Heritage News Issue 32 (8505KB) - South Derbyshire District Council

SOUTH DERBYSHIRE 

HERITAGE NEWS 

A newsletter of South Derbyshire District Council, Sharpe’s Pottery & Swadlincote T.I.C. 

Issue 32 Autumn 2010 

IT’S A DEAL! 

On 29th September, 1824, an important 

land exchange deal was signed 

between Sir George Crewe of Calke 

Abbey and Sir Francis Burdett of 

Foremarke Hall, involving land mostly 

at Milton/Repton and Ticknall. The 

exchange deed itself, with maps of the 

property concerned, was not known 

to survive until a counterpart of it 

turned up earlier this year. 

Calke Abbey and Foremarke Hall 

are both open to visitors over this 

year’s Heritage Open Days weekend, 

see pages 6 - 8 for details. 

Through long chains of land transactions, 

often over the course of several 

centuries, it might happen that two or 

more dominant families had substantial 

lands within a single parish, often intermixed. 

For instance, the manorial estate 

might belong to one landlord while the 

former church estates, confiscated at the 

Reformation, might belong to one or 

more other owners. So while the small 

parishes of Calke and Swarkestone 

belonged almost exclusively to the 

Harpurs of Calke in the 17th, 18th and 

19th centuries, the parishes of Church 

Gresley and Melbourne were in the 

divided ownership of greater and lesser 

owners. 

It is easy to understand why Sir 

George and Sir Robert wished to make 

an exchange, because it was mutually 

beneficial. Sir George owned a great 

deal of property in Milton, close to the 

heartland of Sir Robert’s estate at 

Foremark. Sir Robert, on the other hand, 

owned the former Repton Priory lands 

at Southwood and Daniel Hayes Farm, 

Foremarke Hall which will be open for Heritage Open Days. See Page 6 for details. 

close to the south edge of Calke Park. 

(N.B. Tours of Daniel Hayes Farm are 

also on offer for Heritage Open Days, 

see p.6 ). In 1825 Sir George planted a 

band of trees along the ridge of Pistern 

Hills, on his newly acquired estate at 

Southwood, to enhance the long views 

from Calke Park. 

It has always been known that the 

exchange took place, and details of the 

land transferred from Burdett to Crewe 

have always been fairly clear. Details of 

the land transferred from Crewe to 

Burdett in Milton and Repton were less 

clear, but earlier this year a counterpart 

of the exchange deed found its way into 

the hands of a private dealer, who has 

sold it to the Derbyshire Record Office 

(their reference D7309/1-3). As well as 

the written deed, covering fifteen large 

sheets of parchment, there are two beautifully 

drawn maps, coloured, with 

schedules briefly describing the property 

concerned, its acreages and tenants’ 

Heritage News - 1 

names. The maps are not signed, but 

were probably drawn by Richard 

Crabtree, Sir Francis Burdett’s agent at 

Foremark. 

The transaction was on a grand scale; 

to give an idea of its magnitude, it may 

be remarked that the estates conveyed 

by one party to the other were both considerably 

larger than the entire parish of 

Calke. The land transferred from 

Burdett to Crewe amounted to 915 

acres, and the land transferred from 

Crewe to Burdett amounted to 897 

acres. As well as the Southwood estate, 

the land transferred to Sir George Crewe 

included the Burdett Lime Works at 

Ticknall, the Scaddows at Ticknall and 

Hays Farm near Repton. The land transferred 

to Sir Francis Burdett included 

West Wood and Ingerholme Wood (now 

regarded as parts of Robin Wood) in 

addition to the lands at Milton and 

Repton. 

Continued on p.2....

...Continued from p.1 

It appears that the exchange 

actually took effect in 1821, 

which is the date recorded in 

published sources and indirectly 

confirmed by Sir 

George Crewe of Calke in his 

extensive diary: Sir George 

notes, in May 1821, that John 

Somers, the miller of Milton, 

was formerly his tenant but 

had lately become tenant to 

Sir Francis Burdett. 

In a drunken brawl at 

Derby with another of Sir 

George’s tenants, Somers 

was glassed in the face and 

died the same night while 

being escorted back from the 

privy, which was the real reason 

for Sir George’s diary 

If you are looking for a good day out 

this September, you need look no further 

than the Melbourne Festival of 

Creative and Performing Arts. It has 

been run by a small group of enthusiastic 

volunteers since 2005 and has 

established itself as a highlight of the 

County’s cultural calendar. 

This year’s Art and Architecture Trail 

on Saturday and Sunday 18th and 19th 

entry. The reason for the 

delay in finalising the 

exchange by a legal deed is 

not clear. 

The exchange deed is particularly 

valuable for providing 

a plan of most of Milton 

village, showing exactly the 

property in the village which 

had been Crewe’s, the property 

which was already 

Burdett’s (principally “The 

Farm”), and the property 

which remained in the hands 

of lesser freeholders, such as 

Brook Farm (Mr. Brown’s), 

Bramcote Lodge (Henry 

Wayte’s) and Kirby Holt (Mr. 

Somers’). 

In conjunction with the 

Milton Enclosure Award, for 


which there is no accompanying 

map, the exchange 

deed allows us to extrapolate 

backwards and reconstruct 

September will see approximately 100 

professional Artists and Makers exhibiting 

in over 50 private houses, public 

buildings and businesses in the historic 

heart of Melbourne. The work featured 

includes everything from abstracts to 

still life via botanical paintings, collage, 

landscapes, photography, print-making 

and much more. 

The 3-D artists are also out in force 

with jewellers, potters and sculptors 

amongst the many talents on show. All 

the work is for sale, commission free 

direct from the artists, so you can bag a 

bargain over the weekend. Michael 

Cook and Kate O’Melea are back; 

Michael’s stunning paintings inspired by 

the scriptures will be accompanied by a 

narrative by Kate in the awe-inspiring 

surroundings of the Parish Church. As 

part of the Arts Council supported 

Re:place project there will be installations 

by Kate Genever and Flora 

Gardner. 

In addition to the professional artists 

exhibiting on the Trail there will be 

exhibitions by local schools, art groups, 

buskers and musicians. Other activities 

along the trail include the 1623 Theatre 

Company with their Great 

Shakespearean Workout 2010 – aerobics 

the land holding pattern in 

Milton as it existed prior to 

Enclosure in 1757. 

ART, ARCHITECTURE AND MUCH MORE: 

A bird’s eye view of the art exhibition in 

Melbourne Leisure Centre at the 2009 

Festival. 

A detail of Milton village from the 1824 land exchange document, 

showing the lands transferred from Crewe to Burdett, with names of 

adjoining owners. 

MELBOURNE FESTIVAL 2010 

to Shakespeare, a chance to raise a sweat 

and a laugh. This really is a great day out 

in beautiful surroundings. It is also a 

rare opportunity to visit scores of buildings, 

many of them of historic interest, 

not usually seen by the public. 

This year’s programme of concerts 

and performances starts on 11th 

September and continues over the Trail 

weekend until 25th September. 

Melbourne now attracts acts from all 

around the country and the performance 

programme includes a broad spectrum 

of music including blues performer Dani 

Wilde, whose album “Shine” comes out 

in August and is predicted to make her a 

huge name. Other acts include Andra 

Sparks – jazz with a twist, Hothouse Big 

Band, Idle Hands and at the other end of 

the scale you can see Musica Donum 

Dei, the Sitwell Singers or join in with 

the Come and Sing choral workshop. 

