Sutton Scarsdale Hall

Last updated

Sutton Scarsdale Hall
Sutton Scarsdale Hall.jpg
View of the hall from the eastern lawn
Derbyshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Derbyshire
General information
Architectural style Georgian mansion
Location Sutton Scarsdale
Town or city Chesterfield, Derbyshire
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates 53°12′55″N1°20′23″W / 53.215328°N 1.339663°W / 53.215328; -1.339663
Construction started1724
Completed1729
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameSutton Scarsdale Hall
Designated25 October 1951
Reference no.1108914 [1]

Sutton Scarsdale Hall is a Grade I listed [1] Georgian ruined stately home in Sutton Scarsdale, just outside Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

Contents

Estate history

The original Hall formed part of a Saxon estate owned by Wulfric Spott, who died in 1002 and left the estate to Burton-on-Trent Abbey. In the Domesday Book the estate was owned by Roger de Poitou. In 1225 the Lordship of Sutton-in-the-Dale had been given by King Henry III to Peter de Hareston, but by 1401 it had been purchased by John Leke of Gotham. [2]

A later John Leke was made a knight by King Henry VIII. His son Francis Leke was created a Baronet by King James I in 1611, and elevated to Earl of Scarsdale by King Charles I in 1640. When the English Civil War broke out, Leke joined the Cavaliers and the Hall's structure was strengthened, particularly so with Bolsover Castle on the opposite hillside swearing loyalty to the Roundheads. When a Parliamentarian force of 500 men led by Sir John Gell surrounded the estate, Leke resisted until the house was stormed and he was taken prisoner. With the estate seized by Oliver Cromwell's forces, after the end of the war a forfeiture fine of £18,000 was levied and paid for Leke's support of the imprisoned King Charles. [2]

House history

The existing structure is believed to be the fourth or fifth built on the site. In 1724, Nicholas Leke, 4th Earl of Scarsdale commissioned the building of a design by architect Francis Smith, to develop a Georgian mansion with gardens, using parts of the existing structure. [2]

On a scale and quality with Chatsworth House, internally it featured both oak ornamental panels and stucco plasterwork by Italian craftsmen Francesco Vassalli, Giovanni Bagutti and the brothers Giuseppe and Adalberto Artari; [3] carved Adamesque fireplaces in both marble and Blue John, and a carved mahogany staircase. [4]

Following the death of the 4th Earl, Member of Parliament Godfrey Clarke purchased the estate in 1740. Some time after his son's death in 1774, Walter Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde gained ownership by marriage, and after his death in 1824, Richard Arkwright Junior of Cromford Mill fame, became the owner. [4] William Arkwright of Sutton Scarsdale was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1890.

The Arkwright family

Richard Arkwright Junior circa 1800 Richard Arkwright Junior circa 1800.jpg
Richard Arkwright Junior circa 1800
Sutton Scarsdale Hall in 1827, shortly after it had been purchased by Richard Arkwright Junior Engraving Sutton Scarsdale Hall circa 1820.jpg
Sutton Scarsdale Hall in 1827, shortly after it had been purchased by Richard Arkwright Junior
Mrs Robert Arkwright painted as Saint Cecilia by Ramsay Richard Reinagle circa 1810. Before she was married she was Frances Crawford Kemble, an actress. This picture can be seen below in the Oak Room photo below above the fireplace. Mrs Robert Arkwright as St Cecilia.jpg
Mrs Robert Arkwright painted as Saint Cecilia by Ramsay Richard Reinagle circa 1810. Before she was married she was Frances Crawford Kemble, an actress. This picture can be seen below in the Oak Room photo below above the fireplace.
William Arkwright, who sold Sutton Scarsdale Hall in 1919 William Arkwright circa 1890.jpg
William Arkwright, who sold Sutton Scarsdale Hall in 1919

Richard Arkwright Junior (1755–1843) bought Sutton Scarsdale Hall in 1824. He was the son of Sir Richard Arkwright who invented the water frame and had a major involvement in the cotton industry. Richard had his father's business acumen and prospered in cotton. When he was about 25 he bought the Manchester mill in Millers’ Lane and entered into partnership with the Simpson brothers. [5]

In 1780 he married Mary Simpson and over the next two decades the couple had eleven children, six boys and five girls. When Richard's father died in 1792 he inherited a large part of his estate, and at this point he decided to dispose of most of his cotton mill interests and concentrate on property and banking. In this sphere he amassed a very large fortune and when he died in 1843 he was said to be the richest commoner in England. [6]

