# Oakhurst House, Ambergate, Derbys, June 2015



## HughieD (Jun 25, 2015)

This is the third in a trio of reports from Ambergate and my reason for making the trip down here. This place and the wire-works used to get reported on here on a fairly regular basis then the reports stopped circa 2011. This puzzled me a bit so I didn't really know what to expect when me and non-member GazzaM headed down to check the place out. We needn't have worried. We found the place still majestic in its dereliction and not massively more far gone than it appeared in the reports from about 4-5 years ago. We could have had a look in the front bit of the house but were a little pushed for time plus we never checked out the wine cellars either. Anyhow, given it's not been done for a while here's the history bit.

Oakhurst House is a located in the Shining Cliff Woods above the village of Ambergate, Derbyshire. The house was built in 1848 by industrialist Francis Hurt (1801-1854) behind his wirework business (see earlier report). He built it for his three unmarried daughters Emma, Elizabeth and Selina. The idea was to free-up main residence, Alderwasley Hall, for his male heir. However his plans back-fired and all three refused to move to their intended home. Instead it was bought by the Thewlis Johnson, one half of the Johnson and Nephew wire-works business. The house remained in possession of the wireworks during the later 19th and early 20th centuries, with some alterations (including the mock-Tudor extension at the front) being undertaken during the 1890s as indicated by the 1894 date stone.

In the 1970s Oakhurst House was converted into flats. With the bankruptcy of the wire-works in 1985, the condition of Oakhurst also took a turn for the worst. Since then, the house has remained unoccupied and is now derelict and in a very poor way. 

Quite bizarrely I can't find a single archived picture of this place. Anyhow....on with my pictures:

You always know there’s something interesting ahead when you see great gate-posts like this:


img9927 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And here it is in all its mock-Tudor glory.


img9900 by HughieDW, on Flickr

At first it doesn’t look in too bad a nick:


img9903 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img9919 by HughieDW, on Flickr

But then reality kicks in:


img9905 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Toward the rear half of the house it is trashed:


img9907 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Stonework is a tumbling:


img9908 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Roofs and floors fallen into the house:


img9909 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img9917 by HughieDW, on Flickr

It’s a sorry sight:


img9912 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The stone mullioned windows stand firm though:


img9914 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The stone work is exquisite to the end:


img9916 by HughieDW, on Flickr

This date stone indicates the time of the mock-tudor extension:


img9921 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Some rooms are still in tact at the front:


img9918 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img9904 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And the roof is still in reasonable condition:


img9922 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img9925 by HughieDW, on Flickr

But what fate lies ahead for this once fine house?


img9923 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking…


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## The_Derp_Lane (Jun 25, 2015)

Very nice photos.


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## krela (Jun 25, 2015)

Nicely captured sir.


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## flyboys90 (Jun 25, 2015)

Great shots,thanks for sharing.


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## tumble112 (Jun 25, 2015)

Nicely done as ever. I hope someone rescues this house.


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## HughieD (Jun 25, 2015)

Thank you all for your comments folks!


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## Black Shuck (Jun 26, 2015)

This is excellent! Reminds me of Nocton Hall!


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## HughieD (Jun 26, 2015)

Black Shuck said:


> This is excellent! Reminds me of Nocton Hall!



Cheers mate. And yes - you are very right it is alike Nocton - another place on my 'to do' list.


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## Wernok (Jul 1, 2015)

Great thread! Did you see the Ouija board in the kitchen?


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## HughieD (Jul 1, 2015)

Wernok said:


> Great thread! Did you see the Ouija board in the kitchen?



Cheers mate. No, didn't venture in that bit but have seen pix of it. Next time!


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## Dirus_Strictus (Jul 1, 2015)

tumble1;30874 I hope someone rescues this house.[/QUOTE said:


> Sadly they will need very deep pockets - this place is a classic example of mid to late 1800's jerry building - make it fine and grand on the outside and to hell with foundations and interior structures. Nothing to do with the builder, more to do with how much money his client was prepared to put into the scheme - one can find examples of similar properties constructed at around the same time by the same firm, with one a collapsed ruin and the other a habitable dry abandoned country house. All to do with quality and depth of foundations and quality of roofing and flashings.


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## ironsky (Jul 2, 2015)

Visited this fine house many times over the years got a soft spot for it but too far gone to save now sadly. Recently while waiting at Derby bus station got talking to a old lady and who so happens to mention Oakhurst House. It turns out the ladies mother worked for the Johnson family as a maid. Her mother worked for the family for quite a few years and had a collection of photos of the house in its prime. I would have really liked to have seem them as I bet Oakhurst was a stunner in its time. After the Johnston family sold Oakhurst House a lady American millionaire brought it and lived their for a time she later moved out. The house after been empty for a time was sold to some monks who used it as a retreat ( I don't which order brought it) after the monks departed the house yet again was left empty until some business people brought it and was turned into flats. If you look at the bow window next to the tower on the front you can see a fine plaster ceiling but a petition spilts the room. This business idea failed flat on its face no one wanted to live that far out so the residents left by 1980 it was but abandoned and left to fall into the present ruin.


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## UrbanX (Jul 2, 2015)

An absolute architectural gem! 
Thanks for sharing your fantastic photos!


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## HughieD (Jul 6, 2015)

ironsky said:


> Visited this fine house many times over the years got a soft spot for it but too far gone to save now sadly. Recently while waiting at Derby bus station got talking to a old lady and who so happens to mention Oakhurst House. It turns out the ladies mother worked for the Johnson family as a maid. Her mother worked for the family for quite a few years and had a collection of photos of the house in its prime. I would have really liked to have seem them as I bet Oakhurst was a stunner in its time. After the Johnston family sold Oakhurst House a lady American millionaire brought it and lived their for a time she later moved out. The house after been empty for a time was sold to some monks who used it as a retreat ( I don't which order brought it) after the monks departed the house yet again was left empty until some business people brought it and was turned into flats. If you look at the bow window next to the tower on the front you can see a fine plaster ceiling but a petition spilts the room. This business idea failed flat on its face no one wanted to live that far out so the residents left by 1980 it was but abandoned and left to fall into the present ruin.



That's great background info mate. Would love to see those pix. Couldn't find a single archived picture of the place on the Web.


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## The Wombat (Jul 31, 2015)

I love those 'dangerous structure signs'
That is a majestic building from the outside, Sad state inside
Good work Hughie


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## krisan (Aug 5, 2015)

What a beautiful house! Such a shame to see it in such a state


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## morphlet (Nov 28, 2015)

I have found a picture when it was still a family home. Not sure how to upload to this site though.


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## HughieD (Nov 28, 2015)

morphlet said:


> I have found a picture when it was still a family home. Not sure how to upload to this site though.



Be nice to see that. PM me it via this site and I'll post it up via my Flickr account...


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## UrbanP UK (Jan 25, 2016)

Nice photos Hughie, think I have a photo of me in the bath tub ha ha


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