If you prefer the spoken word you’ll 

enjoy the Library Theatre Company 

with “My Brilliant Divorce”, Comedy 

Night or “The Perfect Crime”. 

Don’t miss this great event - Full 

details are posted on the Melbourne 

Festival website – www.melbournefestival.co.uk 

or call 07765 819428.

RECENT EXCAVATION AT SHARPE’S 

Early bottle kilns actually 

consisted of two independent 

structures. One was the kiln 

itself, of cylindrical form, 

built of firebricks and bound 

together with stout iron 

bands. The other was the 

outer, enclosing structure 

known as a “hovel”, which 

served as a coal store, general 

shelter and chimney. This 

outer structure, more conical 

in shape, was the outward 

manifestation of a kiln, with 

which the outside world was 

familiar. 

At Sharpe’s today, the surviving 

“kiln” is actually this 

outer structure; the true kiln 

inside it may have been 

removed as early as the 

1860s, but its foundations 

were excavated by 

Northamptonshire 

Archaeology and Derbyshire 

Archaeological Society some 

years ago, shortly before the 

restoration of the buildings in 

2002-2003. 

Excavation revealed that 

the kiln had been placed 

oddly off-centre within the 

enclosing structure, which 

In preparation for the proposed extension at the 

south end of the Sharpe’s Pottery buildings, an 

excavation was undertaken of the bottle kiln that 

was known to have existed there. The kiln was 

the twin of the one that still survives, and is 

thought to have been demolished in 1898. 

Together, they were the two kilns of the original 

pottery, founded in 1821. 

seems both impractical and 

needless, and has baffled 

industrial archaeologists. Did 

it mean that the kiln remains 

and the outer hovel belonged 

to different phases of building 

and did not co-exist? 

The kiln revealed itself 

only as a foundation trench as 

the firebricks had been comprehensively 

robbed out for 

re-use. The fireholes showed 

as coal-black patches, edged 

with the bright red of burnt 

bricks. There were indeed 

small traces of another kiln 

floor on top of the lower one, 

and the evidence suggested 

that this later floor was concentrically 

placed in the 

hovel. 

Several questions were 


posed previous to the excavation 

of the other kiln this 

summer. Would the kiln be 

found to be off-centre again? 

Would the remains be overlain 

with shards of pottery as 

was the case with the other 

kiln? Would there be better 

evidence of the kiln itself this 

time, or had the firebricks 

again been comprehensively 

robbed-out? 

Archaeologist Jon 

Goodwin reports on the findings, 

and gives his answers to 

the questions: 

“The remains of a pottery 

kiln, comprising a firing 

chamber and surrounding 

hovel, were uncovered within 

the excavation area, but these 

had been disturbed and truncated 

by several drains. What 

Volunteers cleaning the exposed kiln base at Sharpe’s, photographed by Zoe Sutherland of Stoke on Trent 

Archaeology. 

remained of the kiln’s firing 

chamber, however, was in a 

reasonable state of preservation, 

although only two to 

three courses of its brick 

foundations remained in situ. 

“The footings of the hovel 

survived on the eastern and 

western sides, but the northern 

and southern parts lay 

outside the limits of the excavation. 

It is likely that the 

hovel had an internal diameter 

of 8.60m, giving the original 

interior a circumference 

of 27.0m, marginally smaller 

than the extant kiln which is 

purported to be its contemporary. 

“The firing chamber was 

approximately 6.50m in 

diameter and was constructed 

of reddish common bricks 

jointed with white-grey fireclay 

mortar. It would originally 

have featured an estimated 

eight firemouths [as in 

the other kiln excavated 

before the conversion works, 

editor], beneath each of 

which would have been a rectangular 

ashpit. 

Partial remains of three of 

these ashpits survived within 

the base of the firing chamber. 

From what remained, it 

is estimated that the ashpits 

were c.1.30m in length and 

0.75m wide and survived to a 

depth of 0.14m. They were 

lined with grey-yellow firebricks 

bearing slight evidence 

of vitrification, with a 

gently sloping base at the distal 

end to presumably assist 

in raking out ash, clinker etc. 

“The foundation (‘cork’) 

for the firing chamber was 

revealed in a central 3.40m 

diameter well-hole within the 

structure. This cork comprised 

some pre-fired broken 

bricks, kiln furniture and 

Continued overleaf....

Bee boles create a buzz 

The whole complex of buildings at 

Southwood House Farm, Ticknall, is 

currently under consideration for possible 

listing, but the only element formally 

listed so far by English Heritage is the 

garden walls, including a set of eleven 

“bee boles”, listed Grade II on 28th 

June, 2010. Positive decisions on the 

other buildings are expected shortly. 

Bee boles are cupboard-like recesses 

in walls. In Scotland, the word “bole” 

can refer to a small hatch, such as the 

ticket window at a railway station, a pay 

window at a factory, or the small opening 

of a hen house. It might also mean a 

recess in a wall used as a cupboard. In 

all these cases, the parallels with an 

English bee bole are clear. To complete 

the resemblance to a cupboard, bee boles 

might indeed have doors placed across 

the fronts in winter, to preserve the bees 

inside. 

Within the bee bole would be placed a 

“skep” for the bees to occupy, being like 

a conical straw basket turned upside 

down, with a single entrance at the bottom. 

The interior of the skep was completely 

hollow, leaving the bees to attach 

their own honeycomb structure to the 

internal surface. This was “technology” 

of the most primitive kind, with significant 

drawbacks: the interior of the skep 

could not be inspected for diseases and 

pests, and honey removal often resulted 

in the destruction of the entire colony. 

Beekeepers either drove the bees out of 

the skep, or killed them. The skeps were 

then squeezed in a vice to extract the 

honey. 

It’s not surprising that the inventive 

minds of the scientific revolution in the 

18th and 19th centuries turned their 

attention to the inefficiencies of beekeeping. 

By the second half of the 18th 

century, the design of skeps had been 

elaborated so that bees no longer had to 

be driven away or killed to harvest the 

honey. Developments culminated in the 

patenting of the Langstroth hive in the 

mid 19th century, which has become the 

standard model for three quarters of the 

world’s beekeepers. 

Bee keeping was a very common 

activity before sugar became plentiful 

and affordable as a sweetener. Bee boles 

were often built in sight of the dwelling 

house so that swarms could be detected 

and captured quickly; in addition such 

locations helped to familiarise the bees 

with human activity. As at Southwood 

House, a southerly aspect was preferred, 

as it helped to keep the bees both dry and 

warm, and maximised their daylight 

hours and productivity. The garden within 

the walls probably included flowers 

to aid the production of honey and wax, 

and fruit trees, whose pollination would 

be assisted by the bees. 

The newly-listed bee boles at Southwood House Farm. 

.... Continued from p3 

‘grog’ (ground up saggars) 

within a compact orange-red 

mixture of sandy clay and 

ash. Within the cork were at 

least two square-headed brick 

features that may have represented 

the remains of ashpits 

from an earlier firing chamber. 

Material found around 

these features included items 

of kiln furniture thought to be 

no later in date than the mid 

19th century.” 

