and respect that this is private property. The woodlands of Bilhaugh have long since been replanted with quick growing firs, which combine with the brambles to make no reliable allingment of the original Beeches visible.

The Buck Gates bucks, Thoresby Park

Contrary to popular belief it was not the job of the lodge keeper to open the gates for everyone. The carriages and coaches of the Earls and Ladies would carry a boy whose job it was to leap off as they approached the gate, open them, close it behind, and leap back on again. He had to be fast as the pony was not meant to stop.
Buck Gates had once been a favoured and picturesque entrance to the Estate, especially prior to World War 2. But that region of the woods between Ollerton and Thoresby would change dramatically due to the timber demands of a Colliery, (not to mention its tip), the war itself, and the establishment of the military training area originally called Proteus Camp. The lodge at Buck Gates was already a thing of the past before the fire which destroyed it in 1956. But the bucks survived.
These magnificent statues were first taken to the Woodyard, where plumber Jack Kenyon attended to some repairs with molten lead and a hot blade, as small boy William Craig Jnr. looked on fascinated, deciding even then what he wanted to do when he grew up. Such was the skill of the workers on Thoresby Estate. It seemed like no task was beyond them when duty called. The stone arches were then moved approximately 2 miles north east of their original site to White Lodge, and the bucks placed on top. In 1980 they were still there but, no doubt a temptation to a growing culture of thieves and vandals, I know not of their present whereabouts.

Above: The stone arches that once stood outside Buck Gates, now on the A614 beside White Lodge.

Home Farm, Perlethorpe Village

Above: Home Farm (2007) looks almost identical to the way it did sixty years ago. The post box is a later addition, made necessary when the village post office closed down.
Home Farm was one of the three main employers on Thoresby Estate, especially during the post war years of the 1950s. School leavers deciding to stay on the Estate might work on the farm, the Woodyard, or for the Forestry Commission. A growing number were tempted by the wages of Thoresby Colliery at Ollerton, whilst few vacancies now existed in service at Thoresby Hall. I remember the sights, smells and sounds of a wide range of farm produce, from the tall sugar beet which grew where the car park is now situated behind the houses at perlethorpe, to the hay bails stacked high in the central Dutch barn, (burnt down in the early 1960s), to the pig sties which were once located opposite the Village Hall, and from which we would tease the pigs until they jumped over the wall. The pig stye was removed in 1964.
During the 1920s the villagers would take their own milk cans to the farm for their morning and afternoon milk. The dairy maid worked from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. milking the cows and making the cheese and butter. Thoresby Hall was sent daily fresh supplies. In 1936 Frank Cooper was in charge of the farm, and for long after it was sometimes referred to as Cooper's Farm.
On the outer wall to the right of the Home Farm arch was the communal box from which the villagers in the 1950s would collect their bundle of newspapers and comics. This was a typical pocket money duty for many Perlethorpe children, who would eagerly await that day in the week when the family bundle contained their favourites such as "T.V. Comic" with Muffin the Mule (replaced by Sooty), or Dan Dare in "Eagle". The box is still there today (2007), but the railings we had to climb on to reach it are not.
In the early 1960's Maldwyn Fisher was in charge of Home Farm, succeeded in 1963 by John Roberson who died in 1975, after which John Orr took over.

Three Gables, the Woodyard

Above: Three Gables, Thoresby Park, 1964. The kitchen extension is on the left.

Three Gables, built in 1876, is the main house by the road side at the Woodyard, and was the customary residence of the Clerk of Works, such as Noel Whitworth in the late 1940s / early 1950s. A three bedroom house, one to each gable, the original kitchen was situated beneath the left gable, an area now central to the house. It had a cast iron range for cooking, from which a small circular platform would swing across over an open log fire to heat the kettle. A drying wrack hung from the ceiling for laundry which would be boiled in the copper stove in the shed across the yard to the left of the building. This copper stove was fundamental to the making of family Christmas puddings in the 1950's. Three Gables was joined onto the Woodyard complex by the downstairs bathroom / toilet leading off the former kitchen. (In the very narrow, dark and dusty store next door were kept the shiny brass fittings for coffins, whilst a hand operated fire bell hung on the wall outside.)
A corrugated roof with plastic skylight was eventually extended out from the left side of the house and a more modern kitchen installed. But the original stone framed outside window was retained between the former and new kitchen, making a fascinating feature to find inside a property. The extensive garden was laid out according to Victorian tradition; decorative flowers and lawns in front of the house, with vegetable patches and fruit bushes all formally arranged to the right alongside the Woodyard buildings.
Following the departure of Noel Whitworth the house was occuppied for much of the 1950's and early 1960's by William "Jock" Craig, the Woodyard foreman.

Above: Three Gables, 1985.

Lady Manvers, artist.

Lady Manvers, born Marie-Louise Roosevelt Butterfield (1889 -1984), was a talented and prolific artist. Noting her obvious passion for the subject, her father Sir Frederick Butterfield of Cliffe Castle, Yorkshire, enrolled her in the Julienne School of Art when the family moved to Paris in her early teens. This School concentrated on studious drawing from observation, the benefits of which are apparent in the strong draughtsmanship underpinning all her work.
Her drawings of the many places she visited must be of keen historical interest today. For example, I remember a small water colour of a sunny street in Europe painted in the 1930's. A very pleasant scene, but one which upon closer inspection revealed the chilling small detail of the then rising National Socialist Party's flag hanging from just one window. Her studies of life on Thoresby Estate during the subsequent war years must be an invaluable and unique record of Thoresby at that time.
When Lady Manvers moved to Thoresby Park as wife to Gervas Evelyn Pierrepont, 6th Earl Manvers, she would take for her subject many of the people on the Estate. One such example was Verna Langstaff, a beautiful black girl attending Perlethorpe School, who posed for her in the 1950s, seated on the lower branch of a tree outside Perlethorpe Church. The water colour sketch above, dated 1962, depicts the interior of the main joiner's workshop situated on the left of the Woodyard entrance. The subjects are Gran Gilliver (left), and Works Foreman William "Jock" Craig (right), the latter of whom had run back nervously into his home the Three Gables to get a clean shirt!
After Lady Manvers died in 1984 her daughter Lady Rozelle allowed a small number of such sketches to be given to the sitters involved, and I still have the two letters from Lady Rozelle authorising this particular one to be given over to me.
In 1991 Lady Rozelle organised the conversion of the Stable Block to the right of Thoresby Hall into an Art Gallery which could celebrate her mother's work as well as display paintings by new artists. Thoresby Gallery became a notable success.

Budby Castle, Budby

In the graveyard of St John's Church, Perlethorpe, is the grave of William Scott, "Captain of the Mary", who died in 1756. Captain William had no doubt sailed a boat called Mary upon Thoresby Lake for Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of kingston. He must have been a popular and respected member of the Duke's workforce because in 1756 the "castle" which was built in Budby to house the boat crews was named Castle William. This was the same year Charles (Medows) Pierrepont, 1st Earl Manvers, came to Thoresby.
Castle William was designed by John Carr and records show that in 1816 Charles Herbert Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers, still had a crew stationed there. This practise continued through to 1851 when Captain Percy was living there in charge of the boats. However, by that time it is likely that Evelyn's lavish collection had subsided into a practical "fleet" engaged more with fishing and maintenance than public display.
From the late 19th Century to the 1920's Castle William became increasingly referred to as Budby Castle, the ivy covered home to successive Clerke of Works for Thoresby Estate. Names include Thomas Wickford Potter in 1895, William C Orkney in 1900, Henry Hill in 1904, and William Arundel Bonner in 1922.
It is not known exactly when such links to Thoresby Hall came to and end, but please note and respect that Budby Castle is now a private residence, standing on private property. This photograph, taken for historic purposes, avoided all invasion into the residential aspect of the property.