After his death his son Robert Arkwright (1783–1859) inherited Sutton Scarsdale Hall. In 1805 much to his family's dismay Robert married the actress Frances Crawford Kemble (daughter of Stephen Kemble), part of the famous theatrical family. His elder brother Richard wrote a letter to their father shortly after the marriage expressing his hope that the marriage was not legal and saying that Robert will “soon repent of not following the advice of you and Mother”. However the family did not need to worry about Robert's choice of wife as Frances became a charming hostess and soon made friends in the aristocracy. She was a gifted writer of music and many of her songs are still available today. Her aunt was the famous actress Sarah Siddons and she often dined with Robert's parents when they were in London. [7]

When Robert died in 1859 Sutton Scarsdale Hall was inherited by his son, the Reverend Godfrey Harry Arkwright. Godfrey was born in 1814 and educated at Eton and Trinity. He was married twice, first to Frances Rafela Fitzherbert who died in 1856 and then to Marian Hilary Adelaide Pellew. [8] He had three children to each wife, four boys and two girls. His eldest son was Francis Arkwright and it was he who inherited Sutton Scardale when his father Godfrey died in 1866.

Francis Arkwright was born in 1846 and was educated at Eton. In 1868 he married Louisa Milbank who was the daughter of Mr Henry Milbank and Lady Margaret Milbank. Unfortunately his wife died in 1873. They had only one daughter. He later married Evelyn who was the daughter of William, 3rd Viscount of Sidmouth but they had no children.

In 1874 Francis became a Member of Parliament [9] a position he held until 1880. In 1882 he migrated to New Zealand and about this time he left Sutton Scarsdale Hall in the care of his cousin William Arkwright. William inherited the property when Francis died in 1915 as Francis had no male heir.

William Arkwright was born in 1857. His father was Major William Arkwright and his mother was Fanny Susan Thornewill. In 1884 he married Agnes Mary Somers Cocks who was the daughter of the Hon. John James Thomas Somers Cocks. [10] William was interested in breeding dogs and wrote a book titled The Pointer and His Predecessors.

In 1919 William auctioned Sutton Scarsdale Hall with the rest of the estate. A description of the house was contained in the catalogue. It read as follows:

The hall is well situated on high ground with fine views, and is a Handsome Classical Building with fine Elevations, built of Stone with Lead and Slate Roof, and contains:-
On the Ground Floor, Fine Entrance Hall about 40ft. 0in. by 25ft. 10in. and Two Inner Halls ; Two Drawing Rooms about 34ft. 10in. by 23ft. 6in. and 21ft. 0in. by 21ft. 0in. respectively ; Dining Room about 27ft. 7in. by 24ft. 1in. with Strong Room ; Morning Room about 22ft.5in. by 20ft. 7in. ; Smoking Room about 23ft.2in.by 22ft.10in.; Library about 23ft. 0in. by 14ft. 10in. ; Lavatory and W.C's. ; Billiard Room about 23ft. 0in. by 22ft. 4in. with Lavatory adjoining; also Servants' Hall about 27ft. 7in. by 22ft. 10in. ; Housekeeper's Room, Servants' Sitting Room, Butler's Pantry with Bedroom and Silver Closet, Kitchen, Scullery, Three Larders, Laundry, Four Store Rooms, Drying Room, Boot Room, Gun Room, Lamp Room.
On the First Floor (approached by a Wide Oak Main Staircase and a Secondary Staircase from Centre and Inner Halls) Landing about 23ft. 6in. by 24ft. 0in ; Beautiful Ball Room with Carved Oak Ornamentation, and Gold and White Decoration, about 25ft. 8in. by 39ft. 8in. with Coved Ceiling and Columns ; Six Principal Bedrooms about 22ft. 10in. by 23ft. 2in., 22ft. 2in. by 20ft. 7in., 18ft. 0in. by 24ft. 2in., 21ft. 2in. by 21ft. 2in., 23ft. 0in. by 22ft. 0in. and 22ft. 10in. by 22ft. 3in. respectively ; Three Dressing Rooms, Five Secondary Bedrooms, about 19ft. 2in. by 17ft. 4in., 18ft. 8in. by 16ft. 4in., 19ft. 9in. by 18ft. 7in.; 17ft. 7in. by 18ft. 2in. and 18ft. 11in. by 16ft. 8in. respectively; Eight Smaller Bedrooms, Four Bath Rooms, Housemaid's Cupboard, Four W.C's.; Iron Spiral Emergency Staircase to Ground Floor.
On the Top Floor, Nine Bedrooms ; Box Room, Clock Room, and Back Staircase down to the Ground Floor.