Again, the kiln was found 

to be off-centre within the 

enclosing hovel, and one of 

the ashpits was placed 

improbably close to the hovel 

wall, leaving a gap of only a 

foot or so between the two. 

There was no conclusive evidence 

to show that the kiln 

and hovel remains were not 

in use at the same time, but 

equally it may be the case 

that the two kilns and hovels 

were both rebuilt in the mid 

19th century after a generation 

of intensive use. 

In both cases it is possible 

that the remains of higher, 

subsequent kiln floors have 

been totally removed in the 


past, leaving only the lower, 

original remains to be discovered 

in the excavations. As 

previously noted, there were 

slight remains of a later kiln 

floor structure over the kiln 

remains in the existing hovel. 

Few shard or artefacts were 

found, but several of the 

bricks were stamped “J.W. 

Bourne Church Gresley”. 

J.W.Bourne operated the pottery 

that later became 

Green’s “Top Bank” between 

1825 and 1834, so the bricks 

are a valuable dating clue. 

The bricks may, of course, 

The series of 11 bee boles at 

Southwood House is a rarity, because 

anything more than eight in a set is 

unusual. A bill for bricks for them, dateable 

to about 1820, gives an indication 

of their date. Southwood House Farm 

was one of the properties transferred by 

Sir Francis Burdett to Sir George Crewe 

in 1821 (see front page). 

RECENT EXCAVATIONS AT SHARPE’S POTTERY 

have been made on another 

site in the parish, but would 

still postdate J. W. Bourne’s 

coming of age in 1825. 

The excavation team comprised 

Richard Cramp, Zoe 

Sutherland and Heather Cope 

of Stoke on Trent 

Archaeology, project managed 

by Jon Goodwin. A further 

“watching brief” will be 

carried out by Stoke on Trent 

Archaeology when the newbuild 

project foundations are 

dug, and then the results of 

the whole work will be fully 

written up.

DO YOU OWN THE UGLIEST OR 

MOST BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF 

SOUTH DERBYSHIRE POTTERY? 

THE SOUTH DERBYSHIRE POTTERIES PRODUCED ITEMS BOTH OF GREAT 

BEAUTY AND GREAT HIDEOUSNESS. WE WANT TO SHOW THESE EXTREMES IN 

AN EXHIBITION NEXT YEAR AND WE NEED YOUR HELP. 

AS BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER WE ARE LOOKING FOR LOANS OR 

PHOTOGRAPHS TOGETHER WITH A SHORT PIECE OF WRITING DESCRIBING 

WHY YOU THINK YOUR ITEM FITS THE BILL. 

MEET OUR CURRENT FORERUNNER FOR THE UGLIEST PIECE - FRANK. FRANK 

SITS ON AN ASHTRAY NEXT TO A LIFE-SIZE CIGARETTE AND HAS BEADY GLASS 

EYES! ONE OF BRETBY ART POTTERY’S FINEST! 

PLEASE SEND YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT TO EMMA FYFFE AT SHARPE’S 

POTTERY MUSEUM, WEST STREET, SWADLINCOTE DE11 9DG OR EMAIL 

EMMA.FYFFE@SHARPESPOTTERYMUSEUM.ORG.UK 

ALTERNATIVELY, FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 01283 222600 

Heritage News - 5

FREE TO EXPLORE 

Heritage Open Days, a nationwide event which takes place on the 

second weekend of each September, is now firmly established in 

the cultural calendar. Overseen by English Heritage since the 

demise of the Civic Trust, it is the public’s chance to see 

buidlings of architectural, historic or cultural importance that 

are not normally open. In addition, heritage attractions which 

normally charge an admission fee may take part in Heritage 

Open Days by opening for free, and places which are normally 

open free of charge may take part by staging extra events for the 

occasion. 

This year’s Heritage Open Days are 

9th – 12th September, and South 

Derbyshire’s ten contributions to the 

event are as follows (NB participating 

properties choose their own opening 

times and visiting arrangements within 

the four days; please check the specific 

arrangements for any property 

you are interested in visiting): 

AN EARLY POTTERY SITE AT 

TICKNALL 

“Ivy Leigh”, 22, Main Street, 

Ticknall, Derby, Derbyshire, DE73 

7JZ 

In March 2010, an early 16th century 

pottery kiln was discovered at “Ivy 

Leigh”, long known to have been the 

site of one of Ticknall’s famous 16th - 

18th century potteries. Guides will be on 

hand to explain the site, which remains 

exposed and includes pots found in situ 

as well as remains of the kiln itself. 

house, in a pleasant rural setting, has 

been the Preparatory School for Repton 

School since 1947. The small church of 

Foremark, an unusual and well-preserved 

example from 1662 (also Grade 

I) will also be open. 

Directions 

Foremarke Hall is on the south side of 

Derby, accessed from the minor road on 

the south side of the River Trent 

between Repton and Swarkestone. 

Ample parking in front of house. 

Opening Times 

Thursday: One tour at 1130, maximum 

of 20 people, led by Julian Hawtree, 

Head of History, Foremarke School. 

Duration 1 hour approximately. 

Saturday: Three tours at 1130, maximum 

of 12 people on each, led by 

pupils of the school. Duration half an 

hour approximately. 

N.B. Pre-booking is required. 

Bookings are to be made with South 

Derbyshire District Council by telephoning 

01283 228706 

DANIEL HAYES FARM, SMISBY: 

A BUILDING AND LANDSCAPE 

RESTORATION PROJECT 

Daniel Hayes Farm, Pistern Hills, 

Hartshorne, Swadlincote, 

Derbyshire, DE11 7AX 

Daniel Hayes has been a compact and 

self-contained estate since mediaeval 

times. The name is thought to mean “the 

enclosed land by the spring in the valley”, 

which refers to the source of 

Repton Brook. The tour will look at the 

process and pitfalls of restoring the 18th 

century farmhouse, farm buildings and 

field patterns. Also of interest are the 

rebuilding of the farm’s numerous 

derelict and lost ponds and the restoration 

of its ancient woodlands, along with 

the planting of over half a million new 

trees as part of the National Forest initiative. 

Directions 

Daniel Hayes Farm is about 11 miles 

south of Derby, at Pistern Hills, on the 

west side of the road from Ticknall to 

Ashby de la Zouch. Ample parking is 

Directions 

South of Derby on the A514 at Ticknall, 

on the corner of Harpur Avenue. Limited 

parking on street. 

Opening Times 

Saturday: 1000-1600 

Sunday: 1000-1600 

AN INSIGHT INTO FOREMARKE 

HALL 

Foremark Hall, Foremark, Milton, 

Derby, Derbyshire, DE65 6EJ 

Tours of Grade I listed country house 

designed by David Hiorns of Warwick 

for Sir Robert Burdett and built 1759- 

1761. Hiorns never saw the house, as he 

died in 1758 before work began. The 

Remains of the Old Hall at Swarkestone. 


HERITAGE OPEN DAYS 

Swarkestone is served by frequent buses 

which run between Derby and 

Melbourne. 

An undated view of Gresley Old Hall, possibly 1920s, from the collection of R. B. Hall, 

printers, Swadlincote by courtesy of The Magic Attic. 

available in the ground and yards by the 

house. 

Opening Times 

Thursday: Tours 1030 and 1400 

Pre-booking is required. 

