Although greatly extended by Sir Joseph Whitworth, Stancliffe
Hall is a stone built Stuart mansion, constructed following
the demolition of an earlier building[1].
Stephen Glover (1833) tells us that it was "held
by a younger branch of the Clumber family" and "was
passed by successive heirs to the families of Newsam and
Pott".
In 1655 John Digby of Mansfield Woodhouse sold it to Robert
Steere of Bridgetown, gent. Sir Paul Jenkinson gave it to
Lettice, his daughter, who sold in to Robert Greensmith in
1718. William
Heathcote of Batavia, Demerera became the owner in1799 and
by the 1830s his brother, Arthur Heathcote Heathcote, was
in residence[2].
Terence Kilburn, Whitworth's biographer, states that Whitworth
tried - unsuccessfully - to buy the estate in 1847 and made
another offer in 1854; the negotiations took
two years to complete, with Whitworth paying £33,850
for the Stancliffe estate[1].
Although he was staying at the Hall in 1861[3],
he did not reside here permanently until after his second marriage
in 1871. Work on the property, in the French Renaissance style,
was undertaken firstly by Thomas Roger Smith and then in 1879
by Edward Middleton Barry[1].
Sir Joseph Whitworth died in Monte Carlo aged 83 and
was buried at St. Helen's, Darley Dale, on 2 February 1887[4]. The
hall's interior was being decorated at the time[5].
He left his home to his widow Lady Louisa and it was
said that "The house is a very fine one; and contains
many valuable works of art"[6].
"The grounds ... are unequalled in Derbyshire for rock,
scenery, and magnificent views"[7].The
parish was a beneficiary of Sir Joseph Whitworth's estate,
and his wife continued to do a great deal for the village.
She passed away in 1896 and was buried beside her husband on
30 May, aged 68[4].
Sir Joseph's agent had been Joseph Dawson, who was succeeded
by his son Sir Joseph Dawson (1857-1915). The latter gentleman
was instrumental in the purchase of the Whitworth Estate after
the death of Lady Whitworth and the foundation of the Stancliffe
Estates Co Ltd in 1897[8].
In 1899 the Rev. Ernest Owen, M.A., formerly of the Llandaff
prep school, approached the Stancliffe Estates Company
with a view to the property becoming a school. There were extensive
alterations before the school opened, including a new schoolroom
and dormitories being built.The first batch of pupils, some
50 boys, arrived in Darley Dale in early October the same year[9].
The house and its estate are no longer a school and the house
is Grade II listed.
 |
Enlargement, showing the house and its 1885 Winter Garden
(conservatory), which is hidden in the trees on the right.
The Winter garden was demolished. |
References to Stancliffe Hall or the Estate:
 Stone
Quarrying in the Matlocks mentions Stancliffe Estates
Company Limited
Kelly's
Directory of Derbyshire, 1891, North Darley (Darley Dale)
Kelly's
Directory of Derbyshire, 1899 - Matlock Bridge mentions
Stancliffe Estates Co. Ltd.
The
Matlock photographer William Nathan Statham worked here
when it was a school.
Riber
school played rugby and cricket matches against the school.
Darley
Dale War Memorial is constructed from Stancliffe stone
|
References (coloured
links are to transcripts or more information elsewhere on this web
site):
[1] Kilburn, Terence (1987) "Joseph
Whitworth, Toolmaker", Scarthin Books, Cromford, ISBN
0 907758 22 3. Kilburn's book was the first modern popular biography
of him. The foreword was written by A. E. Derbyshire, the then
Chairman of the Whitworth Trust.
[2] Glover, Stephen (1833) "The
History and Gazetteer of the County of Derby ..." Edited
by T. Noble. pub. Derby and London.
[3] The 1861 census is available on FindMyPast.
[4] Darley Dale Parish Register.
[5] "Derby Daily
Telegraph", 29 January 1887.
[6] "ibid"., 15
February 1887.
[7] "Derbyshire Times", 2 October 1897
[8] "Derbyshire
Advertiser and Journal",
3 September 1915.
[9] "Derbyshire
Times", Saturday 14 October 1899. |
