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).

Perlethorpe Village floods.

 

Above: January 2014.

In late September, 2013, it was already apparent that the River Meden's water level at Perlethorpe Bridge had risen significantly, and was stagnating rather than flowing. By January, 2014, the condition had worsened dramatically. Whereas the river runs freely through Budby, Thoresby Lake, and alongside the  picnic area, it clearly becomes a problem when it reaches Perlethorpe Village.

Understanding absolutely nothing about the cause, I assumed that a lack of dredging in previous years had accounted for the problem. But no. I am informed that subsidence caused by mines beneath Thoresby Estate may be the issue. Whatever the cause, one wonders if the solution might call for significant changes to that part of the village if the water remains. Would that mean the sad loss of, or change to the current bridge? Time will tell.

Above: March / April 2018.
Ater the rainy weeks the fields between the old post office and the village have the appearance now of an actual lake.

Above: May 2022.
 The fields slightly north of Perlethorpe Village, alongside the A614, resemble a Louisiana USA swampland.

Robin Hood's Tree / Mayor Oak, videos and postcards.

 

Two videos of the area around Robin Hood's Tree (the Major Oak). Videos made in 2007, posted here simply because of Thoresby Estate's historic connection and one-time ownership of the region. For more about Robin Hood see: Robin Hood Blog.

 

Perlethorpe Environmental Education Centre. Perlethorpe School part 5. Video.

 

 Perlethorpe Environmental Education Centre, former Perlethorpe Primary School. Video 2007. For more about the history of this school see links in the sidebar.

Above: Perlethorpe Environmental Education Centre, December 2024.

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.

Lady Maude Hoare, and Thoresby Park.

 

 Above: Aircraft Carrier Launched At Birkenhead (1937)

Lord Beauchamp first married Mary Stanhope. When she died in 1876, Beauchamp married Emily Pierrepont in 1878, daughter of the 3rd Earl Manvers. The marriage took place at Perlethorpe Church, Thoresby Park. They had four children. Amongst them, Lady Maud Lygon, later to become Lady Maude Hoare. (July 1882 – December 1962). This makes Maud the granddaughter of the 3rd Earl Manvers.

She was a resident at Cockglode in the late 1930s, by which time she had become quite a celebrity. The 1937 Pathe News footage above shows Lady Maude launching the Arc Royal at Birkenhead. As the wife of Sir Samuel Hoare, British Air Minister, she made a 12,000-mile round trip flight inaugurating the London-Cairo-Delhi air service. The first woman ever to fly so many miles, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).

The new Thoresby House, Thoresby Park.

 

Above: New Thoresby House facing in the direction of the lake.

When Lady Rozelle Raynes passed away in 2015, she (to use the legal phrase) died “without issue”. In other words, no children of her own to inherit Thoresby Estate. Persons studying the history of the Pierrepont family line as it applies to Thoresby will be aware this situation had happened with some regularity in the past. For example, between 1680 and 1773 there had been no less than four Pierrepont Earls and one Duke who died without a son to take over the estate, which therefore had to be passed on to other family members.

In the late 1960s, Thoresby Estate had been divided between Lady Rozelle and the Trustees of the Thoresby Settlement. Her estate in Kneesall was called the “Lady Rozelle Raynes Pierrepont Estate”. In the early 1970s, she decided to leave some property to Nottinghamshire-based cousins. Her Kneesall estate went to I.D.P. Thorne, a descendant of the 3rd Earl Manvers, while she and her husband lived in Newham and Devon before retiring back to Thoresby in the early 2000s.

Thoresby Estate was eventually inherited by Hugh Matheson, another descendant of the 3rd Earl Manvers, who had managed the farming and forestry enterprises there since 1975, not to mention being Sheriff of Nottingham in 1997. However, amongst his many outstanding achievements, one in particular must have caught the eye of Lady Rozelle, she being a lifelong yachting enthusiast. Hugh Matheson was a keen rower since his university days, had coached several winning Oxford boat race crews, and gone on to coach Olympic winners in that sport. One can be sure they had much to chat about.

The new Thoresby House, home to the Matheson family, began construction in 1994. It looks out onto Thoresby Lake, its grounds partly extending on to the site once known as the Pleasure Grounds. In September 2019 I took advantage of their Heritage Tour of the property, guided by Mr Matheson, and was able to view artwork and furniture from the previous Thoresby Hall. A highly recommended event should it ever come around again.

Caution: This is a private residence. Publishing photographs taken inside this house is quite rightly strictly forbidden.

Above: This "waif and stray" sculpture which used to stand at Lady Rozelle's residence now stands in the grounds of the new Thoresby House. It's theme reflects her charitable activities.

Lady Rozelle Raynes 1925 – 2015.

 

Above: Lady Manvers' portrait drawing of her only daughter Lady Rozelle, looking rather proud in her Wren's uniform, 1944.

Lady Frederica Rozelle Ridgway Pierrepont would have been 15 years old when, in 1940, her father became the 6th Earl Manvers (succeeding his cousin) and took up residence in Thoresby Hall. She was the youngest of three children but the only one to survive to adulthood.

Soon after the family moved into the Hall it was requisitioned by the military. It was World War 2, and troops were billeted on the estate whilst training both here and at Rufford Abbey. As a small child she had been fascinated by the sea, and the Second World War presented an opportunity to join the WRNS as a tugboat stoker. (Much preferable in her eyes to a finishing school in Switzerland.) She would recall those times as being a “peak of happiness”, and burst into tears upon being demobbed when the war was over. But her sailing days had really only just begun, and subsequent adventures on her 25ft yacht the Martha McGilda, provided ample material to fill a series of self-penned books. In 1953 she married Major Alexander Beattie of the Coldstream Guards.