Bookings are to be made with Andrew 

Moseley on 01283 217365. Please leave 

a message if necessary, giving your 

name, number of visitors and a contact 

telephone number. Tours will last about 

one and a half to two hours each. 

Maximum of 20 people each tour. 

The tours may be cancelled if there are 

less than five places taken per tour by 

August 30th. Participants will be notified 

should cancellation be necessary. 

HILTON: HISTORY AND 

COMMUNITY DISPLAY AT THE 

OLD TALBOT INN 

The Old Talbot P. H., 1, Main 

Street, Hilton, Derby, Derbyshire, 

DE65 5FF 

Local history display by the newlyformed 

Hilton and Marston Local 

History Group, staged in a cruck framed 

building that is one of the village’s most 

important historic buildings. Other community 

groups will also be in attendance. 

Refreshments available, as normally 

offered by the pub. 

Directions 

The Old Talbot stands by the main 

A5132 road at Hilton, about eight miles 

south west of Derby. Car park at rear. 

Frequent V1 and V2 buses run between 

Derby and Burton and stop directly outside 

the pub. 

Opening Times 


SWARKESTONE OLD HALL: 

RELICS OF A LOST COUNTRY 

HOUSE 

Old Hall Farm, Derby Road, 

Swarkestone, Derby, Derbyshire, 

DE73 7JB 

Swarkestone Hall, a grand Elizabethan 

home of the Harpur family, was pulled 

down in the 1740s. This self-guided trail 

explores and explains the impressive 

remaining features, which include a mid 

17th century stable block, a large stone 

outbuilding, a banqueting house, walled 

gardens and a fragment of the house 

itself. 

There will be no internal access to 

these buildings but the parish 

church will also be open on Saturday 

afternoon, with display material about 

the village in general. 

Directions 

Off the A514 by the River Trent at 

Swarkestone, south of Derby. Limited 

parking by parish church on Church 

Lane. 

Opening Times 

Friday: 1100-1700 


Sunday: 1300-1700 

THE VARIED HISTORY OF 

GRESLEY OLD HALL 

Gresley Old Hall, Gresley Wood 

Road, Church Gresley, Swadlincote, 

Derbyshire, DE11 9QW 

A small country house built in various 

phases from the 1580s to c1710,formerly 

the seat of the Alleyne family. It was 

later a tenanted farmhouse before 

becoming a Miners’ Welfare Centre in 

the 1950s. For a short period around 

1800 it was home to an unsuccessful 

china factory. 

A self-guided trail will set out the chequered 

history of the house, ending with 

a chance to view the collection of the 

South Derbyshire Mining Preservation 

Group. Refreshments will be available 

at the Indoor Bowling Centre adjacent to 

the Old Hall. 

Directions 

Gresley Old Hall lies half way between 

Swadlincote and the A444 at Castle 

Gresley. The approach is from Gresley 

Wood Road, north of the house. 

Plentiful parking on car park by house. 

Opening Times 

Thursday: 1100-1700 

Friday: 1100-1700 


TWYFORD: CHURCH, PARISH 

AND PEOPLE 

Ferry Lane, Twyford, Twyford, 

Derbyshire, DE73 7HJ 

Local history display including old pictures 

of the ferry, other old photographs, 

family trees, census records, school logbook, 

maps and plans, transcriptions of 

memorial inscriptions, church registers 

Continued on p8... 


FREE TO EXPLORE 

Directions 

10ml S of Derby, on A514 at Ticknall 

between Swadlincote and Melbourne. 

Access from M42/A42 exit 13 and A50 

Derby South. Free parking 500 yards. 

By bus: Arriva 61 alight Ticknall, then 1 

mile walk through park to house. 

The Roman Catholic Church at Swadlincote.. 

.... Continued from previous page 

etc. Refreshments available (tea, coffee, 

cold drinks and home-made cakes). 

Directions 

On the River Trent south of Derby, off 

the A5132 between Willington and 

Swarkestone. Limited on-street parking 

Opening Times 


ST PETER & ST PAUL’S 

CATHOLIC CHURCH 

70 Newhall Road, Swadlincote, 

Derbyshire, DE11 0BD 

The church dates from 1958, but the 

site includes a Victorian shrine. There 

will be an exhibition in the church on the 

shrine’s history, the history of the church 

and its place in the community. Quizzes 

for children. Tea, coffee, soft drinks, 

cakes, biscuits and various sandwiches. 

Directions 

The church is at the top of Darklands 

Road, between Swadlincote and 

Newhall, at grid ref. SK297203. 

National Cycle Route 63 crosses 

Darklands Road. Frequent buses pass 

the church. For public transport details, 

go to www.travelineeastmidlands.org.uk 

or call Traveline on 0870 608 2608. 

Opening Times 

Thursday 9th September: 0930-1600 

Friday 10th September: 0930-1600 

Saturday 11th September: 0930-1600 

CALKE ABBEY 

Ticknall, Derby DE73 7LE 

Calke Abbey, remodelled from an earlier 

house in 1701-4, will need no introduction 

to local readers. It is preserved 

as it was found in the 1980s, its faded 

glory allowing visitors to explore a period 

when great country houses struggled 

to survive. 

Today it is poised somewhere between 

gentle neglect and downright dereliction, 

telling the tale of an eccentric family 

who amassed a huge collection of 

hidden treasures. Eye spy sheet for children. 

Chellaston School pupil Annabel 

Blatch, of Melbourne, spent work 

experience week with the editor at 

South Derbyshire District Council in 

July. In this short article, Annabel 

gives a view on “why heritage is 

important today”: 

Historic buildings are an important 

part of our environment. However, 

many of them, such as factories and 

mills, have had to be saved from falling 

into disrepair by finding imaginative 

new uses for them. These are buildings 

Opening Times 

Saturday 11th September: 1230–1700 

(Last admission 1630). 

All visitors are asked to collect their free 

admission tickets from the Visitor 

Reception. Timed Ticket entry to the 

House will apply. Please arrive in good 

time as tickets will run out. The restaurant 

is open 1030-1700. The shop is 

open 1030-1700. Buggy service available. 

MELBOURNE HALL GARDENS 

Church Square, Melbourne 

DE73 8EN 

Remarkable historic garden laid out in 

1704, with statuary, picturesque pools, a 

yew tunnel and a unique wrought iron 

arbour known as ‘The Birdcage’, made 

in 1708. Unusual shrubs and trees with 

imaginative planted borders. The house 

itself will not be open. 

Directions 

Eight miles south of Derby. There are 

frequent bus services to Derby and 

Swadlincote. 

Opening Times 

Saturday 11th September: 1330-1730 

How the past continues 

that should be preserved, because they 

show future generations what life was 

like many years ago. 

All over the country many old buildings 

are currently derelict and uncared 

for, but organisations such as English 

Heritage, the National Trust and the 

Landmark Trust look after many of 

them, making sure that they are preserved 

and given the funding they need. 

Historic buildings show people what 

the local area used to be like, because 


BUTTERPOTS AND FINGERPRINTS – 

SURPRISING FINDS AT TICKNALL 

Several exciting things 

have happened since the 

launch of the Ticknall 

Archaeological Research 

Group. In March, an excavation 

in the garden of 

Ivyleigh in the village 

turned up what was 

thought to be two kilns, 

with one partially overlaying 

the other. 

