Sutton Lodge Farm, Derbyshire, May 2015

HughieD · May 9, 2015

Look familiar? Well, it might be. If you’ve ever driven down the M1 near Chesterfield you will have seen this ruined farm looming up on the left as you head down to London. I’ve passed it literally dozens of times but never visited it. So I duly paid it a visit. The farm in question is called Sutton Lodge Farm. It’s in a very poor way and can be found near Palterton the opposite side of the M1 to the altogether more grand ruin of Sutton Scarsdale House. There’s little if no history about the place but was probably part of the Sutton Scarsdale estate. This sandstone and brick house with full range of out-buildings would have been a lovely property in its day. Now though walls are collapsing and time is short for this picturesque ruin.

Anyhow, on with the pictures.

The old farm house lies at the end of a short track, currently sat in fields of rape.

img8925 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8895 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8916 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8918 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8917 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8904 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8900 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8919 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Walls come tumbling down:

img8897 by HughieDW, on Flickr

But the barrel-vaulted cellar soldiers on:

img8910 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The out-buildings have faired even worse than the house:

img8914 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A recently collapsed barn wall:

img8913 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Bye bye Lodge farm…

img8893 by HughieDW, on Flickr

UrbanX · May 11, 2015

Nice one, a beautiful set of photos too!

HughieD · May 11, 2015

UrbanX said:
Nice one, a beautiful set of photos too!

Cheers UrbanX! :mrgreen:

Dirus_Strictus · May 12, 2015

Both this place and the 'big house' were victims of the increasing mechanisation of farming and the ensuing amalgamation of country estates, that were centred around traditional farming. Years ago, when the outbuildings were in much better condition, it was plain to see that the farm had been worked by a large number of horses. The arrival of the tractor not only removed the working horse from the countryside, it also made travelling around these large estates quicker and easier - thus places like this and many isolated workers cottages became redundant almost over night. Because most of these places were very isolated, they were just abandoned and it is only the ruins of the more substantially built ones that remain today - Many of the ruins from my childhood are now only marked by very dense Bramble thickets.

The 'big houses' really suffered because of the way taxation was levied, lived in or empty, the rate bill was the same and it was only when the house was completely uninhabitable that the tax man went away empty handed. 'Uninhabitable' in those times meant removing the roof completely (all slates and roofing timbers) and whilst many properties were also completely gutted, others were only emptied of goods and chattels. Family picnics in the 50's to various roofless Yorkshire ruins indicated some still had all the interior woodwork intact.

smiler · May 12, 2015

You got some lovely pics Hughie, I enjoyed it, Thanks.

Old No.13 · May 12, 2015

Must have passed it hundreds of times, thanx for the close up. Great shots!

HughieD · May 13, 2015

Cheers folks. And always love DS's word of wisdom....great background info.

Historybuff2020 · Apr 9, 2022

The farmhouse was reportedly haunted, at least one family vacated the farm due to unexplainable events. The full story is in a book called Haunted Chesterfield by Carol Brindle page 44.

Hayman · Apr 9, 2022

The very rectangular stone blocks making up the walls are very distinctive. They almost look like large bricks. I wonder if the arch-roofed structure was an ice-tunnel, the forerunner of the refrigerator.

Naked Explore · Apr 10, 2022

Great pics. Can see the brick work has really weathered down i wonder if they were taken from an older building.

Hayman · Apr 10, 2022

Naked Explore said:
Great pics. Can see the brick work has really weathered down i wonder if they were taken from an older building.

Could have been. The striations on some of the stone blocks seem quite deliberate,as if done to get away from a smooth surface - think about how modern concrete structures also have intentionally rough surfaces to give 'texture' to otherwise bland faces. I'm due to visit a Bath stone mine in May, where some of the old workings are still in place.

colz · Jul 4, 2022

I remember as a teenager, i not proudly played truant a couple of times with my mates and we used to head for this building, as we lived in Bolsover, so not far, there were stairs still at this time too the upper floor, so we used to stay up there tull it was time too head home, im 60 now so you can judge about the time we went.
If i remember rightly the roof was still there but in bad condition, and also there was an orchard with apples, and at back off house a big pear tree, growing up from where the celler opening is, all still growing lovely fruit.
On one occasion, one of my mates were climbing on one of the walls, fell off and broke his ankle, so we had too go to main road and flag a car down.
Anyway i eventualy got caught for playing truant, got the cane across palms of hands and never did it again (we learnt our lessons in those days quicker i think).
well i am pleased i found this page as always wondered what the farm was called, as still visit once in a blue moon now, but only to take photographs.

Hayman · Jul 4, 2022

colz said:
I remember as a teenager, i not proudly played truant a couple of times with my mates and we used to head for this building, as we lived in Bolsover, so not far, there were stairs still at this time too the upper floor, so we used to stay up there tull it was time too head home, im 60 now so you can judge about the time we went.
If i remember rightly the roof was still there but in bad condition, and also there was an orchard with apples, and at back off house a big pear tree, growing up from where the celler opening is, all still growing lovely fruit.
On one occasion, one of my mates were climbing on one of the walls, fell off and broke his ankle, so we had too go to main road and flag a car down.
Anyway i eventualy got caught for playing truant, got the cane across palms of hands and never did it again (we learnt our lessons in those days quicker i think).
well i am pleased i found this page as always wondered what the farm was called, as still visit once in a blue moon now, but only to take photographs.

"Anyway I eventualy got caught for playing truant, got the cane across palms of hands and never did it again (we learnt our lessons in those days quicker I think)." How about the book on how bering caned destroyed all your self-worth, your creative abiilities, your capabilities to study and pass school exams, any chances of social and work advancement, etc, etc? I think that school master or school mistress should be named, shamed and reported to the police for assaulting a minor. Or maybe I do not!!!

