Hope grows for future of historic Allestree Hall

There is new hope for the future of the historic Allestree Hall, which is owned by Derby City Council, following renewed market interest.

A previous sale of the Grade II listed country house, which sits at the heart of Allestree Park, fell through in 2022 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But in October, Salloway Property Consultants began marketing the hall on the city council’s behalf.

Now, its cabinet members will be updated on the latest position at their next meeting on Wednesday 4 December, where they will be asked to give the go-head for council officers to identify a preferred bidder.

Set in 8.7 acres of grounds, the sale of the property, which was built in the early 1800s, includes the former stables and icehouse.

Councillor Kathy Kozlowski, the city council’s cabinet member for governance and finance, said: “We have searched for a buyer for a number of years for Allestree Hall, and it’s exciting to see the renewed interest in this historic building, which could lend itself to a variety of uses.

“With sympathetic restoration, this country house could once again become a jewel.”

Allestree Hall was built on land previously owned by the Mundy family of Markeaton Hall.

Commissioned by Bache Thornhill, architect James Wyatt was instructed to build an imposing mansion within a country park setting.

The Grade II* listed building was built over three storeys with Ashlar stone elevations, sash windows and a central full height bow with a foundation stone bearing the initial JW and dated 1802.

The house was used as a residence from the early 1800s up until the late 1920s, with notable stewards among others including William Evans, Sir Thomas Williams Evans and Colonel Herbert Johnson.

In 1928, the property was sold to Commercial Constructions who broke the estate up, before disposing of it in 1936.

Following the onset of the wars the property was utilised by the National Fire Service as the County Headquarters, albeit conflicting reports suggest that Sherwood Foresters Regiment occupied the property during a similar period.

In 1946, Derby City Council acquired the hall and subsequently converted some of the grounds into an 18-hole golf course.

In November 2020 the golf course closed with the land returned to nature to become the UK’s largest urban re-wilding project.

As the council does not have the resources to bring the building back into use, disposal of the building by a long lease would set the scene for its renovation, safeguarding its future and preventing it from falling into further disrepair.

According to Salloways, subject to meeting the necessary planning and listed building requirements, it believes that the building may be adaptable for educational, office, leisure and recreational or residential use.

The preferred bidder would be expected to take immediate action to prevent further deterioration of the hall, and to maintain access to public toilets at Allestree Park.

They would also need to confirm that they will work collaboratively with the council and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to ensure future use of the hall aligns with the ongoing community rewilding project at Allestree Park.

Councillor Kozlowski said: “Disposing of long leasehold interest means the council can make the best use of this property by handing it over to a developer who can bring it back into use.

“It will also generate some much-needed income at a critical time for local government finances.”