A second excavation in 

early August, to determine 

the precise nature and extent 

of the site, now suggests just 

one kiln, possibly a clamp 

kiln, sealed for some reason 

with a thick layer of clay and 

eventually covered with 

thousands of shards of 17th 

century Midland purple and 

yellow wares. The jury is 

still out on this one! 

Barbara Foster of the Ticknall Archaeological 

Research Group (TARG) writes 

The kiln itself has been 

provisionally dated to 1500 

and provided a good haul of 

large butter pots, many intact, 

some of which had been used 

as saggers to protect more 

delicate wares as they were 

being fired. A rather nice jug 

was found in one of them. 

Perhaps the most personal 

category of finds were the 

squeezers or spacers – rough 

handfuls of clay used to separate 

the pieces being fired – 

some in fact were quite tiny, 

about the size of a 10p and 

bearing the thumbprint of the 

potter. Finding these is quite 

a moving experience! As the 

discovery of such early kilns 

is quite a rare event, this and 

earlier Ticknall digs have 

excited much academic and 

specialist interest. They 

should ensure that the unique 

identity of Ticknall pottery 

achieves the recognition it 

deserves. 

In addition to the digging, 

the many volunteers were 

also involved in a serious 

amount of pot washing – well 

worth the effort as mud covered 

shapes became explicable 

and the glorious shiny 

colours could be fully appreciated. 

A short course on the 

basics of pottery identification 

was also given and a 

couple of days were spent 

learning the basic principles 

of field walking on a newly 

ploughed field on Staunton 

Lane. This turned up some 

more pots to wash, but an 

analysis of the spread and 

type of the finds is awaited 


before their significance can 

be assessed. A course on 

landscape surveying will take 

place shortly, we hope. 

Four geophysical surveys 

have been done in areas of 

possible pottery sites. There 

are many of them, because 

family pot making businesses 

were spread around the 

parish over hundreds of 

years. One site, showing as 

an interesting bump, has now 

been discounted because it 

turned out to be a medieval 

headland, i.e. a remnant of 

ridge and furrow plough 

lands where the headland was 

formed as the plough turned 

round at the end of the furlong. 

The other sites look 

more promising. 

The Group has also taken 

part in local and national 

events. There were displays 

at Calke Abbey for their 

Archaeology Week in June 

and the site was open to visitors 

at the end of July as part 

A 500 year-old butterpot emerges from the excavation at Ivy Leigh in 

March. 

to influence the present day 

building materials used in old houses 

were mostly produced in the local area. 

However, modern buildings can be 

made of any material from any part of 

the country, which means from looking 

at a modern house you wouldn’t be able 

to tell where certain materials have 

come from. 

An historic environment isn’t just 

about buildings, it also includes the 

landscape, the countryside and transport 

networks. Canals, railways and public 

footpaths were originally for necessary 

transport and travel, but are now used 

for leisure activities. Canal boats are 

now for pleasure, and railway lines have 

been turned into cycle tracks. Footpaths 

that were originally small lanes, or 

routes for people to get to work, are now 

used mostly for leisure walks. So heritage 

is not just for people who are interested 

in history. It is relevant to everyone. 

We all use heritage legacies, so we 

need to make sure that we look after 

them. The places around us show the 

of the Council of British 

Archaeology’s national 

Archaeology Festival. It will 

also be open for Heritage 

Open Days, the details of 

which are on Pages 6 - 8 of 

this newsletter. We hope that 

you will come and have a 

look at this exciting and 

interesting piece of history. 

past of our country and continue to 

influence the present day. 

The “Picture of Health” fitness studio and 

gym in Melbourne is a good example of the 

creative re-use of a former shoe factory.

One of the pleasures of visiting 

historic buildings in connection 

with planning proposals is 

the discovery of well-preserved 

and unexpected interior features. 

For instance, Somerville 

House at Findern is a handsome 

but plain house, where one 

would not expect anything out 

of the ordinary. And yet its original 

kitchen boasts first-rate 

rubbed brick arches, one elliptical 

and one circular, and formerly 

pointed with bright white 

lime. It is workmanship that 

would be quite at home in a topranking 

townhouse. 

For the editor, one of the most endearing 

categories of find is the blue and 

white Delft or Dutch tiles, particularly 

popular in England during the first half 

of the 18th century. They are tin-glazed, 

which produced an opaque white or 

cream colour, with a design on top, often 

pictorial and often done in cobalt blue. 

The result was earthenware tiles with a 

convincing resemblance to the fine blue 

and white Chinese porcelain that 

inspired them. It has been estimated that 

800 million of these tiles were produced 

over a period of 200 years! They were 

widely exported, so their continued 

presence in South Derbyshire need not 

surprise us. Delftware tiles even reached 

- Curiosity Corner - 

Going Dutch 

China and Japan, the ultimate home of 

blue and white, where the natives 

responded by producing true porcelain 

versions of Delftware for export back to 

Europe. English “Delftware” was also 

produced. 

It seems that Delft tiles were popular 

in England as surrounds to the smaller 

firegrates found in bedrooms and dressing 

rooms where, in the editor’s limited 

experience, they are most likely to be 

found today. It may be, of course, that 

they were popular for ground floor 

rooms too, but have been superseded by 

the more frequent replacement of fireplaces 

there. 

The Calke Abbey accounts give some 

clues to prices and uses: in 1734, 

William Saywell was paid £1 2s 9d for 8 

dozen Dutch Tiles (purpose unspecified), 

and in 1738 12 shillings was paid 

for four dozen of blue Dutch tiles “for 

the Chimney in my Lady's Closet”. In 

1740, £1 12s was paid for 42 fine Dutch 

Tiles for Miss Harpur’s chimneypiece, 

and an additional 18s 6d was spent on 6 

feet more of Dutch tiles for the same 

purpose. From this it seems that the 

going rate for ordinary Dutch tiles was 

about three shillings per dozen, or 4d 

each, while the fine ones cost about 9d 

each. 

Surviving examples have recently 

been observed at Blenheim House in 

Etwall and at Muse Lane Farm in 

Church Broughton, both in first floor 

front bedrooms of the mid 18th century. 

It is probably no coincidence that these 

buildings appear to be close in date to 

the references in the Calke Abbey 

archives, pointing to their period of 

greatest popularity. 

Details of the Dutch tiles in South 

Derbyshire. Three wise men follow the star at 

Blenheim House, Etwall (above) and peacocks 

and vine at Muse Lane Farm in Church 

Broughton (right). 

The Blenheim House tiles are “bible 

tiles”, each depicting a bible story. At 

Muse Lane Farm, the emphasis is on 

peacocks, birds, vines and flowers. The 

Dutch potters even produced sets of 

plates with the words and music of 

songs; dessert was served on them and 

when the plates were clear the diners 

started singing! 


TITHE BARN AT MELBOURNE 

IS REPAIRED 

The so-called Tithe 

Barn at Melbourne had 

been in a state of gentle 

decay for many decades 

prior to its recent repair. 

Its mouldering stone 

walls had a weather-beaten, 

cliff-like charm of 

their own, but the condition 

of the building had 

declined to a state where 

remedial work was long 

overdue. There were 

holes in the roof, and sections 

of brick and 

stonework were threatening 

to fall out. 