Thoresby Hall, the second building.

Above: This print from a painting by John Preston Neale, dated 1838, depicts the second Thoresby Hall, built in the Palladian style between 1767 and 1772 on the site where the first Hall had stood. This second building, designed by John Carr, was more modest than the first and described by its critics as a "plain square building, without any pretence to architectural adornment". It had a rustic stone basement, and two storeys of bricks. Note how uncomfortably close the Lake is situated to the side of the building, a distance of just 100 yards, and a factor which eventually caused the third Hall to be constructed further away on higher ground. On the other side of the Lake were formal gardens in the "German" style.
Evelyn the 2nd Duke of Kingston died in 1773, also without heir. In September 1778 his nephew Charles Meadows (1737 - 1816) inherited the Pierrepont surname by Royal Licence, becoming the 1st Earl Manvers in 1806. He moved into the above Hall in 1789, soon expressing his displeasure with its landscaping and cold damp location close the Lake. So in 1791 Charles consulted landscape gardener Humphrey Repton's advice on how to improve the grounds around Thoresby Hall. Their concerns involved the ground floor being level with the nearby Lake, the formal straight lines of the canal running 200 yards from the front entrance of the House to a corn mill 600 yards away, the location of Stone Bridge (now Green Bridge) which presented an unfavourable straight-on view of the building, and the grassy area leading to the entrance lacking a gravel road. Repton's designs would helped give the grounds around this Thoresby Hall a much less formal appearance. When Charles died in 1816 he was succeeded by his son Charles Herbert, 2nd Earl Manvers, Lord Newark, who kept the tradition of having large boats on Thoresby Lake.
This second Hall was demolished in 1864 by Sydney William Herbert Pierrepont (1825 - 1900), the 3rd Earl Manvers.
For a labelled aerial photograph of Thoresby Hall, Thoresby Lake, and the surrounding Estate, see link on the sidebar. (More details in the comments box).

Thoresby Lake film

This film was taken on the north side of Thoresby Lake, an area which had been a well used public footpath as late as the 1940's. The people from Perlethorpe would walk along here to Budby (and visa verca), able to purchase sweets from vendors along the way, or take a seat on a bench and admire the view. In the 18th Century this is probably where the general public were invited to stand and view Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston upon Hull, as his boats manouvered about the lake.

In 1928 Perlethorpe School had to introduce a new rule to prevent pupils from Budby taking this route when the lake became frozen over and was considered dangerous. They were instructed instead to walk via Nelson's Lodge and the Woodyard.

Most of the little piers along the lake's edge are crude, relatively modern, concrete and tarmac constructions. But at the start of the film you will see stones which were clearly once a part of something more significant. Did Evelyn launch his boats from here? This area is situated half way down the lake's edge, behind Chameleon lodge.

The footpath is once again a popular walk for those staying at Thoresby Hotel, although one can no longer proceed any further than this halfway point towards William Castle (Budby Castle), and Budby itself, nor get a clear view of Kingston Island, the latter of which seems to have lost all definition to its boundaries.

Pleasure Grounds, Thoresby Park

The Pleasure Grounds, Thoresby Park, are situated across the lake from Thoresby Hall next to the Woodyard. In the middle of the 18th century, when the 2nd Duke of Kingston was extending the lake for his boats, there are references to formal gardens in the area, and the Pleasure Grounds originate from that time. This was a place where the Duke and subsequent Earls could stroll in private with invited house guests, possibly accessing the grounds via a boat trip across the lake, or via Thoresby Bridge at the point where the River Meden leaves the lake to continue on its way to Perlethorpe. (Arial photographs reveal that the Woodyard itself was once enclosed within this perfectly rectangular, cultivated area).
Simply referred to on maps today as "Park", the Pleasure Grounds remained a private, secluded area into the 1960's. However, "Keep Out" signs did not deter the frequent stealthy adventures of local boys who, on one occasion, took a camera inside the grounds. These photographs of Thoresby Park's Pleasure Grounds from 1964 may well be unique.
Above: This passage way through the centre of the Pleasure Grounds is part of a three mile route which once linked Thoresby Bridge with Buck Gates in a perfectly straight line still clearly visible on aerial photographs. The Duke's carriages would pass this way en route to Edwinstowe or Ollerton, and Newark beyond. The Woodyard is situated at the side of this route, enabling efficient deliveries of gas and wood fuels to the Hall. In the centre of the frame one can see deer feeding, whilst the mist beyond obscures the view of Thoresby Hall itself.
Above: The same area but viewed from the top of the landscaped embankment, over the rhododendrons. These embankments also harboured what was referred to in the war years as a bomb shelter, but which in all probability was originally dug deep into the embankment to store ice before the days of refrigeration.
Top and above: The River Meden leaves the landscaped Pleasure Grounds at the weir end of Thoresby Lake, before continuing on to Perlethorpe Village. To see an aerial photograph of this are click here. (More details in the comments box).

River Meden, Perlethorpe, Thoresby Estate

The River Meden, called the River Medin as late as the 16th century, winds a picturesque course from where once stood the stone Mills and cottages of Warsop, through Budby, before being dammed to form Thoresby Lake, and then continuing its journey through Thoresby Estate to Perlethorpe, soon after which it merges with the rivers Maun and Poulter. It was this reliable source of water which attracted the Vikings who settled in the area.
Meden's winding journey through Thoresby made several small bridges necessary and researchers need to take care when they name what may or may not be Thoresby Bridge. These photographs from 1984 depict the River Meden as it passes through Perlethorpe Village. Top: A small bridge links the village with Perlethorpe Post Office. This would be the view walking away from the post office with the early 1950's red brick bungalows on the left and the white game keeper's lodge often referred to as White House coming into sight. There was once a mill on the side of this river, just north of Home farm, and powered by a water wheel. In 1875 one George Mawson started work there.

the Woodyard, Thoresby Park, Nr Ollerton

Above: The Woodyard, Thoresby Park, photographed in 1964 from a tree top near the start of Chestnut Avenue. The remnants of the Duke's carriage way, leading from Thoresby Hall to Buck gates, are visible from mid left to bottom right.

