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.

Below: A misty morning in December 2024.

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.

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.

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.

Thoresby Estate roads and routes of the past.

 

In 1706 the 5th Earl of Kingston applied for permission to make a “ride” through Bilhaugh Wood. Permission was necessary because, although the 4th Earl had gained the right to create a Park by enclosure from Sherwood Forest, the 5th Earl’s plans travelled beyond that boundary. His proposed route would facilitate a quicker journey direct from the original Thoresby Hall (1683), to Ollerton town in readiness for Newark beyond. Permission was granted.

Clearly still visible on Google maps, though long since abandoned and off limits today, the “ride” led in a straight line from the original Thoresby Hall by the east of the lake, over the original site of Green Bridge, through Ice House Wood and the Pleasure Gardens, alongside the site where one day would stand the Woodyard, and continue for about one mile before stopping at the lodge which became Buck Gates. This part of the journey so far, would be named Chestnut Avenue.

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, whose 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. Indeed, one can see the clearing where the original Duke's carriages would have passed on the video posted on this blog of Thoresby’s 2015 Hayride.

Above: The Craig brothers walking along a well-kept Chestnut Avenue c.1958, heading for the toys shops in Ollerton.

Above: 1964. The view from atop one of the avenue's Chestnut Trees, looking towards the woods which concealed Proteus Camp and the A614 beyond.

Above: Green Drive. This postcard places it near to Buck Gates. At the end of Chestnut Avenue there were indeed several such woodland paths converging there.

Above: 1985 and c 2013. The road which had linked Perlethorpe with The Woodyard, leading then to Edwinstowe beyond, had several bends. In this way it avoided higher grounds, and also retained a link to Green Bridge and what was once the second Hall on the other side. All traces of the road are now gone, and the fields extended.

Above: Scotch Firs, Thoresby Park postcard c.1900. Colour photograph 2014.

This relatively undisturbed region of Thoresby, close to the rear of Rose Cottage and the A614, became open to the public during their "Permitted Walks" scheme. Access might be more limited today.

Thoresby Park & Perlethorpe Village during World War 2.

 

Above: (c. 2010). Situated in the trees near the current carpark, opposite Thoresby Courtyard, this vehicle maintenance ramp, built to support the weight of military vehicles stationed on the estate during the war years.

Above: (c. 2010). Records state that a brick building near the dam, used by gardeners and park keepers working in the Pleasure Grounds, became a place for gas mask training during WW2. I have a strong suspicion this was it. Harmless and out of bounds, it was removed c. 2018.

During World War 2 the Midlands became a training ground for tank crews. The MoD thought that the terrain might resemble that which the British troops would encounter in France. (It did not). During this time both Thoresby Hall and The Kennels were taken over by the military. However, this article is not about the military aspect of those years but rather the activities of the people of Perlethorpe Village and Thoresby Park.

The Perlethorpe and Budby War Effort:

The women of both villages organized several contributions towards the war effort. From November 1939 to February 1940 they knitted assorted garments for the Nottingham Services Comforts Fund. Everything from pants to blankets. Both villages also donated eggs to Mansfield hospital, whilst a waste paper salvage scheme in Perlethorpe Village involved boys making weekly collections for a stockpile to be sold in Nottingham. Similarly a dump was established for tins and bones, waste materials helpful in the production of munitions. Mrs Dawson ran Perlethorpe Post Office at this time and she organized a successful National Savings Scheme for both villages to help fund the fight for victory, whilst other women instigated a Perlethorpe Spitfire Fund. 1941 saw a further fund raiser called Warship Week.

Perlethorpe School during the war:

During 1940 the school only closed for one week in August. This was on account of all the evacuees on the estate who naturally needed monitoring as much as educating during what must have been a stressful time. Thoresby started taking in evacuees from the south of the UK as early as June 1940. It also received evacuees from Sheffield before the end of that year. One activity the school children are known to have been involved in was the posting of tobacco to sailors via the Overseas League, for which they received postcards of thanks. Of less fun must have been the regular practice sessions wearing gas masks for fifteen minutes at a time.

In early 1941 parents received a letter advising their children be inoculated against diphtheria, but I was surprised to discover a County Survey health report from March that found the children to be sub normal regarding their nutrition levels. In a countryside where fresh meat and vegetables were not only plentiful, but also the basic diet, I find that hard to believe.

Perlethorpe School raised further donations to the war effort by Carol Singing, which was duly sent to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, resulting in a mention on BBC radio news in December 1941. The year after that their carols raised money for Red Cross Prisoners of War, whilst the girls made and sold soft toys to support the Wings for Victory fund.

In January 1942 temperatures inside the school dipped below freezing, and a subsequent outbreak of mumps and whooping cough in February and May was perhaps not surprising. In the Summer of 1942 funds were raised by children collecting nettles for the medicinal properties. The following year they collected Foxgloves for the same cause. 1943 was an important year in the history of the school as it saw the start of a school canteen system, providing a hot dinner for the significant number who stayed during the lunch break.

Was Thoresby Estate bombed during the war?