The building has not been 

in full use since it ceased to 

be a malthouse in the 1880s; 

little appears to have been 

done to it since, other than 

replacement of the thatch 

with tiles on the higher part 

of the building, and some 

associated minor brickwork 

repairs apparently done at the 

same time. It was acquired by 

the Melbourne Hall Estate in 

1927 and is now the property 

of Lady Ralph Kerr of 

Melbourne Hall. 

Building contractor Alan 

Staley and his team have 

done a very neat and careful 

job of re-roofing the building, 

making use of irregular handmade 

clay tiles on the side 

facing the church. 

Much of Alan’s work has 

involved the conversion of 

the later and lower, southern 

part of the building to residential 

use, but this is largely 

out of public view. 

Repair of the walls of the 

mediaeval building has 

proved to be a very sensitive 

and somewhat contentious 

issue, particularly bearing in 

mind its proximity to the 

great west door of the parish 

church, which plays such an 

important role in so many 

weddings and funerals. How 

could the repairs be done 

without damaging the “soft” 

patina of the building and its 

aura of antiquity? 

Maintenance of the building 

had been abandoned for 

so long that drastic remedial 

work to the brick and 

stonework was inevitable. 

The building was originally 

constructed of neatly cut, 

tightly-jointed stone blocks. 

On the east side, where these 

had severely weathered back, 

the wall surface had been 

repaired long ago with rubblestone 

patching, but continued 

weathering was causing 

the rubble patching to loosen 

and fall out. 

Should the new repairs perpetuate 

and increase the rubble 

patching, which was only 

ever a cheap expedient, or 

should squared stone blocks 

be reinstated in line with the 

original character of the 

masonry? 

To use rubblestone again 

would have been softer on 

the eye, but would have been 

disrespectful and unfaithful 

to the architectural quality of 

the building and its Grade II* 

listed status. On the other 

hand the decision to use large 

squared stones for the repairs, 

as in the original building, 

caused some disquiet locally 

because it will inevitably 

appear harsh and angular for 

some time to come. 

It would have been both 

dishonest and difficult to 


A Victorian photograph of the Tithe Barn at Melbourne, recently 

repaired. 

round the corners to simulate 

centuries of weathering, as on 

the adjacent stonework. 

Moreover, recognised good 

practice with the fine 

stonework of cathedrals, 

churches and ancient monuments 

is to reinstate 

stonework in line with the 

face of its original plane, 

sharp corners and all. 

In dilemmas such as this, 

there is no possibility of 

pleasing everyone. The face 

of the new stonework has 

been lightly abraded to make 

its smooth-sawn surface 

more gritty, which is itself a 

very questionable practice, 

but was done here to 

acknowledge the texture of 

the overall building given the 

special circumstances and 

close-range views. 

In addition, stonemason 

Andy Oldfield has used 

artistry and a few tricks of the 

trade to blend the old 

stonework with the new as 

far as possible. He has used 

tinted soft lime mortar repairs 

to fill areas of weathered but 

salvageable stonework, 

building up the faces of the 

stone to provide smoother 

junctions with the new work. 

To further help the new 

stonework look more at 

home, it has been “weathered” 

with the help of bacteria-laden 

yoghurt and tea! 

The external work is complete 

but much remains to be 

done inside. However, now 

that the scaffolding is down 

and the building looks more 

settled, the emerging general 

consensus seems to be that 

the vulnerable, time-worn 

character of the building has 

not been so radically altered 

by the repair works as was 

feared. 

Moreover, the building can 

now be removed from the 

county list of historic buildings 

“at risk” from decay and 

dereliction.

DANIEL HAYES FARM 

Until 1880, Daniel Hayes After the Dissolution, 

Of all the venues on offer for Heritage Open Days this 

was a detached part of the Daniel Hay was bought by 

year, Daniel Hayes Farm is probably the least known. The 

parish of Repton, reflecting Thomas Thacker, who also 

editor explains why the site is of interest, both because of 

the fact that it had been given bought the old priory at 

its past and because of what is happening there now. 

to Repton Priory by the Repton. It appears to have 

Heritage Open Days 2010 

provides a rare opportunity to 

learn a little about the history 

Conservation Group which 

existed throughout the project. 

Hartshorne family, and it 

remained the property of the 

priory until its dissolution in 

been at this point, in the mid 

16th century, that a house 

was first built on the estate. 

and ongoing restoration of 

1539. Daniel Hayes sounds Mary Thacker left her 

Daniel Hayes Farm, a compact 

historic estate near 

Smisby. 

The site was purchased by 

the present owners in 2001 

and since then has been the 

subject of a major landscape 

and building restoration plan. 

Understanding of the site was 

The tours, led by Andrew 

Moseley, will look at the 

process and pitfalls of restoring 

the farmhouse and farm 

buildings, going on to examine 

the ongoing restoration of 

the farm’s traditional pre 

enclosure and enclosure field 

patterns. Also of interest are 

the rebuilding of the farm’s 

like a person, but the first part 

of the name comes from 

“denu waella” = “valley 

spring” and is a reference to 

the spring that still provides 

the source of Repton Brook. 

The “Hayes” part refers to 

the fact that the estate was in 

a ring fence, enclosed and 

self-contained, separate from 

Southwood estate, including 

Daniel Hayes, to Robert 

Burdett of Foremark in the 

late 18th century. 

The Burdetts kept it until it 

passed to the Harpur Crewes 

of Calke as part of an 

exchange agreement in 1821, 

and it is now owned privately. 

promoted by a Local numerous derelict and lost the field systems and agricultural 

The exchange deed, only 

Heritage Initiative grantaided 

ponds and the restoration of 

management of the vil- 

recently re-discovered, 

project in 2002-2004; 

the work culminated in a 

its ancient woodlands, along 

with the planting of over half 

lages round about. Some of 

the ditch and bank earthworks 

demonstrates that Daniel 

Hayes was included under 

report produced by the a million new trees as part of 

surrounding the estate the over-arching title of 

Daniel Hayes History and the National Forest initiative. still remain today. 

“Southwood”. 

An opportunity to catch the pigeon! 

Today, the idea of deliberately keeping 

pigeons in the attic room of an ordinary 

dwelling house would seem unthinkable, 

especially now that we know more 

about the health threats associated with 

pigeons. However, there is evidence to 

show that many an old house once 

incorporated a dovecote in one of its 

attics, and this was true of large houses 

as well as small ones. Pigeons, with their 

five-week breeding cycle, were an 

invaluable source of eggs and meat in 

the lean winter months, in the days when 

most farm animals were slaughtered in 

the Autumn and not over-wintered. 

Gresley Old Hall is one recently-discovered 

example. A recent tree ring dating 

exercise at Gresley Old Hall sadly 

failed to produce a date for the main roof 

with its distinctive Dutch gables, but 

good results were obtained from the 

west wing, which produced a felling 

date for the trees of 1709. This confirms 

the date suggested by the graffiti in one 

of the attics there, which is cut into wet 

plaster and is dated 1710. 

The west wing is the tallest part of the 

building, almost tower-like in appearance. 

In the centre of the roof, two 

rafters on each side of the ridge are cut 

vertically at the same point a few feet 

short of the apex, and extra pieces have 

been put in later. The king post truss at 

this point shows evidence of decay 

where water has penetrated the building. 

