Shipley Hall
Encyclopedia
Shipley Hall was a Hall and country estate near Heanor
and Ilkeston
in Derbyshire
, England
which now forms a Country Park
.
. From the 14th century the land was extensive forest used for hunting, with a hunting lodge on Shipley Hill. From the 16th century, coal mining began to provide income for the owners.
Shipley Hall was built in 1700 and by 1722 coal mining was an important activity on the Shipley estate. The Hall became the property of the Miller Mundy family who in around 1765 started running the mines themselves. The Nutbrook Canal
opened in 1796 to serve the Shipley Colliery, and the income led to extensive development of the estate. The Hall was rebuilt in 1799 to the design of William Linley of Doncaster, and the grounds were landscaped by William Emes, a follower of Capability Brown
.
In the late 19th century, under Alfred Edward Miller Mundy, the colliery was becoming increasingly prosperous, especially with the opening of the Midland Railway
. Mundy was regarded as an excellent employer by the standards of the time, with a hands-on approach. Further developments were the building of a model dairy and farm, and the water tower to feed it, designed by W. E. Nesfield, and a doubling of the size of the hall. The Lodges and gates were designed by Sir Walter Tapper.
In 1887 there was a scandal at the Hall when Ellen Miller-Mundy, née Palmer-Morewood, who was married to Captain Mundy ran off with Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, the young Earl of Shrewsbury
and then left the country with her three brothers who had skipped bail as they were wanted by the Police. Her brothers were accused of drawing lots to decide who would kill the eldest brother and heir of Alfreton Hall
if he did not sign over outstanding inheritances.
Captain Mundy was able to entertain King Edward VII
at one of the lavish house parties prior to World War I
.
Colliery Company, which his family had founded, who took over complete control of the mines and the family moved out mainly because life at the Hall was seriously affected by the noise and pollution of the colliery.
After the collieries were nationalised in 1948, the National Coal Board
decided that the Hall was too damaged by subsidence to be worth keeping, and demolished it. The Woodside and Coppice pits were closed in the 1960s because they were regarded as uneconomical, ending over 250 years of deep mining at Shipley. There was a residual legacy of spoil heaps, derelict buildings, polluted lakes and thirty abandoned mine shafts. In the late 1960s Derbyshire County Council decided to create a Country Park as a memorial to mining in the area.
The National Coal Board reclaimed land near the closed collieries by opencast methods between 1970 and 1974. Two years were spent contouring the site, planting trees, seeding fields and meadows, and building facilities for the public and Shipley Country Park opened to the public on 26 May 1976.
In the 1980s the County Council controversially agreed the use of part of the park and a lake to form a theme park, initially as Britannia Park. That business closed soon after and the park re-opened as The American Adventure. The last incarnation of this park closed in 2007 and has been partly demolished. The future of this area of the Shipley Country Park, which contains the site of the former Woodside Colliery, is still uncertain.
Heanor
Heanor is a town in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. It is northeast of Derby. According to the census of 2001 the town's population was 22,620.-History:...
and Ilkeston
Ilkeston
Ilkeston is a town within the Borough of Erewash, in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the River Erewash, from which the local borough takes its name. Its population at the 2001 census was 37,550...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which now forms a Country Park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
.
Early history
The Shipley Estate is an ancient manor which was referenced in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. From the 14th century the land was extensive forest used for hunting, with a hunting lodge on Shipley Hill. From the 16th century, coal mining began to provide income for the owners.
Shipley Hall was built in 1700 and by 1722 coal mining was an important activity on the Shipley estate. The Hall became the property of the Miller Mundy family who in around 1765 started running the mines themselves. The Nutbrook Canal
Nutbrook Canal
The Nutbrook Canal was a canal in England which ran between Shipley, Derbyshire and the Erewash Canal, joining it near Trowell. It was built to serve the collieries at Shipley and West Hallam, and was completed in 1796. It was initially profitable, but from 1846 faced competition from the railways,...
opened in 1796 to serve the Shipley Colliery, and the income led to extensive development of the estate. The Hall was rebuilt in 1799 to the design of William Linley of Doncaster, and the grounds were landscaped by William Emes, a follower of Capability Brown
Capability Brown
Lancelot Brown , more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English landscape architect. He is remembered as "the last of the great English eighteenth-century artists to be accorded his due", and "England's greatest gardener". He designed over 170 parks, many of which still endure...
.
19th century
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
. Mundy was regarded as an excellent employer by the standards of the time, with a hands-on approach. Further developments were the building of a model dairy and farm, and the water tower to feed it, designed by W. E. Nesfield, and a doubling of the size of the hall. The Lodges and gates were designed by Sir Walter Tapper.
In 1887 there was a scandal at the Hall when Ellen Miller-Mundy, née Palmer-Morewood, who was married to Captain Mundy ran off with Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, the young Earl of Shrewsbury
Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury
Major Charles Henry John Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, 20th Earl of Waterford, 5th Earl Talbot , was a British peer.Talbot was the only son and heir of the Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury...
and then left the country with her three brothers who had skipped bail as they were wanted by the Police. Her brothers were accused of drawing lots to decide who would kill the eldest brother and heir of Alfreton Hall
Alfreton Hall
Alfreton Hall is a country house in Alfreton, Derbyshire. It was at the heart of local social and industrial history in the county. The history of the estate goes back to Norman times, but by the 17th century it was owned by the Morewood family, who were linked to local industry, mainly in coal...
if he did not sign over outstanding inheritances.
Captain Mundy was able to entertain King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
at one of the lavish house parties prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
20th century
After Captain Miller Mundy died, the Hall was sold to the ShipleyShipley, Derbyshire
Shipley is a village in the south-east of Derbyshire in the East Midlands of England. Since 1974 it has been part of the Borough of Amber Valley.Shipley separates the Ilkeston and Heanor urban areas, which are linked by the main A6007 road...
Colliery Company, which his family had founded, who took over complete control of the mines and the family moved out mainly because life at the Hall was seriously affected by the noise and pollution of the colliery.
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
decided that the Hall was too damaged by subsidence to be worth keeping, and demolished it. The Woodside and Coppice pits were closed in the 1960s because they were regarded as uneconomical, ending over 250 years of deep mining at Shipley. There was a residual legacy of spoil heaps, derelict buildings, polluted lakes and thirty abandoned mine shafts. In the late 1960s Derbyshire County Council decided to create a Country Park as a memorial to mining in the area.
The National Coal Board reclaimed land near the closed collieries by opencast methods between 1970 and 1974. Two years were spent contouring the site, planting trees, seeding fields and meadows, and building facilities for the public and Shipley Country Park opened to the public on 26 May 1976.
In the 1980s the County Council controversially agreed the use of part of the park and a lake to form a theme park, initially as Britannia Park. That business closed soon after and the park re-opened as The American Adventure. The last incarnation of this park closed in 2007 and has been partly demolished. The future of this area of the Shipley Country Park, which contains the site of the former Woodside Colliery, is still uncertain.