Thoresby Park video.

 

A very brief view of Thoresby Park, scanning from the Hall to the school. March 2021.

Thoresby Hall Gardens.

 

Above: A rare view from a window in the Hall, looking down the road leading away.

Above: 2024. The entrance courtyard. The plynth in the middle is where once stood the statue of Robin Hood.

Below: Photographs taken summer 2024 around Thoresby Hall's gardens. 

Thoresby Hall Roundhouse, Riding School and stables.

 

Above: Also once known as “Summer Boxes”, the Roundhouse stands amongst the trees a little further up the hill from the entrance to Thoresby Hall. This is where the hunt’s horses in particular would be kept during the summer months. During World War 2 it was requisitioned by the military using the estate for training purposes, and this was where they had their workshops. Hence the close proximity of the red brick vehicle maintenance ramp, mentioned on a separate post. After the Hall opened to the public in the 1950s, a small children’s farmyard was installed.

Above: c 2010. The roundhouse became a shop, selling plants to the public. Later still it functioned as a bicycle hire service for visitors wishing to cycle around estate.

During the winter months these horses would be moved into the courtyard sables.

Above: 2007. A relic from the stables, a feeding trough, could still be seen in a corner of what had become the art gallery.

Above: “Black Prince”, inside the stables at Thoresby Courtyard. This was a favoured horse of Sydney William Herbert Pierrepont, 3rd Earl Manvers (1826 - 1900), himself a onetime Captain in the South Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Cavalry.

Above: The Riding School, Thoresby Hall. 2024.

The Riding School was where horses and ponies would be trained. The original flooring was simple sawdust and sand. When the room was used for celebration dances, wooden panels were put down. When the army requisitioned the place, they had a concrete floor laid, and the facility was better suited for dining. Soon after, a stage was erected, and concerts, dances, even cinema shows, followed. A good moral booster for troops on the estate.

In much more recent times the riding school has been totally renovated, whilst still retaining a sense of history, and used for wedding celebrations.

Thoresby pavillions and picnics, entertainment and events.

 

Above: In the 19th and early 20th century, it became increasingly commonplace for UK villages, towns, estates and even factories, to have their own amateur cricket teams. They competed against each other, compiling their own league tables, whilst also providing an entertaining spectacle for a family day-out, and continued to thrive throughout the 1960s

Thoresby Park Cricket Club started c 1870. In the decades before the population of Perlethorpe Village expanded, with the building of  houses around the village green, and its own Social Club, Thoresby cricket pavilion was the centre of frequent social gatherings for whist-drives, dances, school concerts, and annual entertainment from something called the “Girl’s Friendly Society”. Looking at it today, it does seem a very small venue for some of that. It has no doubt been renovated at some point, but I am unsure how much of the current pavilion, if any, is the original.

Above: 2021. Thoresby Park provides two free permanent areas for family entertainment, A picnic ground by the River Meden and a woodland play area.

Today (2024) Thoresby Park gives host to everything from nature trails, theatrical events, food fayres, arts & crafts, carriage driving, simulated game shooting, pop concerts, classic car shows, - it’s a very long list!

Above: The Historic Bazaar, 2018.

Above: Fairground rides in 2021

Above: 2024. The Back 2 pop festival moves on.

The Walled Garden, Echium Garden,Thoresby Park.

 

Above: Before the renovations of 2018. Below: The drainage from the garden into the River Meden.

The Walled Garden was designed to provide for the needs not just of the Duke’s family and guests, but for the staff and servants associated with the Hall. Indeed, such would be the hustle and bustle of this year round task, the garden was deliberately situated at a distance east of the Hall in order to minimize disturbance. Ordinance Survey maps of 1906 show it already semi-secluded by trees.

Believed to have been built c.1765, the earliest reference to the Walled Garden I have found comes from the estate’s 1860 Directory:

“A new Hall is about being erected on a commanding eminence near the rockery and in line with the Gardens, the latter of which have been newly formed and enclosed by a neat brick wall. The gardens, including the orchard and kitchen grounds, cover about 10 acres of land. There is a neat residence for the gardener on the grounds”.

 The Head Gardener is listed in all the estate’s directories from 1864 – 1900 as Archibald Henderson. Directories from 1904 – 1930s list this position as being taken over by Arthur Simmons. (Simmons is also listed as making a 10 shilling contribution towards the World War 1 Memorial gated entrance to Perlethorpe Church).

