Boundary Walls To Former Whitworth Estate

The boundary walls to the former Whitworth Estate date to approximately the 1870s and later 19th century, designed by T. Roger Smith and E.M. Barry as part of the development of the Stancliffe Hall estate for Sir Joseph Whitworth, an industrialist. The walls are built of regularly coursed, squared, rock-faced gritstone with saddleback copings, and incorporate monolithic gate piers.

The wall varies in height at different locations and extends from its start adjacent to three gate piers on Whitworth Road at map reference SK268635, south-westwards to the junction of Whitworth Road and Dale Road North (A6). It then continues northwest along the road frontage to the entrance gateway of West Lodge (listed separately), before terminating at map reference SK264638. A horse trough is set within a tall, arch-headed recess in the tallest section of walling, northwest of West Lodge’s entrance. This recess is finished with rock-faced rustication on the arch voussoirs and keystone, and topped with a massive ashlar semi-circular cresting.

The wall forms a group with West Lodge (listed separately) and is part of an extensive network of boundary walls at Stancliffe Hall, relating to sections and gate piers to the east of Stancliffe Hall (listed separately), and to the Garden Boundary walls along Whitworth Road, Foggs Hill and Bent Lane, including a VR post box to the southwest (listed separately).

Construction of the estate boundary walls at Stancliffe Hall likely coincided with the remodelling of the Hall by T. Roger Smith from 1872, or from 1879 when E.M. Barry worked on the house. This section of boundary wall is notable for forming part of an existing estate boundary, being the tallest and most detailed section incorporating gate piers, ramped variations in height, and the elaborate horse trough with arched recess. It contributes significantly to the setting of the listed West Lodge and its entrance gateway and represents the masonry traditions of the local quarrying and stone working area, built from locally sourced materials and is strongly representative of Derbyshire's masonry traditions.