Muniment Room In Melbourne Hall Garden

The Muniment Room in Melbourne Hall Garden is a dovecot or garden pavilion that has been repurposed as a muniment room. It dates from the early 17th century and was remodeled in 1709. The structure is built of rubble stone with ashlar quoins, featuring a plain band between storeys and a moulded cornice. It has an octagonal, bell-shaped domed slate roof with lead flashings and a ball finial at the top, along with a small brick stack on the north-east side.

The building is one storey high with a basement and is octagonal in shape. On the south-east side, there are steps leading down to a 17th-century four-centred arched door that opens into the basement. Above this door is a large glazing bar sash window set in a raised plain surround with a keystone. A similar window is located on the east side, while on the west side, steps lead up to a plain raised doorcase with a keystone and a panelled door. These 18th-century openings interrupt the original 17th-century plain band. The other sides of the building are blank.

The remodeling of the Muniment Room coincided with the establishment of early 18th-century gardens designed by Royal Gardeners to Queen Anne, London and Wise, for Thomas Coke of Melbourne Hall. The work was carried out by William Cook of Walcot. The Muniment Room is also included in the Derbyshire Historic Gardens Register at Grade I.