BikinGlynn · Jul 4, 2022

Hayman said:
"Anyway I eventualy got caught for playing truant, got the cane across palms of hands and never did it again (we learnt our lessons in those days quicker I think)." How about the book on how bering caned destroyed all your self-worth, your creative abiilities, your capabilities to study and pass school exams, any chances of social and work advancement, etc, etc? I think that school master or school mistress should be named, shamed and reported to the police for assaulting a minor. Or maybe I do not!!!

Bring back canes I say, I know a few kids who could do with it!

colz · Jul 4, 2022

BikinGlynn said:
Bring back canes I say, I know a few kids who could do with it!

I agree, learned me a lesson, some teachers did take it a bit far though, one teacher used too bring his own slippers in, so got one of these across backside for being naughty.
But in those days we did have more respect, these days there would be big lines if pupils waiting too get the cane.

BikinGlynn · Jul 5, 2022

colz said:
I agree, learned me a lesson, some teachers did take it a bit far though, one teacher used too bring his own slippers in, so got one of these across backside for being naughty.
But in those days we did have more respect, these days there would be big lines if pupils waiting too get the cane.

I am not quite old enough to get caned but had many a wooden board rubber threw at me!
Our Art teacher was brutal scotsman, used to call us "all a bunch of f@&$in fannys" & tear up your work if he didnt like it.

Junior school they used to stand u in corner facing wall & chalk round your feet if u misbehaved, god help u if u moved out the chalk lines

Hayman · Jul 5, 2022

colz said:
I agree, learned me a lesson, some teachers did take it a bit far though, one teacher used too bring his own slippers in, so got one of these across backside for being naughty.
But in those days we did have more respect, these days there would be big lines if pupils waiting too get the cane.

I do not know about "these days there would be big lines if pupils waiting to get the cane", but I often enough got made to WRITE LINES:

I must not....
I must not....
I must not....
I must not....
I must not....
and so on!

colz · Sep 20, 2022

I have just been watching a programme about the tunnels under Paris, and it jogged my memory to the celler of this buiding, in the photo of the celler that Hughie DW took, (the pictures are amazingly sharp and clear by the way) i remember too the left of where the camera was shooting the pic was an archway under the stairs that was bricked up, and for years I always wondered if the bricks where knocked down would it lead into another room underground.
I dont know if since i last went anyone has done this, but thought i would mention it on here for histories sake, or if there is someone adventurous enough to test this theory if being some other room.
I should imagine it could be dangerous just taking a hammer and chisel too knock a brick out too take a peak, as the walls are very unstable, so would have to be controlled.
Could be nothing but who knows the bricks did look out of place and more modern than the rest of the walls.
Wish i could go back and take a picture of the wall, but have bad knees now so not possible.
Not my fault though if anyone follows this up and disturbs a corpse behind the wall and its ghost follows you home, It is creepy in that celler, then again might just be a solid wall but still looks out of place.

Sarah Waldock · Sep 21, 2022

colz said:
I have just been watching a programme about the tunnels under Paris, and it jogged my memory to the celler of this buiding, in the photo of the celler that Hughie DW took, (the pictures are amazingly sharp and clear by the way) i remember too the left of where the camera was shooting the pic was an archway under the stairs that was bricked up, and for years I always wondered if the bricks where knocked down would it lead into another room underground.
I dont know if since i last went anyone has done this, but thought i would mention it on here for histories sake, or if there is someone adventurous enough to test this theory if being some other room.
I should imagine it could be dangerous just taking a hammer and chisel too knock a brick out too take a peak, as the walls are very unstable, so would have to be controlled.
Could be nothing but who knows the bricks did look out of place and more modern than the rest of the walls.
Wish i could go back and take a picture of the wall, but have bad knees now so not possible.
Not my fault though if anyone follows this up and disturbs a corpse behind the wall and its ghost follows you home, It is creepy in that celler, then again might just be a solid wall but still looks out of place.

I was speaking to the proprietor of the camera shop in Bath, the one near the cathedral, and he said there's something similar in his cellar, which he never quite dared knock down, but that Bath is said to be riddled with tunnels, and a heap of rumours surrounding them. I suspect the most mundane reason that they were shortcuts for the toffs to go to church when it was wet.
I know the odd cataphile - the name for those who explore Paris underground - and the whole concept is fascinating. If we have any cataphiles on this forum, I'd love to see your posts! I've used the tunnels in a couple of novels, from photos and descriptions of others, but I'm severely claustrophobic and I don't think I'd even manage the public parts. But for a claustrophobe, I am fascinated by tunnels. I wonder if the bricked up doorway in this cellar was in any way connected with smuggling, or was just an extensive cellar? another tunnel there is said to exist is in Blytheborough, Suffolk, between the White Hart on the river and the church on the hill. That one would have been about smuggling, a national sport in the vicinity.

colz · Sep 22, 2022

I know the lad the who was a tenant in one of the stone cottages opposite Bolsover library, he said there was a tunnel in his house concreted up that led to the castle, supposedly his house used too belong to the person who sorted the money for said castle.
Good job i didnt rent the place, would have been too tempted too accidently knock a whole in the concrete causing an investingation down the tunnel i think.
I remember as a kid growing up in Bolsover there was always rumours of a tunnel leading all the way from Bolsover castle too Sutton Hall, but i do suspect that is all it ever was a rumour, it is quite a distance, and have read i think every local book thats in the library of old Bolsover and no mention of it.

Sutton Lodge Farm, Derbyshire, May 2015

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