Barlborough Hall is what I call a hidden gem. This is because it is not normally open to the public as it is a Catholic Independent day school founded in the Jesuit tradition for boys & girls aged between 3 & 11. The Hall is only open on special open days, details of which are at the end of this post.
I visited the Hall way back in 1985 when the garden was open under the National Gardens Scheme & with that day being overcast & not getting very good photos I contacted the school to see if I could make a return visit to take photos of the outside of the Hall. This was granted & took place in August 2014 on a glorious day when the sun was shining as you can see from the photos.
Then in May of this year I attended a fully booked tour of fifty people to visit the Hall organised by Tony Bak, Heritage Project Manager at the Barlborough Heritage Centre. The school's Head Teacher Mr Boys & some of his staff also joined the two hour tour which included the history of the Hall & it's owners by Tony & his wife in the school's hall. We were then split into two groups to tour the inside of the Hall & then outside to view the Hall's structure & other buildings. This was accompanied with more history & points of interest which were highlighted along the way. The tour concluded with a gorgeous cream scone & cup of tea provided by the school, nice ! Many Thanks.
I therefore wish to thank the school's Head Teacher, Mr Nic Boys very much for giving me permission to show my photos, inside & outside of the Hall in this post.
August 2014.
Barlborough Hall was built in 1583/1584 by Sir Francis Rodes of Staveley Woodthorpe where he lived with his 1st wife then 2nd wife. Francis was never to live in Barlborough Hall as he died in 1589 in Staveley Woodthorpe. The architect attributed to designing the Hall was Robert Smythson who built similar designed buildings at Gawthorpe Hall near Burnley & Heath Hall near Wakefield. The Hall was purchased in 1938 by the Jesuits of Mount St. Marys, Spinkhill & was opened in 1939 as a private Catholic school, which continues to the present day & is open to all denominations.
May 2015.
The Gazebo/Banqueting House, now fully restored predates the 16th C. Hall & may have been built in the 15th C. by Adam de Grydelings as part of his Manor House.
Tony just about to take a photo with him being filmed by Adam who was recording the days events.
Fireplace inside the newly restored Banqueting House.
The main hall is now used for worship.
Fireplace bearing Francis Rodes coats of arms.
Stained glass windows in the main hall.
A later Rodes fireplace dated 1616 & inscribed I.R. with the overmantle coat of arms dated 1697.
If you wish to visit the Hall, which is organised by Tony Bak, you can contact him via this link. http://barlboroughrc.btck.co.uk/Contactus
These visits to the Hall take place during school holidays & the next planned visit is 3rd of October 2015 with a maximum of 50 people, so don't delay as these visits are very popular & are soon filled.
Link to Barlborough Hall School. http://www.msmcollege.com/barlborough-hall-school/the-school
More history of the Hall & it's owners can be read at these links.
http://www.barlboroughrc.btck.co.uk/BarlboroughHall
https://books.google.co.uk=Barlborough+Hall+history pages 563 to 565.
I am pleased to find your information on Barlborough Hall. If my genealogy is correct, this structure was built by my direct paternal relative, Sir Francis Rodes. My wife and I visited the area in September of 2017, staying in Tideswell for 3 days/nights. At the time, I did not know of my connection to the area and Barlborough Hall, or we would have made the effort to see this piece of my family history in person. Thanks so much for sharing these photos and story, I enjoyed them immensely. Kind regards, Wayne Rhodus (Basehor, Kansas USA)
ReplyDeleteHello Wayne, Thank you for visiting my post, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. If you would like some high resolution images of these photos & a few extra please contact me at this email address. daysnbricks4u@btinternet.com
DeleteIt's a shame that some of the interior has been lost it's original grandeur, but the outside is still magnificent. If you get the chance to come to England again, I am sure Mr Boys would welcome you at any time of the year with you being descendants of Sir Francis. Kind Regards, Martyn