Listed Building record MDR3884 - The Manor house, Woodhouse Lane, Stanton Woodhouse, Stanton

The Manor House is a small country house built in the 16th and 17th centuries with early 18th century alterations, early 19th century additions and alterations and early and late 10th century additions and alterations. It is built from ashlar gritstone to the central and southern bays and coursed squared gritstone to the rest, with gritstone dressings and quoins. There are stone slate roofs with 19th century lapped stone copings and a 17th century external chimney stack to the south, a 19th century twin, triple and single diamond set stone side wall, ridge and gable end stacks. There is a deep plinth to the main elevation and a large ovolo moulded cornice to the northern advanced bay. There is irregular fenestration, part two storeys, part two storeys plus attics and part single storey. The original building was T-plan, but this has been extended to H-plan, with a 17th century addition to the north, the early 19th century addition is recessed to the south, and there is a large 1904 addition to the north-west, with later 20th century alterations to the north elevation. The garden elevation has two advanced gabled bays, each with a pair of glazing bar sashes in moulded early 18th century surrounds, those to the south with projecting keystones. To the north is a recessed bay with a 17th century 3-light recessed and chamfered mullion window. Between the advanced bays there is a recessed section with a 2-light recessed and cavetto moulded mullion window with pointed lights and incised spandrels to the north, there is a similar 4-light window to the south, both windows are probably 16th century but were lowered in the 19th century. Beyond, to the south the stonework projects forward and has a narrow window. Considerably set back to the far south is an early 19th century single storey addition with a central, canted bay window with pointed lights and embattled parapets. To the north there is a basket-headed, moulded arch with recessed double doors. Above there are 18th century sashes in an advanced southern bay and a central 3-light cavetto moulded mullion window set in an ovolo moulded recess with pointed lights and incised spandrels, probably 16th century. Above in the advanced northern bay there are two early 19th century cavetto moulded 2-light mullion windows with pointed lights and incised spandrels. There are three similar windows to the to central section. To the north there is a 17th century, 3-light recessed and chamfered mullion window. There is a similar window above in the gable of the advanced northern bay. The south elevation of the advanced southern bay has a large central external stack with glazing bar sashes in moulded 18th century surrounds to either side and 17th century 3-light recessed and cavetto moulded mullion windows with hoodmoulds to either side above. The rear elevations have a mixture of recessed and chamfered, and recessed and cavetto mullion windows with pointed lights, mostly early 19th or early 20th century. The Main entrance to the north elevations has a similar doorcase to that on the early 19th century addition to the south. The central hall has a grid of large chamfered crossing beams across roughly three-quarters of the ceiling, possibly indicating original screens providing a passage to the north, there is also a wide early 19th century four- centred, ovolo moulded fireplace. The southern room was panelled in the 18th century but it still has the original slightly cambered, ovolo moulded fireplace and 16th century wall paintings behind the panelling on the north wall in 'antique style', and chamfered crossing beams to the ceilings, similar to those in the hall, except with a finer finish. To the west wall there is a 2-light window with pointed lights. The original stone spiral staircase still exists near the north west corner of the hall, beyond which a passage extends to the early 19th century addition room with a ribbed and coved 'Strawberry Gothic' style ceiling. To the north there is the old kitchen with a very wide fireplace with moulded jambs and a chamfered stone lintel. Above, in the southern bedroom, there is the original muntin and plank panelled wall with 16th century wall paintings, in antique style, mostly in black and white, to the east side. Also in this room a door leads to a priest's hole. (1) The exact building date of Stanton Woodhouse is uncertain. Tradition suggests 1530, although what is certain is that it was put up somewhen between 1540 and 1640 when many other Derbyshire mansions were built. The house faces east and stands on a narrow shelf of land up the eastern slopes of Stanton Moor. It appears grouped round a central courtyard, the western side being formed out of a stable block and other out buildings, which are separated from the house by a roadway. Originally the house was a fairly long hall block running north-south and flanked by two protruding wings at right angles, but an early 19th century extension (a recessed single storey building on the south-west corner containing the dining room), is hidden from view. Later on from its construction, the house became part of the Stanton Estate, but in 1813 it passed to the Duke of Rutland in an exchange of land with Bache Thornhill of Stanton Hall. The house became a shooting lodge of the Dukes, but was elevated to become their main Derbyshire seat during the restoration of Haddon Hall. Prior to it being bought in 1962, the building was used as a hospital and an old people's home, and features such as the castle-like stone spiral staircase was blocked up; the staircase was found again during restoration works. Similar finds were also made during restoration- a trapdoor leading to a priest's hole was found in a bedroom cupboard and early 17th century wall-paintings of stylised foliage, cartouches, and simple arabesque work incorporating resembling human figures and birds in the two rooms at the eastern end of the south range were found behind plastering. These paintings have been debated as possibly being Victorian. (2)