The Woodyard is situated at the other side of Thoresby Lake from Thoresby Hall, outside the region known as the Pleasure Grounds. It was built in 1876, during the time of Sydney William Herbert Pierrepont, 3rd Earl Manvers, at a cost of £64,000. This is where the timber grown by Thoresby Forestry Department became the Estate fences, telephone poles, window frames, doors, and much, much more.
Selected trees would be felled after the leaves had fallen, and the sap was no longer rising. These would be taken to the Woodyard where the 40 H.P. gas engine of the large central saw mill cut them into their desired formats. This saw mill, the large central building on the picture below, was run by Jack Williamson and his staff of about six men. It was also the location of the band saw, lathe, and various other powered woodworking machines, the floor to the saw mill concealing a maze of pulleys, shafts and drive belts. I well remember waking to the sound of Jack's early morning saw, and the smell of the fresh cut timber which would then be stacked in the central drying shed for to years before being used in the joiners' shop at the Woodyard entrance. At the rear of the Woodyard, next sand pits, was the "shavings shed" in which younger, slimmer, timbers were manually stripped of their bark.
Beside the saw mill was a huge, black, metal creosote tank, 20 foot long and 5 foot diameter. This is where fence posts and poles would be left to soak after the tank was flooded with creosote, a banned substance today. It resembled noth less than a submarine, and young boy was able to stand upright inside.
As the nation's oil lamps gave way to gas a gas works was installed behind the Woodyard cottages on the northern side of the yard at a cost of £2,251. This supplied Thoresby Hall, Perlethorpe Church, the path to the Hall and its gates, Perlethorpe School, and Buck Gates. Two large circles where the gas works stood are still visible in the dry weather. During the 1930's Johnny Mellors lived in the Woodyard cottages and three times a week took a horse drawn cart to Ollerton Station to get coal for Thoresby hall's boilers.
In August 1940 a number of incendary bombs fell on Thoresby, and Walesby. During the night of 29th August the Woodyard caught fire as a result of this but no extensive damage was done.
On the right of the Woodyard entrance was the office of the Clerk of Works this being Johnny Mellors in the 1930's, Noel Whitworth from 1940 - 50, and Jack Bramley between 1950 - 1963. Opposite his office was the main joiner's shop in which worked such personnel as William “Jock” Craig, foreman of the Woodyard during the 1950's, and Gran Gilliver. Others in the workforce included Bill Nunn and Jack Kenyon, the latter of whom was also the church boiler stoker in 1959. All these men took great pride in their skills and versatility.

Above: The Woodyard in 1984. Three Gables can be seen on the distant right. The large central building was the saw mill, whilst the works van parked inside the building on the left.
A link to a detailed aerial photograph of Thoresby can be found in the sidebar.

Perlethorpe Post Office

Perlethorpe Post Office also served as the only shop in Perlethorpe Village, and was situated in Meadow Cottage, at the end of a road which crosses the narrow River Meden. In 1940 Mrs Dawson ran the post office, to be succeeded by Mrs Blanshard by 1955. Mrs Blanshard had been an infant teacher at Perlethorpe between 1910 - 1919, but retired to look after her husband who had been demobilised in World War 1. Children's sweets would be weighed out from the large glass bottles behind the counter, whilst a "Fry's Five Boys" advert on the wall above heralded the post war arrival of pre-packaged confectionaries. "Sugar Pigs" (literally a large block of sugar shaped like a pig) were very popular, as were the new Lucky Bags which concealed a secret toy. It seems the children of the 50's would keep the dental profession in business for decades to come!
Mrs Blanshard would collect the letters from Perlethorpe Village's only post box on the wall to the right of the door. (Still visible in the picture). She would then use sealing wax to secure the large brown post sack, this procedure being a veritable treat for the children who would stand transfixed at the sight and smells of her ritual. My sister and I were regular visitors to the post office, apportioning our pocket money as much towards note books as sweets; dull brown exercise books were threepence, whilst the glossy red one accounted for the full sixpence, and nothing left over for sweetie cigarettes.
In May 1999 Perlethorpe Post Office closed down when the final postmistress to work there, Sue Rose, resigned.
Jack Williamson, author of the booklet "My Life on a Nottinghamshire Country Estate", was born in the cottage next door; just visible at the edge of the frame.

Perlethorpe Village near Ollerton, Newark.

Above: 2 White Cottages at the end of Radley's Lane, Perlethorpe, were occupied in 1862 by John Radley and Joseph Sills Batten. In the 1960's the properties merged to become the Chaplain's House.

Perlethorpe Village, near Newark, is situated within Thoresby Park where the A614 (Blythe Road) crosses the River Meden. It started life as a Viking settlement, "Thorpe" meaning "new village". In old English perle means "rush of water" (most appropriate considering that the River Meden runs through the village) and before printing established a common spelling of words the village was commonly referred to as Palethorpe, ("pale" being an area enclosed by a boundary). However, the original name for the area was Peverel Thorpe, after William Peverel the younger who had control of this part of the country during the reign of Henry 3rd.
In 1831 Perlethorpe (then called Palethorpe) had a population of 89 people living in 14 houses. That's an average of 6 to a house! The oldest buildings in the village today date from the mid 19th century, and were often originally in pairs. Each had their own underground brick built soft water tank to contain the rain which was then drawn up via a hand pump. Starting in 1860 the 3rd Earl Manvers ensured all the houses in Perlethorpe underwent any necessary repairs, and had all their thatched roofs replaced with slate. At the turn of that century a water mains was laid through the village from Boughton water works, and in the 1920s / 30s a steam roller kept the pre-tarmac roads in order. In 1947 Perlethorpe Village was supplied with electricity, and the building of the red brick houses around the green soon followed.

Above: This schoolboy drawing from 1964 was made from the bedroom window of number 3 the Village Green, Perlethorpe, and shows some features such as the street lamp and railings around the smaller green which have long since disappeared. The arch of Home Farm is clearly visible, and the white building in the centre is White House, home to successive gamekeepers. In the late 1930's Head Keeper Frank Bebbington lived there; in 1940 the game keeper Mr Carey; and in the late 1950's / early 1960's Mr Carter. The small green on the bottom right of the drawing stands in front of the red brick bungalows built c.1950 (not shown), and this green was the location for the village flag pole. The road leaving the picture on the left is Jackson's Hill.

Perlethorpe School

Above: Perlethorpe Church of England School, c.1958. Note the maypole, and the flowerbeds the children helped tend.