This evidence almost certainly points to 

a former “glover”, i.e. a turret on top of 

a roof where birds would have flown in 

and out, which deteriorated and let rain 

in before being removed. 

Perhaps this seems slim evidence on 

which to base such a hypothesis, but it is 

borne out by clearer examples elsewhere. 

At 65, Church Street, Melbourne, 

the walls in the eastern attic of this early 

18th century house are still lined with 

brick-built nesting boxes, now plastered 

over, and there is similar evidence of a 

long-removed “glover” on the roof. We 

also know, from the Melbourne Estate 

Accounts, that when Shaw House on 

Robinsons Hill was first built in 1717, it 

included a pigeon loft in one of its attics. 

Later rebuildings have removed all the 

evidence there. 


The west wing of Gresley Old Hall. The 

pigeon turret or “glover” was in the centre 

of this high roof. Gresley Old Hall will be 

open to visitors for Heritage Open Days on 

September 9th, 10th and 11th (see p7). 

All three of these cited examples happen 

to be from the early 18th century; it 

would be interesting to know what span 

of time was encompassed by these dovecotes. 

Smaller examples seem to be 

quite common over a long period, consisting 

of a few pigeon holes in the gable 

end of a house, with brick alighting 

perches, and allowing only a casual 

space for the birds above the attic ceilings. 

Examples observed recently 

include Muse Lane Farm at Church 

Broughton and Old Post Office Farm at 

Milton.

SHARPE’S POTTERY EVENTS, SEPTEMBER 2010 TO FEBRUARY 2011 

Bamford Auctioneers Valuations 

1 st Wednesday of every month, 2.30pm – 4.00pm in the kiln 

hovel. 

£1 per item donation towards the museum’s upkeep is requested. 

Dates: 1 st September, 6 th October, 3 rd November, 1 st 

December, 5 th January, 2 nd February 

Sharpe’s Autumn Lecture Brunch Series 

These Saturday morning lectures start at 10am, followed by 

refreshments and tasty homemade treats 

Tickets £5 

25 th SeptemberElizabethan Wardrobe Revealed 

Join Maureen and her beautiful costumes, 

as she guides you through 

the many layers of Elizabethan 

dress. 

2 nd October Elizabeth, Mary & Bess 

Join David Templeman for a talk on 

the three formidable women whose 

stories continue to resonate through 

the centuries. 

www.sharpes.org.uk 

September 

Gift Shop Craft Exhibition: 

Ghost Shift - Polymer Clay Jewellery by Sue Corrie 

Coffee Shop Artist Exhibition: 

Watercolours of Wildlife and Local Landscapes by Felicity 

Jackson 

Wednesday 9 th September 

Bingo Evening at Sharpe’s 

Doors open 6.30pm, Bingo 7.30pm 

Bar and refreshments available 

(A Volunteers of Sharpe’s initiative) 

Monday 27 th September 

Card Making Workshop 

10am – 12noon. £8 per person including all materials and 

refreshments. No previous experience needed. For more information 

contact Elizabeth on 07968 630827. Booking required 

on 01283 222600. 

October 

16 th October Elizabethan Music and 

Instruments 

Helen Chambers returns with her 

wonderful tales of Elizabethan 

music and authentic songs played on 

her vast array of Tudor Instruments. 

30 th October Packhorses, Packroads & Drovers 

Join Wendy Freer and follow in the 

footsteps of jaggers, packhorses and 

drovers over windswept prehistoric 

ridgeways, down forgotten holloways 

and paved causeways for a 

look at what they carried and how 

they operated. 

6 th November Elizabeth Woodville 

Sally Henshaw looks at this often 

overlooked historical figure: 

Mother of 12, including the princes 

in the tower and grandmother of 

Henry VIII. 

20 th November Arabella Stuart 

David Templeman returns to examine 

the life of the girl raised to want 

nothing, except freedom from her 

claustrophobic life. 


Ghost Shift - Polymer Clay Jewellery by Sue Corrie 


Watercolours, Acrylics and Pastels by Betty Norton 

Saturday 23 rd October 

Autumnal Flower Arranging with Carolyn Bates 

10.00am-3.00pm. £15 per person, including a warming lunch 

and refreshments 

Tuesday 26 th October 

Spooky Halloween Children’s Workshop 

10.00am – 12.00pm 

Join Catherine to make a Halloween mobile and write your 

own spooky story 

Suitable for 7-11 years, children must be accompanied by an 

adult. £5 per child 

November 

Gift Shop Craft Exhibition 

Wood turning by Peter Rutter 

Coffee Shop Artist Exhibition 

Original works, prints and cards by Kathy Spall 

Continued overleaf ..... 


SHARPE’S POTTERY EVENTS, SEPTEMBER 2010 TO FEBRUARY 2011 

..... Continued from previous page 

Friday 26 th & Saturday 27 th November 

Sharpe’s Festive Fayre 

An array of festive gifts, seasonal produce and traditional 

activities over the Christmas light switch on weekend. 

Saturday 11.00am – 8.00pm & Friday 10.00am – 2.00pm 

December 

Saturday 11 th December 

Yuletide Tales in the Kiln performed by Wild Orchid Theatre 

7.30pm. Doors/bar opens 7.00pm . Join Wild Orchid Theatre 

as it returns for its third year with an evening of festive plays 

and seasonal goodwill. Yuletide Tales in the Kiln will feature 

a selection of Christmas plays, performed script in hand, 

including successful entries from Wild Orchid’s playwriting 

competition. Booking essential, telephone 01283 222600. 

Web: www.wildorchidtheatre.co.uk. Tickets: £7.00. 


Wood turning by Peter Rutter 


Expressionist work by Emma Henrick 

Saturday 4th December 

Festive Flower Arranging with Carolyn Bates 

10.00am-3.00pm £15 per person, including a warming lunch 

and refreshments 

Tuesday 21 st December 

Crafty Christmas Tales Children’s Workshop 

10.00am – 12.00pm Join Catherine to make festive decorations 

and write your own Christmas story. Suitable for 7-11 

years, children must be accompanied by an adult. £5 per child 

January 


Landscapes by John Edwards 

Saturday 11 th December 

Tamarisk Parent’s Choir in the Kiln 

11.30am to 12.30pm. Further details available from Sharpe’s 

nearer the time on 01283 222600. 

As reported in Heritage 

News No. 29, the District 

Council is currently considering 

an application to incorporate 

the remaining facades 

of Burnaston House into a 

new dwelling by the old railway 

line in Radbourne parish 

at grid reference SK289344. 

The facades, despite being 

dismantled, still had listed 

status until April this year, 

but have now been de-listed. 

It was the recent planning 

application that brought the 

continued listed status of the 

house under the spotlight. 

Listed building consent had 

been granted for total demolition 

of the house in 1989, but 

the stonework from two 

facades, and the stone dressings 

from a third façade, had 

been kept when the house was 

demolished in 1990. The 

house had never been officially 

de-listed following the 

grant of consent for demolition. 

Off the list: 

Burnaston House 

The District Council took 

the view that the failure to delist 

was an oversight, but to 

others it could be interpreted 

as implying that the retained 

remains were still of sufficient 

interest to merit continued 

listing. Such things do occur; 

the façade of Pickford’s 

Derby Assembly Rooms was 

listed in 1985 after being 

rebuilt at the Crich Tramway 

Museum, for example. 