A reliable description of the Walled Garden can be found in Robert White’s “Worksop, The Dukery, and Sherwood Forest” (1875):

“To the East of the Hall are the gardens, which cost £4,000, covering 8.5 acres; 5.5 acres of which are enclosed by brick walls. The rest is in slips on the East, North and West sides, with an orchard on the North. The kitchen garden is intersected by two fine broad walks 550 feet long which from North to South pass out through a pair of very splendid iron gates into the park. The lofty conservatory occupies a central position in the long range of 20 well-stocked forcing houses which are about 560 feet in length”.

The World Wars of 1914/18 and 1939/45, impacted the estate in many ways. Firstly, the loss of young male workers who lost their lives in battle. Secondly, the military presence of the troops billeted here, and the physical changes made necessary for the tanks and other armoured vehicles on which they trained. The Walled Garden never really recovered from those times, being abandoned altogether upon the death of Gervas Pierrepont, 6th Earl Manvers, in 1955.

Above: In June 2018, the garden began a scheme to renovate and restore. Open then to the public, it was called the Echium Garden. Sadly, come August 2020, it closed down, citing the cause as the lease expiring. A sad loss to those of us who value the history of Thoresby Estate and the wish to see it preserved.

Above: September 2024. The Walled Garden has only its walls.

Perlethorpe Churchyard, gargoyles and graves.

 

Above: “The Dukes Graves”, painting by Ian Gordon Craig, (2017).

Above: This is just a selection of the splendid gargoyles to be found placed around Perlethorpe Church, the Church of St John the Evangelist. They remain in excellent condition, sadly not the case with some other areas of the graveyard.

Above: The Dukes’ graves as seen from the rear, placed together in specific formation.

Below:  The grave on the left is that of the 3rd Earl Manvers (1825 - 1900) who was responsible for so many of the buildings we see on Thoresby Estate today, such as Perlethorpe School. The grave in the foreground is that of both the 6th and final Earl Manvers (1881 - 1955) and his wife Lady Manvers, (Marie-Louise Roosevelt Butterfield) (1889–1984).

Meaningful photography / research beyond the Duke’s graves has now become impossible. A new burial area behind the church is well maintained, but this ancient site is now overgrown and occasionally, economically “mowed” by the nearby sheep. That is not intended as a criticism. However, three stones in particular are worth a mention:

Above: The Carpenter’s Grave. It is well documented that successive Pierrepont / Manvers families held their estate workers in high esteem. Of some prominence in Perlethorpe Church graveyard is a remarkable headstone for one such man, carpenter Alfred Middleton. Buried there after his death in January 1935, the tools of his trade are carved into the base of a rustic cross.

Above: Two rather beautiful gravestones, their names long since faded, but the detailing suggesting someone special? Someone very young?

Above: Environmentally economic grass cutters.

Thoresby Estate workers.

Above: Jack Williamson was born on Thoresby Estate in 1907, and spent his entire life there. Starting work first as a gardener at Whitemoor House, aged 13, he would be remembered most for his work in the Woodyard’s sawmill where he started work in 1921. I well remember the sound of the saws of a morning, and the distinctive black clothing he always wore, which is captured in this painting by Lady Manvers. The person in blue is Ted Williamson. Anyone researching Thoresby Estate should try and get a copy of Jack Williamson’s booklet “My Life on a Nottinghamshire Estate” (1980).

 Above: Another water colour sketch by Lady Manvers, dated 1962. It depicts the interior of the main joiner's workshop at the Woodyard. 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! (I’m sure Lady Manvers wouldn’t have minded, but he did).

Above: Seated on the steps leading from the Blue Dining Room into the gardens at Thoresby Hall, these seven workers were mostly based in the Woodyard on Thoresby Estate. Back row left to right: Ted Williamson (one of the operators in the saw mill), Les Dennison, Charlie Leepins, Bob Dickinson. Bottom row left to right: William (Bill) Craig (foreman / joiner at the Woodyard and also known as Jock), Bill Nunn (plumber), Alf Dennison.

Above: A team of workers no doubt sent down from the Woodyard to clear the snow in front of the gates at Perlethorpe Church. The only person I can recognise with any certainty is Jack Kenyon on the left, who lived in the Almshouses. I believe the picture was taken c.1960. (Credit goes to former Perlethorpe School pupil David Reddish for making this photo available).

Above: The central figure is William Craig Senior, the chief gardener at Thoresby Hall for a short time in the late 1950s / early 1960's, until he became homesick for Scotland to where he returned.


Any errors in these names / details can be corrected via leaving a comment.

The Dukeries and Fox Hunting.

 

Above: Charles William Sydney Pierrepont, 4th Earl Manvers (1854 – 1926) was Master of the Rufford Hounds. Pictured here with his huntsman outside Thoresby Hall as everyone indulges in an excessive pre- hunt breakfast.