Perlethorpe Church of England School was built in 1861 by the 3rd Earl Manvers. It was designed by Salvin and predates the St John's Church, Perlethorpe Church, on the opposite side of the road. A typical attendance figure for the late 19th century was about 40 children, a figure which would go largely unchange as the decades passed.
In October 1879 the school was extended, probably by the addition of a second classroom to separate the juniors from the seniors, and the new School Headmistress Sarah Jan Wass recorded that the desks had also arrived. 1879 was also the year when formal registration of the pupils commenced at the insistence of visiting School Inspectors. In 1897 the classroom was illuminated by gas supplied from the Woodyard, and became a popular reading room for people on the estate who paid a small subscription to attend on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, between 7 pm - 8 pm.
Teaching methods involved the use of a tiered seating gallery, which ensured pupils could see and be seen at a time when children would sometimes be taught in mixed groups by a pupil monitor. The gallery at Perlethorpe School was situated under the windows on the front of the building, against which our backs were turned. I have memories of being a junior at Perlethorpe School but joining the senior's class for lessons in tying shoe laces and "weaving". On these occasions I remember seeming to look down upon Mrs Bruce's desk across the room from what must have only been a slightly higher level. The use of a gallery persisted into the early 1950's at Perlethorpe even though HMI reports of 1904 called for its removal.
Before the renovations of 1959 the pupils' toilets were stagnant metal drums with wooden seats situated on the right of the building where the modern entrance porch is today. Late 19th / early 20th century girls’ needlework classes involved making red cloaks from material provided by Lady Manvers, wife of the 4th Earl, which they had to wear to and from school. If ever a coach carrying Lady or Earl Manvers should come into view the children were expected to stop and curtsy or bow. This practise continued into the 1950's when my sister and I would stand still and politely wave until her car had passed. Until 1959 the two classrooms at Perlethorpe School were each heated by a central pot bellied stove, its fuel supplied by the Woodyard. According to HMI reports there had been no separate office accommodation for teachers as late as 1920, and this was still likely the case into the 1950's.
Pupils from Budby would walk to school via Thoresby Lake, until that route was banned when the ice on the lake became too great a temptation. Sometimes they would hitch a ride on the milk cart, and risk being told off if the cart was late. Education was not as high on the average family agenda as the seasonal chores on the farm which might require their assistance, and there was no Secondary School. On the day after their 14th birthday the pupils left school to start work on the Estate. That changed in 1927 when pupils over the age of 11 would move on to Edwinstowe School for the first time. In the early 20th century the Girls Friendly Society would meet in the school, engaging in such activities as knitting gloves or scarves for the Navy. This was a very popular club, as the boys played their cricket or rang the church bells.
During World War 2 a total of approximately 17 evacuees from heavily bombed Sheffield attended Perlethorpe School at one time or another, but their attendance was usually fleeting as homesickness set in. In 1940 Miss Lizzie Bradley became Headmistress and a year later was mentioned on the BBC for sending the £7 she raised by carol singing to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. 1943 saw the introduction of a school canteen, and records show that 19 pupils stayed for a hot meal at dinner time. In 1944 Miss Ida Brett became Headmistress, succeeded by Miss J E Bruce in January 1950.

Perlethorpe School teachers

I was fascinated to read a comment from a HMI report on Perlethorpe School dated 1907 saying that children should be taught to think and not just memorise. Of course today we would all agree, but maybe in that post-Victorain age it was still a new concept to some. I can assure you that all the teachers at Perlethorpe between 1950 and its closure in 1984 certainly placed a healthy emphasis on thinking.
Miss J E Bruce became the Headmistress in January 1950. At the start of the school day, and after dinner, the pupils would line up in two orderly rows at the sound of her bell, ready to enter the school via the dark oak door which was situated on the left of the front of the building. (This porch entrance was converted to a window during the renovations of 1959, and the porch became a storeroom.) Coats were hung inside that porch. The seniors then turned right and sat in rows with their backs to two rectangular windows, awaiting Mrs Bruce's instruction. The juniors walked straight ahead, beneath the high arched window on their left, and entered the rear classroom to be taught by Mrs Ward. A spelling mistake might merit a slap on the leg from her, whilst good work could merit a new pencil, complete with the novelty of having an eraser on the end.
The curriculum involved a rich variety of pursuits from the learning of "times tables" (during which one was forbidden to sit down until you got it right), to plentiful nature walks in Thoresby Estate. The exercise books in which we recorded details from our Nature Studies were emerald green, a favoured book amongst older pupils. Juniors wrote in pencil in a small brown "My Bijou Book" (see sidebar picture).
Miss J E Bruce, a slim, reserved lady, usually dressed in grey, resigned as Headmistress in December 1960. She was noted for her dedication towards getting her pupils through the 11+ examination and to a grammar school beyond.
Above: Renovations to Perlethorpe School were completed in 1959. During the course of those renovations the children attended lessons in the Village Hall, 100 yards down the road, which had been built in 1957.
Mr Peter Pierpont took over as Headteacher in January 1961, with Mrs Morgan in charge of the juniors. The dinner lady was Mrs Langstaff. Peter Pierpont (no relation to the Pierreponts) was probably the first male schoolteacher Perlethorpe had employed. His outgoing nature, and slightly boisterous attendance at Village Hall socials, whilst the children got involved with Twist dance competitions, is something I well remember. Examination results for the 11+ in 1961 show standards of education were high with the majority of the applicants going on to grammar school. Mr Pierpont died in 1963.
Above: Mr Peter Pierpont stages a joke photograph with the pupils outside the side entrance to the school, c.1959, with Mrs Morgan in the rear. (Pupils names listed in the comments box).
Peter Pierpont was replaced by C. Alan Bollans in April 1964, whilst Mrs Morgan continued to teach the juniors. Mr Bollands would be the last teacher to work at Perlethorpe School before its closure. His service towards all aspects of the life of Thoresby Estate was notable, and when the school closed Mr Bollans became the attendant at Thoresby Gallery.
Above: Mr C. Bollans with a group of school children outside the school grounds in front of Perlethorpe Church, c.1962. (Pupil names are listed in the comments box).

Pierrepont and Thoresby Hall

Above: The first Thoresby Hall from a print by J. Walker.

Robert de Pierrepont came to England with William the Conqueror. In 1500 his descendants built the present Holme Pierrepont. In the first part of the 17th Century, Sir Robert Pierrepont (1585 - 1643), 1st Earl of Kingston upon Hull, bought Thoresby from Alderman Lodge for his second son William.
William Pierrepont (1607 - 1679), then spent £1000 a year aquiring land around Thoresby between 1633 and 1643. He was a Parliamentarian, referred to as "William the Wise" because his opinions were much valued by noblemen of the day. His moderate attitude and respect for the King, made him an obvious choice for mediator and negotiator between Charles 1st and the Roundhead movement, and this he did on more than one occasion. It is a known fact that Oliver Cromwell himself spent the night at Thoresby in 1651 on his way to the Battle of Worcester at Evesham.
Robert's first son Henry Pierrepont (William's elder brother) was the 2nd Earl of Kingston upon Hull. When Henry died without heir in 1680, his great nephew Robert became 3nd Earl of Kingston upon Hull. When Robert also died without heir his brother William became the 4th Earl of Kingston upon Hull, and that's where things become a little clearer.
William Pierrepont (1662 - 1690), 4th Earl of Kingston, obtained a further 1,270 acres of land for £7,100, combined them with what he already possessed in Perlethorpe and Thoresby, and formed Thoresby Park. Soon after this in 1683 he built the original Thoresby Hall (a.k.a. Thoresby House).
William the 4th Earl also died without heir, and so was succeeded by his brother Evelyn Pierrepont (1665 - 1726), the 5th Earl of Kingston upon Hull, later upgraded to 1st Duke of Kingston upon Hull in 1715. Evelyn's only son died of smallpox and so he was succeeded by his grandson, also called Evelyn, the 2nd Duke of Kingston. It is this 2nd Duke who can be seen in the full version of the Tillemans painting edited below, and it was he who extended Thoresby Lake and built the second Hall after the first was destroyed by fire.
A mansion already existed by the lake, built c.1590, with some documents describing it as Elizabethan in character. But as it was built before the 4th Earl established Thoresby Park / Thoresby Estate, it doesn't merit the title Thoresby House. It was this mansion which William Pierrepont 2nd Earl of Kingston replaced in 1683 when building the original Thoresby Hall. This was a rectangular red brick building with stone dressings, designed by William Tallman who would go on to design Chatsworth House. It had two storeys plus an attic, featured 13 bays along its front, and was clearly influenced in it design by the Italian Palaces. In 1738 The Kennels were built about half a mile eastward of the Hall. (See aerial photograph on sidebar).
On 4th March 1745, only 58 years after it was built, this Thoresby Hall was badly damaged by fire, and much property lost. However, during the 22 years between the fire and the building of a second Hall, Evelyn the 2nd Duke of Kingston certainly had long periods of residence on Thoresby Estate, monitoring his extensions to the Lake, so quite possibly parts of the Hall were still habitable. Alternatively he may have resided at The Kennels.