Whilst her mother continued to reside at Thoresby Hall, Lady Rozelle inherited the estate in 1955 when her father died. As was the case with many post-war stately homes in need of finances, Thoresby Hall was opened up to the public in 1957, and first husband Major Beattie was much involved in it becoming a popular attraction during a decade when visiting such places became a favourite national pastime.  However, the marriage ended in 1961.

In 1965 Lady Rozelle married Dr Richard Raynes. In the mid-1970s, with the support of husband Dr Raynes, she embarked on a scheme to help rehabilitate East End boys in care. This involved taking them out on the Thames in the Martha McGilda, half a day every fortnight, and teaching them to sail and navigate. These “Tuesday Boys” became the subject of a subsequent book, and in 1980 she established the Martha McGilda charitable trust so as this successful scheme of support for such boys might continue.

After Thoresby Hall was sold to the National Coal Board in 1984, the estate would be managed mostly by agents, but Lady Rozelle retained lifelong friends with many of the people living and working there, in particular, the Courtyard Gallery where her mother’s paintings enjoy a regular presence. In the 1980s she and her husband had a house built on the estate. She moved there in 2010 after suffering a fall, and less able to reside in London. Lady Rozelle died June 22nd 2015, a year after her husband. They left no descendants. According to internet sources "she is buried in the family plot at Thoresby".

Perlethorpe Village Hall and Social Club.

 

 

In the mid-1950s the possibility of building a Village Hall in Perlethorpe was discussed by a Committee largely led by Lady Rozelle Manvers, recently become Lady Rozelle Beattie following her marriage to Major Alexander Beattie, the latter of who was involved in the opening of Thoresby Hall to the general public in 1959. It was agreed that the Ministry of Education would provide a third of the building costs assessed to be c. £4,500. The villagers themselves were also required to make a contribution for the equipment involved and this was raised via a range of typical fund raising events such as dances, prize draws, and even a clay pigeon shoot.

No sooner was the Village Hall completed than it became the temporary site for local school children to continue their classes, whilst a modern extension was built on to the original stone building of Perlethorpe  Primary School a few yards up the road.

In 1962 the Village Hall became a Social Club when an extension was added by the side of the hall. This was run by Jerry Mountjoy whose family had moved from London and lived in Perlethorpe Village on Jacksons Hill.

The Village Hall was, and remains, a big success with the locals. I remember taking part in a childhood Twist competition there, and on one occasion dancing along with the rest of my class to the theme from the “Rawhide” TV series.

Above: 2013.

Thoresby Estate. A walk in the park 2013. Part 2.

 

 

Caution: These videos were made on Thoresby Estate's official “Permitted Walks” in 2013. During the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, Perlethorpe Village and other parts of Thoresby Estate, became strictly out of bounds, and the “permitted walk” initiative closed down. At the time of writing, 2024, that is still the case. So, these videos are intended as a historic record of the past. They are neither a guide nor encouragement to new visitors.

Thoresby Estate. A walk in the park 2013. Part 1.

 

Caution: These videos were made on Thoresby Estate's official “Permitted Walks” in 2013. During the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, Perlethorpe Village and other parts of Thoresby Estate, became strictly out of bounds, and the “permitted walk” initiative closed down. At the time of writing, 2024, that is still the case. So, these videos are intended as a historic record of the past. They are neither a guide nor encouragement to new visitors. 

Perlethorpe’s earlier church and the Pierrepont mystery.

 

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

There were two churches in Perlethorpe before the present one. In 1744, Evelyn Pierrepont, 2nd Duke of Kingston, laid the foundation stone from the first to commemorate the rebuilding of a second. 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. An 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 claim the tythe he received from other villages. (A tythe barn was a place where 10% of a farm's produce was stored and given to the church). The site this church was built upon was called Pinfold Close. The church itself 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, actually inside the building and near to the High Altar, stood the memorial tomb of the mysterious Charles Alphonso Pierrepont. His monument stands there to this day, outside and exposed 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, 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.

The church of 1744 was still standing when in 1876 the 3rd Earl Manvers built the present one, designed by Anthony Salvin, one year after building the present Thoresby Hall. It was not until 1877 that permission was granted to demolish the old church. This would mean that, for a while at least, two churches were standing end to end? I find that hard to believe. But interestingly, it also suggests the tomb of Charles Alphonso Pierrepont itself was never moved.

But who was Major Charles Alphonso Pierrepont? His imposing "tomb" in Perlethorpe Church graveyard, and dated 1812, tells us he was "A Major in the British Service who lost his life so gallantly while storming an outwork near Burgos". This would suggest Wellington’s Burgos Campaign of the same year. 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." So, if he was “interred on the field” then this is not really a tomb at all, but a monument.

Although Major Charles Alphonso Pierrepont military records are quite detailed, apparently no-one has established exactly who his parents were, nor where he was born.

Thoresby Hayride 2015.

Thoresby Estate's Hayride does not always take exactly the same route every year. This video shows the route taken in June 2015, and names the places of historic interest along the way: Home Farm, Perlethorpe Village Hall, Radleys Lane, The Kennels, Whitemoor Farm, Whitemoor House, Whitewater, Whitewater Lane, Druids Grove, Buck Gates, White Lodge, Henry's Grove, Charles Wood, the original Duke’s carriageway, Chestnut Avenue, Nelson's Grove, Icehouse Wood, Three Gables, The Woodyard, and Perlethorpe Church.

I make no apology for the camera shake. Such is the character of a fun hayride, and I wanted to preserve that. 

 Above: Departure from Home Farm and along Radley's Lane, leaving Perlethorpe Village.