Fox hunting, as one thinks of it today, really began in the 18th century. Previous to that, deer had been the hunter’s choice of animal, but this changed after the Enclosure Acts in 1750 which resulted in open lands being sectioned into farmable fields, and the deer population going into decline as a result. At that point foxes and hare became the target.

Fox hunting was never truly about the cull. As any gamekeeper will tell you a fox is a creature of habits, taking the same routes every night at the same times. So, if you have a fox problem, it would be very easy to locate and shoot. Fox hunting was really all about pomp and circumstance, an excuse for the Dukes and Lords to don their bright red finery, mount their thoroughbred horses, and follow their equally well bred packs of hounds across their vast estates, exhibiting as they did so just how wealthy and powerful they were. In the evening there would be an equally lavish ball, a banquet with tables well stocked with game from the Duke’s estate.

Above: It is for this reason, wanting to impress and display one’s wealth and social position, that the hunt became a favoured subject when commissioning artworks. Such paintings would have pride of place within the great halls, and on occasion hung in notable London galleries. To reach an even wider audience, engravings would be made from the original artwork and mass produced for circulation. One such example is the above print from Tilleman’s painting of 1725, depicting the 2nd Duke of Kingston, with the original Thoresby Hall and his impressive estate in the background.

Above: Another fine painting which was shown in the Academy of 1789, is F. Wheatley’s 1788 “Portrait of a Nobleman returning from Shooting". It depicts Henry Pelham Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle, and his shooting party, with the Clumber Spaniels and, beyond the bridge, Clumber House in the background. 

Above: The ducal seat of Clumber became well known for the breeding of hunting dogs such as the Clumber Spaniel and the Greyhound. The Greyhound was originally bred as a hunting dog for the rich and privileged. Anyone from the “lower classes” owning such a dog would be prosecuted by law, perhaps because it was taken as evidence of an intention to poach game on the King’s land. In the 15th century a White Greyhound was seen as a symbol of status, and there are records of such dogs being gifted to Knights in appreciation of services rendered. It became associated in particular with the Tudors, and appears on the Henry 7th coat of arms.

From John Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to 8th Duke of Newcastle under Lyme, Clumber House was a ducal seat. Hence the greyhounds on the Drayton Gates opposite Clumber Park Hotel, are referred to as Newcastle Greyhounds, carved in the 18th century. There are similar examples throughout Clumber Park.

Above: The Kennels, Thoresby Estate. The original building would be much older than the current Thoresby Hall, and was directly linked to the first Hall via “a long straight canal”. (H. Repton). The Kennels were built c.1738, the name of the building being self explanatory, as the site where the Duke's hunting dogs were kept. Just how much of the building standing there today is part of the original would be hard to assess. We do know that architect John Carr renovated The Kennels in 1790, c.20 years after the second Thoresby Hall was completed.

Above: The Guy Marson painting of a 1959 hunt gathering outside Thoresby Hall, also received the mass-production treatment as many residents on the estate were expected to buy a copy. I well remember a colour print of this hanging in our family home when I lived there. The original hangs today (2017) in Perlethorpe Social Club.

In November 2004 a free vote in the UK’s House of Commons made "hunting wild mammals with a dog" unlawful in England and Wales. Since The Hunting Act was passed several previous hunt organizations have gone on to perform displays of jumping and cross country riding with hounds within the Dukeries area. It remains a controversial subject.

Thoresby Estate lodges.

 

Above: 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 originally laid by Evelyn Pierrepont the 4th Earl. However, the arches that stand at its entrance today are the ones which stood at Buck Gates until the 1950s. (See separate post).

White Lodge, stands on the A614 approximately a mile from Ollerton roundabout. It was once called Proteus Lodge, and is referred to as such on late 19th and some early 20th century maps. Local records from 1904 / 08 refer to it as White Lodge.

In 1832 it 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 Estate Agent Hubert Davys Argles. When Lady Sibyl Pierrepont (daughter of the 4th Earl) married Davys Argles in 1923, alterations were carried out on the lodge which then became their marital home. Lady Sibyl Pierrepont was superintendent of the Perlethorpe Sunday School at that time.

Above: Cameleon Lodge (above) stands approximately two miles South West of Shepherd's Lodge, on the other end of Netherfield Lane. It 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 do spell it as Chameleon lodge. I have chosen the former.)

Above: Shepherd's Lodge stands near the mini roundabout aside the A614. 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. In the 1930s George Hind, who worked the boilers at Thoresby Hall, was the resident.