Above: Leonard Knyff's painting of the first Thoresby Hall c.1705. The Stone Bridge (now the Green Bridge) is in its original position and Evelyn the 2nd Duke hasn't yet extended the lake which would in reality lay in the area just behind and above the central building. Note the formal lines of the canal which would lead to a Mill and the Kennels in Perlethorpe Village.

Above: The original Thoresby Hall as seen in a detail from a landscape by Tillemans, 1725.

Above: "H1" marks the location of both first and second Halls. The 4th Earl Manvers had this part of the old foundations flooded via a tunnel north of the weir, and frozen over as a Curling Rink for his daughter. In 1937 it was converted to a hard tennis court. "H3" marks the location of the third and present Thoresby Hall. (See aerial photograph of Thoresby).

Steam Train at Thoresby Park

Above: Still visible today (2008) are the sleepers from the train's rail track in the area where it ran parallel to the River Meden.

Above: This steam train was called Sir Nigel Gresley, and took William Kirkland of Ollerton, twelve years to build. It became a popular attraction at Thoresby Hall, Thoresby Estate, in 1966 and continued to be so for several years before moving to Stapleford Park in Leicestershire. The steam train was situated in the area between the Cricket Pavillion and the gates near Stone Bridge (a.k.a. Green Bridge). One can see the bridge leading to Perlethorpe Church in the background.

Perlethorpe

Above & below: 2 Radleys Lane, Perlethorpe, c. 1953. Note the garden walls are not yet completed.
The redbrick buildings constructed around the Village Green c.1950 are those most associated with the name of Perlethorpe today. They were built for the exclusive occupancy of those employed on Thoresby Estate's three main industries: Home Farm, the Forestry Commission, and the Woodyard. Electricity had been suppilied to Perlethorpe just prior to their building, and wireless sets (radios) depended upon recharchable accumulators.
There were never any shops in Perlethorpe apart from the local Post Office by the Kennells. During the 1930's a Co-op van with a huge shoe on its roof would visit the village in the hope of collecting boots for repair, but most households did their own. In the 1940's Mr Fillingham from Wolesly would arrive on a horse and cart, selling basic household goods such as candles. In the 1950's I remember a large Library Van the size of a removal truck would park in the village, and then at Three Gables, the Woodyard, so the residents could walk in the back of it and choose their reading matter from the shelves.

Above: 2 The Village Green, Perlethorpe, c.1958.

During the 1950s a small Bush television set in the front room of 2 Radleys Lane played black and white host to the Lone Ranger, before independant television introduced "Murray mints, too good to hurry mints".
In 1957 Perlethorpe built its own Village Hall, and in 1962 a Social Club was added at the side, run by Jerry Mountjoy who lived in the village on Jacksons Hill.

Sherwood Forest Visitors Centre, Edwinstowe

Robin Hood's Tree, the Major Oak, had already been a popular attraction for many decades before 1969 when Thoresby Estate leased the land to Nottingham County Council for the purpose of a more organised approach to the lucrative tourist trade. Standing outside Sherwood Forest Visitor's Centre, near to Robin Hood's Tree, is this colourful statue depicting the famous contest between Robin Hood and Little John when first meeting on a bridge in Sherwood Forest. Neither man would give way, and after Little John won the contest Robin promptly asked him to join his Merry Men. Edwinstowe Village also boasts the church where Robin Hood and Maid Marian were married.
The Sherwood Forest Visitor's Centre, Edwinstowe, contains several such obvious delights for Robin Hood fans. But it is also of great interest to those with an interest in British Wildlife. The walk down to the Major Oak tree is a delightful way to enjoy the mystical, enchanting delights of this most ancient forest.
A link to Sherwood Forest Visitors Centre can be found on the sidebar. For more information about Robin Hood visit the Robin Hood blog.

To see the statue of Robin Hood at the Sherwood Forest visitor Centre click on THIS LINK.

Nottingham Castle

There were settlements in Nottingham long before the Romans, who themselves called the area "a place of cavy dwellings". However, the City's name comes from the later Anglo-Saxon chieftan Snot. After the invasion of 600 AD his people moved in, and "Snottingham" meant "the town of Snot's people".
In the 11th century the invading William the Conqueror's Normans met fierce resistance from the Anglo-Saxons in Nottingham, and this led to a stalemate between two settlements: the "French Borough" where the Normans encamped on Castle Hill, and built Nottingham Castle in 1068, and the "English Borough" where the Anglo-Saxons lived in the nearby area now known as the Lace Market.The Norman's Nottingham Castle was an 11th century motte and bailey fortress. In the 12th century King Henry II ordered a stone Castle to be built to become his main Royal fortress in the Midlands. Those parts which still remain today include "Mortimer's Hole" (a passage leading down from the upper medieval bailey to the rocks beneath), the foundations of the "Black Tower" (King Richard Tower), and traces of the bailey wall with its two round towers and large gatehouse. After the Civil War the castle lost its position of importance, and that which was still standing would be destroyed in favour of building a 17th century mansion, whilst Nottingham went on to thrive during the Industrial Revolution.
Top left: A rather fanciful version of the castle from the 1938 Errol Flynn film The Adventures of Robin Hood. Top right: Nottingham Castle as seen in the early episodes of the Richard Greene 1950's Robin Hood television series. Bottom left: The Castle as depicted in the 1976 film Robin and Marian. Bottom right: Nottingham Castle in 2006.

More details about Nottingham Castle can be found on this link.
Nottingham Castle is cursed! Click here for more details.
Robin Hood Exhibition at Nottingham Castle: Click here for video and pictures.
Robin Hood website : http://robinhoodtree.blogspot.com/
Robin Hood pictures and costumes : http://robinhoodoutlaw.blogspot.com/

Perlethorpe School (Environmental Education Centre).

Above: Perlethorpe Primary School 1985, 1 year after its closure. The arch window on the left was originally the doorway where Mrs Bruce stood and rang her bell in the early 1950's.