Catalogue for the sale of Sutton Scarsdale Estate. Online reference http://www.richardsbygonetimes.co.uk/sutnscar.pdf

Derelict shell

After many years of neglect, in November 1919 the estate was bought by a group of local businessmen who asset-stripped the house; this went as far as removing the roof in 1920. Some parts of the building were shipped to the United States, where one room's oak panelling was bought by newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst, who planned to use it at Hearst Castle. After many years in storage in New York City, the panelling was bought by Pall Mall films for use as a set in their various 1950s productions. Another set of panels are now resident in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. [4] [11]

In 1946, the estate was bought by Sir Osbert Sitwell of Renishaw Hall, with the intention of preserving the remaining shell as a ruin. The hall was designated as a Grade I listed building in 1951, [1] and is now in the care of English Heritage, although as of June 2023 access to the interior was unavailable during a conservation project. [12] The manor was also the inspiration for the derelict Wayne Manor in the movie Batman v Superman . [13]

Sutton Scarsdale Hall circa 1900 1.jpg
Sutton Scarsdale Hall - geograph.org.uk - 23011.jpg
Sutton Scarsdale Hall circa 1900 2.jpg
Sutton Scarsdale Hall - (Front View with St Mary's Church Tower on Right Hand Side) - geograph.org.uk - 343396.jpg
Sutton Scarsdale Hall circa 1900 Sutton Scarsdale hall today The courtyard of Sutton Scarsdale Hall circa 1900 The courtyard area today
Oak room at Sutton Scarsdale Hall 1919 showing portrait of Mrs Robert Arkwright.jpg
Entrance and hallway Sutton Scarsdale Hall 1919.jpg
Entrance hall Sutton Scarsdale Hall 1919.jpg
Floor plan Sutton Scarsdale Hall circa 1920.jpg
Oak room at Sutton Scarsdale Hall in 1919 showing the portrait of Mrs Robert Arkwright which is shown in colour above. Staircase and hallway at Sutton Scarsdale hall in 1919 The entrance of Sutton Scarsdale Hall circa 1919 The floorplan of Sutton Scarsdale Hall

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chatsworth House</span> Stately home in Derbyshire, England

Chatsworth House is a stately home in the Derbyshire Dales, 4 miles (6.4 km) north-east of Bakewell and 9 miles (14 km) west of Chesterfield, England. The seat of the Duke of Devonshire, it has belonged to the Cavendish family since 1549. It stands on the east bank of the River Derwent, across from hills between the Derwent and Wye valleys, amid parkland backed by wooded hills that rise to heather moorland. The house holds major collections of paintings, furniture, Old Master drawings, neoclassical sculptures and books. Chosen several times as Britain's favourite country house, it is a Grade I listed property from the 17th century, altered in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 2011–2012 it underwent a £14-million restoration. The owner is the Chatsworth House Trust, an independent charitable foundation formed in 1981, on behalf of the Cavendish family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biltmore Estate</span> Historic house in North Carolina, United States

Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina. Biltmore House, the main residence, is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895 and is the largest privately owned house in the United States, at 178,926 sq ft (16,622.8 m2) of floor space and 135,280 sq ft (12,568 m2) of living area. Still owned by George Vanderbilt's descendants, it remains one of the most prominent examples of Gilded Age mansions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosecliff</span> Historic house in Rhode Island, United States

Rosecliff is a Gilded Age mansion of Newport, Rhode Island, now open to the public as a historic house museum. The house has also been known as the Hermann Oelrichs House or the J. Edgar Monroe House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl of Scarsdale</span>

Earl of Scarsdale was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1645 for Francis Leke, 1st Baron Deincourt, an ardent supporter of Charles I during the Civil War. He had already been created a baronet, of Sutton in the County of Derby, in the Baronetage of England on 25 May 1611, and Baron Deincourt, of Sutton in the County of Derby, in the Peerage of England in 1628. His grandson, the third Earl, was a politician and courtier. In 1680, one year before he succeeded his father in the earldom, he was summoned to the House of Lords through a writ of acceleration as Baron Scarsdale. He was childless and was succeeded by his nephew, the fourth Earl. He was the son of the Honourable Richard Leke, younger son of the second Earl. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire. He never married, and the titles became extinct on his death in 1736.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site</span> National Historic Site of the United States

Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site is a historic house museum in Hyde Park, New York, United States. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1940. It is owned and operated by the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holker Hall</span> Country house in Cumbria, England

Holker Hall is a privately owned country house located about 2 km to the southwest of the village of Cartmel in the ceremonial county of Cumbria and historic county of Lancashire, England. It is "the grandest [building] of its date in Lancashire ...by the best architects then living in the county." The building dates from the 16th century, with alterations, additions, and rebuilding in the 18th and 19th centuries. The 19th century rebuilding was by George Webster in Jacobean Revival style and subsequent renovations were by E. G. Paley. Hubert Austin had a joint practice with Paley by the 1870s and they both rebuilt the west wing after it was destroyed by a major fire in 1871, only a decade after Paley's previous work on the structure. The fire also destroyed a number of notable artworks. Holker Hall is Paley and Austin's "most important country house commission." The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner expressed the opinion that the west wing is the "outstanding domestic work" of Paley and Austin. In 1970 the hall itself, together with its terrace wall, were designated Grade II* Listed buildings. The house stands in an estate of about 80 hectares, and is surrounded by formal gardens, parkland and woodland. Within the grounds are six structures listed at Grade II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mellerstain House</span>

Mellerstain House is a stately home around 8 miles north of Kelso in the Borders, Scotland. It is currently the home of George Baillie-Hamilton, 14th Earl of Haddington, and is designated as a historical monument.