 During late August 1940 Thoresby, Budby and nearby Walesby were bombed on four occasions. Light, probably speculative attacks. Air raid warden W A Mendham noted in his diary that a rabbit was killed on the 19th August in the north of Budby. But the following week the Woodyard actually caught fire from an incendiary bomb. In May 1944 a Wellington bomber from Gamston, intended to be taking part in a supply drop on France, suffered engine failure over Thoresby and collided with the tree tops. It crashed North West of the Kennels (before the junction with Netherfield Lane.) Five of the six man crew were killed.

After the War:

In 1942, Proteus Camp was established in the woods near Ollerton roundabout. (See separate post about Beech Avenue). The above photograph shows Proteus Camp as it was in 1965. At its peak, probably during National Service, Proteus Camp contained 1,000 personnel. In later years the camp became known as the Dukeries Training Centre before becoming “surplus to requirements” and eventually closing down in 2004. In 2008 plans were developed to use the site for new cabins as holiday homes.

During the 1950s, long after the tanks had all left the Park, the children of Thoresby Estate were left with one very tangible reminder of their presence. The infamous Tank Dip! Constructed on the north of the estate, the other side of Netherfield Lane from the Hall, and slowly filled by a tap from Piper Well underground reservoir, this stagnant installation which had once tested the waterproofing on the tanks became the school swimming pool. I remember hanging on to a pole the width of the pool, together with the rest of the class, and being dragged down its length. I'm unsure whether we were meant to be learning to swim or simply dredging the green scum from the surface. It is now long-since filled in and planted over.

Above: Children Ian and Christine Craig dangle their feet in Thoresby Estate's tank dip / swimming pool. Father and grandfather (then the gardener at Thoresby Hall) seated behind. c. 1955.

Above: The concrete roads in the woods near Thoresby Hall are a reminder of the military presence which once trained here.

Above: (2024). Thoresby Hall's courtyard has on permanent display this tank and armoured car, acknowleding it's links to the military which were once billeted here, as well as the nearby Proteus / Dukeries Training camps of the 1950s / 1960s.

Nelson's Pyramid, Thoresby Estate.

 

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 featured 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.

It 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. These troops are also said to have added their own names to the walls. (My thanks to Stephen Richard Aizlewood for the use of his photograph).

Cockglode, Newark.

 

Cockglode Wood was an ancient woodland which became a part of the Royal Hunting Forest of Sherwood. The Ranger’s Lodge for the officer responsible for monitoring Birkland and Bilhaugh woods probably stood here. In 1818 Cockglode became the property of the 4th Duke of Portland in an exchange of properties with the Crown. The Duke gave the Crown a wealthy residential area to the west of London, including the responsibility of St. Mary-le-bone church, and was given Cockglode in return. However, not long after that the Duke exchanged Cockglode with the 2nd Earl Manvers for properties at Cuckney and Holbeck Woodhouse, closer to his own ducal seat at Welbeck. In that way Cockglode became part of Thoresby Estate.

In 1776 The Duke of Portland granted lease of Cockglode to George Aldrich MD. As the Duke didn’t actually own the site at that point one assumes he was acting on behalf of the Crown and responsible for managing it. George Aldrich is credited as having the “elegant house” built, and landscaping the surrounding woodland visible to the house which stood on a rise.

Above: Cockglode Hall and Cockglode House. The latter looks like a possible extension of the former.

Dr George Aldrich lived here until 1797. It then became the residence of Sir Robert Shore Milnes, who died in 1837. The next tenant was the Hon. Savile Henry Lumley, a son of Richard, 4th Earl of Scarborough. Colonel Lumley died in 1846, and was buried at Edwinstowe. His widow remained tenant of Cockglode until her death in 1869.

The house then passed to Cecil George Savile Foljambe Esq., M.P. for North Nottinghamshire at the time. Foljambe pursued a successful political career, eventually becoming Earl of Liverpool, and lived at Cockglode for twenty eight years until 1897. In the late 1930s the much celebrated Lady Mauve Hoare took up residence in Cockglode House.

Above: Early 20th century postcard showing "Breakheart Hill" and "Entrance to Cockglode, Ollerton".

During the post-war years of 1946 / 1949, Cockglode House was divided into eight flats, and my newlywed father and mother rented rooms therein. There were two flats each side of the central front door, the other four were upstairs, accessed by the stone staircase. Each flat typically comprised two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen, and pantry. The bathroom was shared. The rent was collected by Miss Freeman who came over from an office on Fourth Avenue, Edwinstowe. (That office was sited where currently stands P G Lock the Butchers, and displays the date 1933 in its brickwork). Cockglode resident Mavis Craig took over the rent collection chores in return for free rent. The pictures below show her first child in the deteriorating grounds of Cockglode.

Above: The now much neglected garden at Cockglode House c.1948/49, showing the road at the rear. The woman standing is Enid Rogers, holding Janice. The child on the floor and in the photos below, is Christine Craig.

 

As the 1940s came to an end, and Thoresby Colliery drew ever closer, Cocklglode’s better days were far behind it. The above photographs reveal little, but it is said the rhododendrons which persist in the woods to this day originate from Cockglode's gardens. The spoils from Thoresby Colliery have long since covered the ruins of Cockglode House. However, in 1998, trees were planted across the restored tip of Thoresby Colliery in celebration of the Millennium. This was carried out by a group of local Rotary Clubs, hence the new name of Rotary Wood.

Above: Entrance to and view from "Cockglode and Rotary Woods", 2013.