Before the renovations of 1959 the pupil's toilets were stagnant metal drums with wooden seats situated on the right of the building where the entrance porch is today. The boy's urinal was a brick wall which separated them from the girls' toilet on the other side. This was open aired, and swilled only occasionally by a solitary tap. A favourite game among the boys was seeing who could pee the highest up that wall.
Education at Perlethorpe in the 1950s adhered of course to a strict timetable, but always incorporated a rich tapestry of creative exercises in manual dexterity, from weaving to maypole dancing, and from plasticine modelling to drawing the butterfly specimens that surrendered their short lives to Mrs Bruce’s thumb. If the sun came out (which seem to happen practically every day), we simply all went on a nature walk. The nature books in which we drew our collected specimens were dark green hard backs. Dip-in pens were a compulsory element of writing lessons. New nibs were periodically issued to the class who were then instructed to place the small brass nib in their mouths to suck off the protective wax coating. (Perlethorpe Church records list no fatalities from this activity!) The walls were covered by large posters (usally printed by Shell) depicting the different animals, birds and trees from each season. When my older sister and myself retrieved a stag's skull and antlers from beneath the rhododendrons of the Pleasure Grounds, that became part of the display.
But the population of Perlethorpe Village was ever diminishing as the Estate's fortunes changed with the decades. In December 1984 the decision was made to close the school, which then had a total of only 16 pupils. Headmaster C A Bollans left in July. Mrs Morgan became the school's final Headmistress for one term, presiding over just 4 pupils.

Above: No longer a regular school the building now operates as the highly successful Perlethorpe Environmental Education Centre, sometimes recreating the days of Victorian education for new generations of children, and exploring the rich natural environment of Thoresby Estate.

Robin Hood's Tree, Edwinstowe

Above: The Major Oak, in the 1970's when fences and a more restricted access to the tree by tourists was necessary for preservation purposes. Since 1969 the area had changed hands from Thoresby Estate to Nottingham County Council.

Above: In 1990's the tree was supported by unattractive wooden supports.

Robin Hood's tree was named the Major Oak after the archaeologist Major Hayman Rooke, who lived in Mansfield Woodhouse during the 1780's. It was his favourite tree. During the 19th Century the tree was commonly referred to as the Cockpen Tree because game birds in wicker baskets were placed inside the hollow interior before being made to fight in a cock pen below its branches.

Above: August 31st, 2005.
A modern theory as to why Robin Hood's tree is so large speculates that it started life as three separate oaks, which merged together as one. This might explain why the hollow nature of the tree is entirely different to similar oaks whose centres were burnt out by lightning.

Above: The path leading to Robin Hood's Tree, the Major Oak. (Winter 2006). Each side of the path are the dark mysterious shapes of ancient oaks.

For more information on Robin Hood and Maid Marian visit the Robin Hood blog.

Perlethorpe Church, Thoresby Park

Above: Church of St John the Evangelist, Perlethorpe. The low surrounding wall pre-dates the current building.
Perlethorpe Church, the Church of St. John Evangelist, was built in 1876 by Sydney William Herbert Pierrepont, 3rd Earl Manvers, and whose memorial can be found on the inner north wall. Designed by Anthony Salvin the cost of the building was £17,000 and it stands across the road from Perlethorpe Church of England School (now Perlethorpe Environmental Education Centre). Some features within its grounds are said to date from the previous church, such as the "dwarf boundary wall" (1861), and gas street lamp (c.1861) by the western gate, more of which were once illuminated on the path leading to Thoresby Hall.
But as early as 1904 very extensive repairs were made necessary due to the poor construction methods used in the walls. Bonding stones had not been placed across the cavity in the walls, and the infill of rubbish there was causing serious decay. The strain caused by the six bells in the tower were also to prove a cause for concern as the decades passed and mining subsidence occured. In 1952 five of these bells would go to West Bridgford.
In the early 1900's the 4th Earl and Countess Manvers would arrive at the original wrought iron gates on the west end in a carriage drawn by a white horse. After the service the Countess would find out from her Estate Agent which of the village's children were missing. She herself would then visit those families in her carriage to ascertain how poorly the child was, before instructing the manager of Home Farm to send that family fresh milk, eggs and butter, whilst providing hot soup direct from Thoresby Hall.
The present entrance to St John's is the lychgate (covered gateway) on the south of its grounds. This was added in 1922 as a memorial to those men from Thoresby who fell in World War 1. (Budby village organised their own large cross). This lychgate was designed by A. Gleave, Nottingham, but the work was carried out by Thoresby Estate, and the carving by Tudsbury, Edwinstowe.

Above: Sunday School classes were held in the area to the left as one entered.

To encourage Sunday School attendance in the 1950's the children would receive attendance stamps. These richly coloured illustrations of passages from the Bible were then stuck inside small albums. Miss a week, miss a stamp!
In 1951 Reverend Barton took over the Parish. He had been Principal of the Theological College in Newfoundland and his study was brim full of fascinating artefacts from this distant land, which engrossed the imagination of every child who patiently stood there and awaited his entrance so their communion class could begin. Nicknamed "Pa", Mr Barton lived in a house by The Kennels until 1968, before retiring to move to Oban, Scotland. In 1956 Bill langstaff (the dinner lady's husband), stoked the boilers at the church, succeeded in 1959 by Jack Kenyon, a plumber at the Woodyard who lived in the Alms Houses.
Perlethorpe Church's weather cock was removed in 1960 as a safety precaution. That same year that Mr Pierpont took a small group of the older boys from the school across the road out onto the tower at the base of the spire to experience the view. Such was the quality of education at Perlethorpe, always enriched by unexpected little occurrences.

Thoresby Park Bank Holiday 1959

Even in the 19th century Thoresby Hall had frequently invited tourists and sight-seers when it was convenient and the Earl was away. However, in 1957 Major Beatti (husband to Lady Rozelle, the daughter of Countess Manvers), oversaw the formal procedures of making Thoresby Hall open to the general public on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Bank Holidays. To mark this auspicious occasion he invited the voluptuous 1950's blonde celebrity Sabrina, whose "Sabrina Slept Here" publicity stunt had been targeted at several Stately Homes. Sabrina duly slept in Thoresby Hall on the night of 28th March 1957, the cause of much bawdy humour amongst male workers across the estate. It was also the Major's plan to have Sabrina dress as Maid Marian the following day and serve the first guests with venison. As Lady Rozelle and Countess Manvers were holidaying in the Mediterranean at the time one might guess at their feelings on the matter.
Above: Thoresby Hall on a postcard dated August Bank Holiday, 1959, just two years after the Hall was opened to the public, but long after Sabrina had left the buliding. If you visited Thoresby hall at this time admission was 2 shillings and sixpence (25p) per adult, children half price. Car parking was 1 shilling (10p), motorcycles half price. An admission figure of 46,000 in 1963 shows how popular an attraction Thoresby Hall quickly became.

Thoresby Hall in the heart of Sherwood Forest

Thoresby Park's deer reside mostly in an area called the Pleasure Grounds, the private landscaped area on the south side of Thoresby Lake. Any deer which escaped from the Pleasure Grounds would find straw and shelter in the deer huts around the estate, such as the one between the Woodyard and the school beside which a shale track once ran. However, in 1917, the 4th Earl Manvers had the Red Deer slaughtered and removed when a woman was attacked and injured. After that incident only the Fallow Deer were bred.

Above: Postcard dated 1919 depicts Thoresby Hall and the deer: "Dear Aunt Lizzie, Doris and I are coming tomorrow, Thursday, by the 11.20 so we shall get home about 4 o'clock. Is Willie going to meet us? We have been for a drive this morning. Hoping all at home are well. With love, Lillian". (Addressed to Miss Taylor, Ecclesall Lodge, Selwyn Road, New Malden, Surrey).