Walter Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde, KP was an Irish peer and politician. Partly to sustain his extravagant lifestyle, Walter gave up his hereditary right to the grant of the prisage of the wines of Ireland for an enormous sum of money. The right had been made to the 4th Chief Butler of Ireland by Edward I of England. Between 1789 and 1796, he sat for County Kilkenny in the Irish House of Commons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimonmogate</span> Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Crimonmogate is an estate near Crimond, Aberdeenshire. The estate formed part of Lonmay parish, dates back to the 14th century, and was included in the lands owned by the powerful Earls of Erroll. The estate was sold by Mary Hay, 14th Countess of Erroll, in the 1730s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Sheriff of Derbyshire</span> Ceremonial officer of the English county of Derbyshire

This is a list of Sheriffs of Derbyshire from 1567 until 1974 and High Sheriffs since.

This significant period in Harringay's history witnessed the transition from a purely pastoral society and set the stage for the upheavals of the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Smith of Warwick</span>

Francis Smith of Warwick (1672–1738) was an English master-builder and architect, much involved in the construction of country houses in the Midland counties of England. Smith of Warwick may refer also to his brothers, or his son.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Leke, 3rd Earl of Scarsdale</span>

Robert Leke, 3rd Earl of Scarsdale was an English politician and courtier, styled Lord Deincourt from 1655 to 1681.

Somersall Hall is a small country house near Brampton, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It is a Grade II listed building.

Francis Arkwright belonged to the British gentry. His first wife died after giving birth to a daughter, and he remarried. Arkwright represented East Derbyshire in the British House of Commons from 1874 to 1880.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basildon Park</span> Historic house museum in West Berkshire, England

Basildon Park is a country house situated 2 miles south of Goring-on-Thames and Streatley in Berkshire, between the villages of Upper Basildon and Lower Basildon. It is owned by the National Trust and is a Grade I listed building. The house was built between 1776 and 1783 for Sir Francis Sykes and designed by John Carr in the Palladian style at a time when Palladianism was giving way to the newly fashionable neoclassicism. Thus, the interiors are in a neoclassical "Adamesque" style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Leke, 1st Earl of Scarsdale</span> English peer

Francis Leke, 1st Earl of Scarsdale (1581–1655) of Sutton Scarsdale Hall, was an English peer who fought for the Royalist cause in the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul C. Murphy House</span> Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Paul C. Murphy House is a 2.5-story residence in southeast Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built in 1916 in the English Cottage style, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hickleton Hall</span> Stately home in South Yorkshire, England

Hickleton Hall is a Grade II* listed Georgian stately home in Hickleton, South Yorkshire, England, about 6 miles (10 km) west of Doncaster. For more than 50 years it was a Sue Ryder Care home. It was being converted to luxury apartments, and is now up for sale again.

Richard Arkwright was an English politician.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Sutton Scarsdale Hall (Grade I) (1108914)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sutton Scarsdale Hall". peakdistrictonline.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  3. Geoffrey Beard, Decorative Plasterwork in Great Britain, 1975:56f. et passim.
  4. 1 2 3 "Sutton Scarsdale Hall". derbyshireuk.net. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  5. "Cromford Arkwright family". www.cromfordvillage.co.uk. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  6. Agnew, John Holmes; Littell, Eliakim (1 January 1843). The Eclectic Museum of Foreign Literature, Science and Art. Vol. 2. E. Littell. p. 428.
  7. Fitton, R. S. (1 January 1989). The Arkwrights: Spinners of Fortune. Manchester University Press. p. 280. ISBN   9780719026461.
  8. The Gentleman's Magazine. F. Jeffries. 1 January 1867. p. 254.
  9. The Times (London, England), Friday, 20 February 1874; pg. 5;
  10. “The county families of the United Kingdom”. 1909. Online reference https://archive.org/stream/countyfamiliesof491909walf#page/28/mode/2up
  11. "English furniture in the Philadelphia Museum of Art". accessmylibrary.com. Retrieved 3 June 2008.
  12. "Opening Times for Sutton Scarsdale Hall". English Heritage. 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
  13. "Digital Doubles: How to Recreate a Ruin for the Cinema". English Heritage. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2023.

53°12′55″N1°20′23″W / 53.215328°N 1.339663°W / 53.215328; -1.339663