Saturday, March 08, 2008

Thoresby Estate Lodges and Cottages.

 
Above: Home Farm Lodge, Perlethorpe Village.

Thoresby Estate has what may be an almost unique collection of lodges and cottages dating from the 19th century, some probably earlier, all originally intended to house key workers on the Estate. Many are under private, well maintained ownership today.


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 / 08 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. Sadly the bucks from atop those arches are long since stolen.

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. If so, this means The Kennels had been designated for more private, residential use. 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 By 1864, Dodd had moved on and been replaced by miller Robert Budd.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 c.1947 - 52, Rose Cottage was still divided into two properties. The division ran parallel to the road, meaning the rear property faced the forest. It was that side which was occupied by carpenter / joiner William Craig and family. He later became foreman at the Woodyard, residing at Three Gables.


Shepherd's Lodge (above) stands near the mini roundabout, approximately another two miles along 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.


Cameleon 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.
Cameleon 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 Cameleon 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 James Smith, who started at Thoresby in 1910 and lived at Cameleon Lodge until 1930. 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. (Note: Cameleon Lodge is spelt as such on Ordnance Survey maps from at least 1906 to the present day. Some sources, such as THIS LINK, do spell it as Chameleon lodge. I have chosen the former.)


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 laborers 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 Jack Kenyon.

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