Above: Postcard dated 1912 referring to the Hall as Thoresby House: "Dear Bertha, Thankyou for your card, I am pleased you arrived safely. The weather here is cold and miserable. I hope you will soon be better with the help of the sulpher water. Yours truly, Elsie". (Addressed to Miss B. Allen, Royal Bath Hospital, Harrogate).

The River Meden here is approaching the Green Bridge, before continuing under 7 Ton Bridge, and on to Perlethorpe Village.

Welbeck Lodge, the Dukeries.

After its dissolution Welbeck Abbey became the property of William Cavendish, the first Duke of Newcastle - upon - Tyne, and thus became one of the main aspects of the land known as the Dukeries. Cavendish was a staunch Royalist and King Charles 1st is known to have been a welcome guest at Welbeck.

Unlike Thoresby and Clumber, Welbeck Abbey is private property and not open to the general public. These splendid gates, from a postcard dated 1919, marked the entrance to the estate, where the lodge keeper would monitor those entering and leaving. For other pictures of similarly impressive gates throughout the Dukeries see Buck Gates, Clumber Park, and Welbeck Lodge.

Thoresby Hall interior.

Visitors to Thoresby Hall would be greeted by the amazing spectacle of this perfectly preserved Victorian Great Hall, with treasures too many to mention. Sadly, when Lady Manvers died in 1984, the Hall had already been the property of the National Coal board for 4 years, in accordance with their intention to open a new mining vein beneath the Estate. Thoresby subsequently went through the hands of more than one speculator and much of what you see here was auctioned away.

Above & below: As long ago as 1907 (if not before) the children of Thoresby Estate would be invited to a Christmas Party at the Hall involving a meal, entertainment, and a gift. These parties were still a great treat in the 1950's. Gifts were dispensed at the end of the evening in the Great Hall, often having a distinct Robin Hood theme because they were mostly items that had been in the tourist's gift shop during the summer season!

Above & below: The magnificent Blue Drawing Room off the south west corner of the great hall, and deriving its name from the silk on the walls. Note the portraits of the 3rd Earl Manvers and his Countess, painted by Richard Graves (1846 - 1881).

One of Thoresby Hall's most popular attractions was always the carved oak fireplace in the library. (See picture on sidebar). This became erroneously credited to Richard J. Tuddesbury of Edwinstowe, who did indeed produce skilled carvings elsewhere for the interior, but was actually produced by Gerrard Robinson of Newcastle, where a newspaper reporter had witnessed its progres in his workshop. In 1869 Robinson was using a picture of this as his trade card.
As a child it would greatly amuse my family that certain items of furniture from the Hall, much admired by the surrounding tourists, had often been in our kitchen at the Woodyard the night before as my father, the foreman at the Woodyard, effected their repair! Readers may also be amused to know that the firewood produced at the Woodyard for Lady Manvers had to be cut to very exacting specifications. Only "billet wood", 9 inches (23 cm) long, 3 inches(8 cm) diameter, and free from knots, was acceptable for her bedroom, sitting room, and dining room!

Robin Hood's Tree, the Major Oak

Postcard of Robin Hood's Tree dated 1957, when the dubious wisdom of climbing on or even inside the tree was not yet discouraged. People today don't realise that Robin Hood's Tree, the Major Oak, stands on ground once owned and tended to by Thoresby Estate. The original irons which supported the branches were constucted in Thoresby Estate's blacksmith shop by a local man. However, in 1969 this area was leased to Nottingham County Council and further developed as a successful tourist attraction.

More information and pictures of Robin Hood can be found at the Robin Hood blog. That site also includes links to aerial photographs showing the location of the Robin hood Tree, the Church where he married Maid Marian, and Robin Hood's Grave.

Thoresby Bridge, Thoresby Park.

Above: Pierrepont Bridge, designed by Wilkins, an architect from Cambridge, stands near to William Castle (a.k.a. Budby Castle) and bridges the western tip of Thoresby Lake where the River Meden leaves Budby. In its prime one could stand here and see Kingston Island, with Thoresby Hall beyond, and even the spire of Perlethorpe Church in the distance. Not designed for mechanised traffic, but stout enough to serve as a route between the boat crews and later Clerkes of Work who resided at the Castle, today its ironwork railings and other features are long since gone. (See also sidebar pictures).

Above: Stone Bridge, now commonly referred to as Green Bridge due to the grass which covers it disused path, has retained much of its beauty simply because it became impractical to use as a regular route to and from Thoresby Hall once the second Hall had been demolished, the third Hall built further uphill to the north, and mechanised traffic took over. Stone Bridge was originally sited further down stream, it's elegant design clearly intended for lightweight carriages, coaches and pedestrians visiting the original Thoresby Hall but presenting what was considered an unflattering end-on view of the building. So it was Charles (Meadows) Pierrepont, 1st Earl Manvers, in consultation with landscape gardener Humphrey Repton, who moved the bridge to its present location. (See link to aerial photograph on sidebar). It would seem that the actual bridge was relocated, and not rebuilt. Pedestrian access has been forbidden for many decades due to the unsafe nature of the structure.

Above: Referred to on this c.1913 postcard as Thoresby Bridge, this is in fact named 7 Ton Bridge on certain maps, and linked the present Thoresby Hall with Perlethorpe Village, and the main roads beyond. This bridge would have witnessed less of the light weight carriages bound for rides down Chestnut Avenues, but coped well with the demands of the 20th Century in which two World Wars saw soldiers billeted on the Estate, and Thoresby Hall opening to the public. 7 Ton Bridge did however close down for c.30 years during the 1980's / 2000's as ownership of the Hall changed, and the maintenance of certain properties on the Estate changed with it.

Above: 7 Ton Bridge (2007) is once again open to access for pedestrains only, as one can park the car at Thoresby Gallery and walk through to the village of Perlethorpe, a popular activity for those staying at Thoresby Hotel.

Clumber Park, the Dukeries.

Clumber House, Clumber Park, was the seat of the Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyme and today is still one of the largest country parks in Europe. Now owned by the National Trust, it is one of the four main components of the lands known as the Dukeries, and visitors to the park are positively encouraged to enjoy the scenery, wildlife, and picnic.
Clumber House was built in 1770 by the second Duke of Newcastle, in an area previously unflatteringly described as "a black heath full ot rabbits", and after which he abandoned his seat at Haughton. Clumber House came under threat from an angry mob in 1832, after the second Duke of Newcastle spoke out against the Reform Bill, and the House had to be protected whilst a less fortunate Nottingham Castle burned. But later, in 1879, a more innocent yet tragic fire damaged much of the property before being restored and rebuilt by the seventh Duke.
Regretably, having survived those ordeals Clumber House could not withstand the onslaught of a pre-war demolition programme, and in 1938 it was dismantled and its features sold. But there still stands a magnificent Victorian Church, bridge, as well as extensive park lands and wildlife to enjoy.

This picture shows the Greyhound Gates at Clumber Park, and the lodge from which all persons entering and leaving the estate could be monitored. For further examples of such gates within the Dukeries see Buck Gates and Welbeck Lodge.

Buck Gates, Thoresby Park.