English Heritage was 

approached for advice, and at 

first said that de-listing would 

not normally be considered 

while a decision on a planning 

application was pending. 

However, following a challenge 

to the listed status by an 

objector, English Heritage 

agreed that the circumstances 

were not “normal” and that 

the case could be re-considered. 

The result of this was that 

the house was officially delisted 

on 9th April, 2010. 


February 


Digital Photography by John Edwards 

English Heritage made the 

following observations: 

“…the grounds for assigning 

special interest to country 

houses include architectural 

distinction, artistic and decorative 

achievement and historical 

and social interest. 

When the house was listed in 

1976 it fulfilled these criteria, 

despite the fact that there had 

already been some loss of fabric. 

“Before continuing neglect 

took its toll, Burnaston House 

was a handsome neo-classical 

house, sparingly detailed. 

Although the end bays may 

have been later additions, 

they formed a coherent part of 

the design, and the interior 

contained fine plasterwork 

and joinery. However, by the 

1980s the interior had suffered 

considerable damage, 

including loss of fireplaces, 

and when the house was dismantled, 

little of the surviving 

detail was salvaged. 

Essentially the only fabric to 

remain in its entirety is the 

stonework of two facades and 

the stone dressings of the 

third. 

“If it was possible to 

rebuild the house using its 

original materials, including 

restoring the interior with its 

own iron balustraded staircase, 

fireplaces, doors and 

other joinery, then the house 

could be considered for retention 

on the statutory list. 

However, this is not the case. 

Other losses are also a consideration, 

particularly its 

historical and physical context…” 

The de-listing of the house 

does not necessarily mean 

that the rebuilding project will 

be abandoned. Listed or not, 

there has been some sympathy 

for the proposal, which 

will be determined by the 

District Council in due course 

following the results of further 

site investigation.

LANDMARK RESTORATIONS 

The District Council’s 

annual budget for restoration 

works to listed buildings 

and buildings in conservation 

areas is extremely 

small, but can nevertheless 

make a big impact. For 

instance, the restoration of 

a small feature on a building 

can have a knock-on 

effect on a whole street 

scene, especially where the 

building concerned is 

something of a local landmark. 

Recent examples of 

District Council grantaided 

restoration make the 

point well: 

At 47, The Wharf, 

Shardlow, the original 

Georgian front doorcase had 

been poorly repaired when 

elements of the original had 

rotted. The decayed parts had 

been replaced with inaccurate 

modern profiles which, 

although roughly the same 

size as the originals, detracted 

from the grace and elegance 

of the design. 

The house occupies a 

prominent position on the 

Wharf and is one of the group 

of late Georgian houses and 

warehouses that define the 

character of the Shardlow 

Conservation Area. 

The doorcase was carefully 

studied, both before and after 

dismantling, to try and ascertain 

what changes had been 

made over time, with a view 

to rectifying them. A little 

guesswork was necessary, but 

the general picture was clear. 

As the photographs show, it 

is amazing how small 

changes can dramatically 

affect the appearance of 

architectural detail and our 

perception of what looks 

“right” and “wrong”. The 

repairs were carried out by 

Ilkeston Joinery Ltd. 

At 32, Derby Road, 

Melbourne, there had been a 

history of gradual, degrading 

change over time, an all-too 

familiar story repeated thousands 

of times over across the 

district. The chimneypots had 

been removed and the stack 

truncated, and the front was 

rendered and pebbledashed in 

different phases. One window 

had been enlarged, the 

stone lintels were rendered 

over, and the external joinery 

had been unsympathetically 

replaced. 

Houses must progress and 

evolve, but such defacement 

is usually needless. 

The new owner of the property 

asked for advice and 

grant aid to restore the front 

elevation of the property, 

which is placed at right 

angles to the pavement and is 

very prominent in the view 

along Derby Road. Removal 

of render is often fraught 

with unknowns, as the condition 

of the underlying fabric 

cannot be assessed until it is 

exposed. 

In the case of 32 Derby 

Road, much of the brickwork 

at ground storey level was 

brought to light in a very poor 

condition and the surfaces of 

other bricks were rough and 

pitted. The owner had to 

decide whether to outlay a 

further substantial sum on 

brickwork repair, or settle for 

the unsatisfying option of rerendering 

the property in a 

more sympathetic manner. 

The District Council’s grant 

offer was designed to cover 

either eventuality. 

Continued overleaf.... 


Small changes (top shows before the work and bottom after) have 

made all the difference during restoration of the elegant doorcase at 

47, The Wharf, Shardlow.

LANDMARK RESTORATIONS 

... Continued from p15 

decided on the more costly 

route, Heritage Restoration 

Services of Burton on Trent 

began the laborious task of 

cutting out and replacing the 

perished brickwork, reducing 

the enlarged window and 

inserting a new stone lintel 

and cill. The brickwork was 

re-pointed and cleaned by a 

gentle abrasive technique 

known as “JOS”, patented by 

a company called 

Stonehealth. 

Cleaning technology for 

removing render residues, or 

indeed any other coatings, 

from buildings, has advanced 

greatly within the last ten or 

fifteen years. Harsh sandblasting, 

which takes the 

faces off bricks and the 

sharpness off stone, was 

often undesirable and is no 

longer the only option. 

32, Derby Road at Melbourne (seen above in 

2005) is now on the way back to its more attractive 

appearance in former times (left). 

Further refinements to 

cleaning techniques, and 

experiments with blasting 

media, are continually being 

made. The more unusual 

blasting media include baking 

soda and ground walnut 

shells! 

SOUTH DERBYSHIRE HERITAGE NEWS NO. 32 AUTUMN 2010 

"Heritage News" is published by South Derbyshire District Council two times a year. It is circulated to all parish councils / 

meetings, amenity societies and historical groups within South Derbyshire, and is also distributed to libraries and to local press 

contacts. We are always pleased to advertise the work of local groups where possible, so please call us with any news for our 

next issue. 

Contacts: 

Philip Heath Heritage Officer / tel: 01283 595936 

Editor of "Heritage News" fax: 01283 595850 

e-mail: philip.heath@south-derbys.gov.uk 

Marilyn Hallard Design & Conservation tel: 01283 595747 

Officer fax: 01283 595850 

e-mail: marilyn.hallard@south-derbys.gov.uk 

Emma Fyffe Curator, Sharpe's Pottery tel/fax 01283 222600 

e-mail: emma.ward@sharpespotterymuseum.org.uk 

Helen Humphreys 

Sharpe's website: 

SDDC website: 

www.sharpes.org.uk 

www.south-derbys.gov.uk 

Visitor Manager, 

Swadlincote T.I.C. tel/fax 01283 222848 

e-mail: helen.humphreys@sharpespotterymuseum.org.uk 

The postal address is: Philip Heath, Heritage Officer, South Derbyshire District Council, Civic Offices, Civic Way, 

Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 0AH. "Heritage News" may be downloaded in .pdf format from the South Derbyshire District 

Council (SDDC) website. The simplest way to access it is to type "South Derbyshire Heritage News" into the Google search 

engine. 

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all items are written by the editor. The non-editorial contributions to "Heritage News" reflect the 

views of their authors and may not necessarily coincide with those of the District Council.

Heritage News Issue 32 (8505KB) - South Derbyshire District Council

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