Listed Building record MDR2730 - Sturston Hall, Mill Lane, Offcote and Underwood
Type and Period (1)
- HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Three-storeyed building with small bricks under 17th century bricks. (1)
'Sturston Hall, an ancient building, was for nearly three centuries occupied by the family of Tomlinson' (2) A small 17th century farmhouse, called by Bulmer 'an ancient building', is almost certainly a reduced remnant of a larger (and older) building, and contains some instructive features inside. (3)
Sturston Hall is a mid-17th century house with a sophisticated plan and accommodation. It is built on a T-plan and has a ground floor providing hall, parlour and dining room. The basement has a kitchen and storage space and the first floor has two heated chambers and further unheated rooms. The attic provides further space for lesser bedrooms and perhaps for storage. The quality of surviving features such as beams and fireplaces is good. The stair appears to be an insertion, replacing an original stair in the same position. A second stair, rising only from first floor to attic, may have been provided originally. The compact plan, the clever arrangement of circulation, and the quality of the internal and external work indicate that the person for whom the house was built was of wealthy status and aware of more than local building forms. Historical evidence suggests that the present house may have existed in 1664, for the number of fireplaces in the house corresponds with that given in the Hearth Tax assessment. The occupier of the house in 1664 was a yeoman, but the owner at that date was a wealthy London goldsmith, and it is possible that he built Sturston Hall as an occasional residence. (4)
This house was built new in about 1680, and is not the conversion of an earlier building. It is a plain house with few, but spacious, rooms and an unusually fine staircase. The house remained unchanged until the 19th century when the present kitchen was built. The structure of the house began to deteriorate, and to counter this the cellar under the east parlour was vaulted, walls were buttressed, and the beams in the kitchen supported on brick pillars. The roof deteriorated in the later 20th century, necessitating new purlins. (1)
Sources/Archives (5)
- <1> SDR10000 Index: North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust (NDAT). North Derbyshire Archaeological Trust Index. 1008.
- <2> SDR3507 Bibliographic reference: Bulmer, T and Co.. 1895. History, Topography and Directory of Derbyshire. p 285.
- <3> SDR18913 Bibliographic reference: Craven, M & Stanley, M. 1984. The Derbyshire Country House, Vol II. p 89.
- <4> SDR19245 Unpublished document: Giles, C (RCHME). 1991. Sturston Hall, Offcote and Underwood, Derbyshire. RCHME Historic Building Report.. NBR No. 87316.
- <5> SDR19784 Unpublished document: Hutton, B. Derby Buildings Record. DBR 239, 9th October 1999.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 2017 4670 (19m by 17m) Approximate |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | OFFCOTE AND UNDERWOOD, DERBYSHIRE DALES, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (2)
- EDR2222
- EDR1765
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Nov 12 2023 6:12PM