As can be seen on the aerial photograph of Thoresby Park (see link in sidebar), the original Duke's carriages would ride from the Hall, down a straight landscaped route of trees, past the Woodyard, and along Chestnut Avenue, before arriving at a thatched lodge where the estate's gates opened towards Edwinstowe. Until c.1940 all the roads leading into Thoresby Estate were gated and kept locked so the lodge keeper could check who was entering the Estate. Records show that the keeper of this particular lodge, at least between 1832 and 1864, was Mrs Mary Budd, and that as late as the 1930's the thatched roof was still considered important enough to replace every seven years even though Perlethorpe roofs had long since been replaced by slate. But at that time there were no bucks on the gates.
The lodge became known as Buck Gates after the 4th Earl Manvers witnessed a fight between two bucks in this part of the forest during the breeding season. (I remember witnessing such a fight myself, where two bucks lock antlers and refuse to give way, sometimes for hours.) On this particular occasion the duel lasted the better part of a day, covering the distance to Thoresby Lake, whereupon the bucks fell into the water, too tired to get out, and drowned. The Earl commemorated that battle by installing two stone pillars each side of the lodge gates, a lead covered buck sculpture atop each.
Buck Gates was burnt out by fire in 1956. However, on this occasion the bucks survived, and enough of the lodge's overgrown shell was left standing to provide a temping playground for young schoolboys. Parents always warned us not to venture inside (and we never did), but the haunting atmosphere of the cottage, and the densening, now neglected surrounding undergrowth, captured our imaginations.
Today no evidence of Buck Gates exists apart from faded postcards. It was situated much further back in the woods than the current junction of the A614 and A616 would lead researchers to believe, in a forest area taken over by the military Dukeries Training Centre.

Whatever happened to the Buck Gates bucks? Click here.

thoresby park lake

It seems likely that a small lake has always existed where Thoresby Lake is situated today. There is speculation that a Roman fort may have been situated here, and certainly there are small natural underground springs which add to the flow of the River Meden as it comes from Budby. But at some point, probably before the 16th century the River Meden was dammed to form a bigger lake.
However, the size and spectacle of what we know today as Thoresby Lake was the result of the ambitions of Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston upon Hull, who in 1751 (at a cost of £497) extended this lake alongside which the original Thoresby Hall had been built. Evelyn's landscaping and extensions also involved the formation of Kingston Island at its western end. His greatest enthusiasm was for the boats he kept on Thoresby Lake, clearly visible in the Tillemans painting dated 1725, and during the 1760's the Duke would allow public access every Sunday to watch his boats manoeuvre around the lake. (One print depicts the Duke's boat as having 15 cannons). William Castle (a.k.a. Budby Castle) was built in 1789, and named after William Scott, the "Captain of the Mary" who had died in 1756. This is where the crew and Captain of the boats were then stationed.
The passion for boats continued with successive generations. In 1832 Charles Herbert Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers, had a fully rigged ship built near Gainsborough and brought to Thoresby by carriage. During the 1930's pleasure rides on the Lake were still being organised for children from the Esate, and two rustic boat houses were situated on either side. The one on the northern side housed the "Reed Cutter", named as such because it was designed to cut the weeds growing below the surface. The lake also provided a plentiful supply of pike and eels, as well as ice in the winter which was gathered and placed in an ice house, and on top of which the Earl's game would be placed. (See aerial map on sidebar for Ice House Wood).
For a film of Thoresby Lake click here.

Top: Postcard dated 1909. Below: The plain, practical look of the repaired weir at the east end of the lake (2006). It gives no indication of earlier splendours.

Robin Hood Statue

This postcard shows the Tussaud - Birt statue of Robin Hood situated in its original location outside the main entrance to Thoresby Hall. The statue was sculpted and sited here in 1948. In the 1950s Robin Hood's bow was stolen on at least one occasion for its lead value. Seecurity issues became much more of an issue later on in the 1980s / 90s as ownersip of the Hall cahnged hands, making a relocation of the statue necessary. Today the statue is situated in the courtyard outside Thoresby Art Gallery, just 200 yards from its original site.

Other popular Robin Hood statues are situated outside Nottingham Castle and on Edwinstowe High Street.

For information about Robin hood visit the Robin Hood blog.

Thoresby Hall

Above: A detail from Tillemans' painting of 1725 showing Evelyn the 2nd Duke of Kingston hunting by Thoresby Lake on which his boats are visible. The original Thoresby hall in the background would burn down twenty years later, c.1745, and a second Hall built.

In 1860 Sydney William Herbert (1825 - 1900), the second son of Charles Herbert, became the 3rd Earl of Manvers and it was he that demolished the second Hall in 1864 and commissioned Anthony Salvin to design the third and final Thoresby Hall. Sited on higher ground and at a better distance from the lake, building took place between 1865 and 1875, and right from the outset the new Thoresby Hall established itself as one of the finest baronial homes in the land.
Measuring 180 feet across the front, and able to comfortably accommodate 50 important guests plus their servants. Drinking water for the Hall at first came from a natural spring below Budby castle, but due to poor water pressure a well was sunk to the rear of the area where now stands the cricket pavillion. One review accurately stated "inside one is dazzled by much magnificence, and leaves the house with confused memories of satin-covered walls, tapestry curtains, statutory mantelpieces, gilded ceilings, and a plethora of large exquisite time pieces".
The 3rd Earl and his family lived in the west wing for half the year. He was a hay fever sufferer and spent summer amongst the fashionable set of london or the Western Isles. When he was away tourists were allowed to view the house and its magnificent contents. The west wing had two bathrooms, and all the main rooms in the house were gas lit. The impressive iron gates, also gas lit, were made by Brown & Downing of Birmingham. The guest rooms relied on hip baths (for which the servants would carry the water), and smaller rooms still relied on oil lamps until 1930. The 3rd Earl was a tremendously wealthy man, much of it inherited, but he also held investments in mining; a fact which would prove ironic as the structure of the Hall began to suffer as a consequence of this industry in the post war years. But, as the person who had built the present church, the school, and many other significant modifications to both land and buildings, he probably did more than anyone else to define what we see of Thoresby park today.

the Dukeries, Sherwood Forest.

The Dukeries is a name given in the 18th century to a N.W. district of Nottinghamshire, England, because it contained the estates of four powerful Dukes: the Duke of Newcastle - under - Lyme resided at Clumber Park ; the Duke of Kingston at Thoresby Hall (also known as Thoresby House); the Duke of Portland at Welbeck Abbey ; and the Duke of Norfolk at Worksop Manor.

All these Dukes were descendants of Bess of Hardwick (1527 - 1608), for whom Hardwick Hall was designed. It is because these lands were once privately owned by such enlightened noblemen that they have remained well preserved to this day, providing a unique opportunity to experience ancient Sherwood Forest, which in 1100 covered 20% of the County. This postcard, c.1910, depicts an avenue of landscaped Scotch Firs, a very popular practice when Thoresby Estate and Clumber Park were being established. Such avenues and groves are now hard to locate on any map, and Scotch Firs were a favoured tree for landscaping in Thoresby before the 20th century. However, this particular line of trees is likely to be the pathway which linked Cameleon Lodge on the north of Thoresby Lake with the original Thoresby Hall.

Sherwood Forest of course was the home of the famous outlaw Robin Hood and his Band of Outlaws. You can read more about Robin Hood at the Robin Hood website http://robinhoodtree.blogspot.com/