Summary : An early village was depopulated in about the 12th century to make way for a Cistercian Grange, with Chapel. At the suppression the Grange came into lay hands and a new mansion was built, probably in the 17th century. The Chapel was destroyed in the early C18th and another new mansion, Beesthorpe Hall, was built in the early C19th. Beesthorpe Hall is Jacobean and converted Georgian. A print of 1790 in the possession of the present owners shows a stone building with double finial crosses at Sk 7302 6050. This has now been demolished and the site is wooded leaving no surface evidence of the early structure which was almost certainly a chapel - possibly a "follow-on" of that demolished earlier. There are no extant remains of an adjacent early village, and air photo inspection also negative. The bowling green can no longer be identified but perambulation, and the topographical situation, suggest SK 72966045 as being a logical site - this is now an inferior lawn. |
More information : SK 730605. At 'Besthorpe' there was an 'early loss' DMV and a Grange of Rufford Abbey. (1)
A Free Chapel at Beesthorpe was pulled down, being ruinous, in the early C18th to enlarge a bowling Green. (2,3)
Beesthorpe Hall is late Georgian - 'the building history needs attention'.
The history of the site therefore seems to be:
An early village was depopulated in about the 12th c to make way for a Cistercian Grange, with Chapel. At the suppression the Grange came into lay hands and a new mansion (of which Thoroton gives an illustration) was built in the 17th (?) century. The Chapel was destroyed in the early C18th and another new mansion (Pevsner's) was built in the early C19th. (4)
Beesthorpe Hall is Jacobean and converted Georgian. A print of 1790 in the possession of the present owners shows a stone building with double finial crosses at Sk 7302 6050, this has now been demolished and the site is wooded leaving no surface evidence of the early structure which was almost certainly a chapel - possibly a "follow-on" of that demolished earlier. There are no extant remains of an adjacent early village, AP inspection also negative. The bowling green of auths 2 and 3 can no longer be identified but perambulation, and the topographical situation, suggest SK 72966045 as being a logical site - this is now an inferior lawn. (5)
II Beesthorpe Hall * Probably partly C16, but essentially of circa 1700 with Georgian alterations. H. shaped. Two storeys and attic with early C19 cement rendered walls. 2-3-2 cased sashes. Bands between storeys. Central pedimented porch with Doric columns. Eight fielded panelled door. Coped gable ends to wings and parapet to centre; ball finials. Old tile roof with two pedimented dormers. Flanking the front are late C18 or early C19 one storey cemented wings each with three sashes to ground level. Parapet with centre urons and ball finials. Side elevations of no particular consequence. Rear elevation, less formal, also has two projecting gabled wings, the right one with two cased sashes to first floor, one French window to ground floor, and casement in gables. Coped gable, ball finials. Left hand one has various sashes, gabled three storey box-like addition at corner. One storey additions in centre, roundheaded stair window over. Old tiles. Cemented chimneys. Two storey wing to left with two sashes etc., no particular interest. S.B. 1780 inscribed on a rear rainwater head.
Interior. C18 stair, C18 panelled room upstairs, mahogany doors to rear left ground floor room and a few other plain features. Setting. Parklands of open character. Formerly the seat of the Bristowe family, owners from 1543 to recent years. (6) |