1. The History
Wallingwells is a small civil parish and hamlet in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. Here can be found Wallingwells Hall, a Grade 2 listed 17th-century country house built on the site of Wallingwells Priory, the site of a former Benedictine Nunnery. Along with the hall, three cottages, a converted stable block, and one further property make up the secluded hamlet of Wallingwells. Dating back 400 years, in 1946 the hall was split into four separate dwellings.
An addition to the estate in the mid-18th century, north of the house and overlooking a former small limestone quarry, was a walled garden and pavilion. A six-inch O/S map surveyed in 1851 shows no such pavilion, but one ten year's later does. Constructed of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and a quadrangle plan, a wall ran along the north, east and west edges of the walled garden and pavilions. To the south was the rim of an old quarry. At the north-east and north-west corners were two single storey pavilions, each entered through a single pointed-arch doorway. At the south-east corner was the main structure of the ensemble; a 3-storey pavilion. Entered from the west side on the first floor, this floor represented the main residing space and included a small fireplace. It opened out into the garden via single central pointed archway, with two narrower arches either side. The ground floor gave access to the quarry via a single archway. Finally, in the south-west corner is a further 2-storey pavilion entered from the east side at ground floor level. It opened
out into the garden, while the south portal entrance looks out over the quarry.
Despite being Grade 2 listed in November 1985, the pavilion has been forgotten and neglected as nature gradually takes it back.
2. The Explore
At some time or other most of us have explored vast industrial spaces. Well, this place is the opposite end of the scale. It’s bijou, hidden from Google Maps and almost forgotten about. If it wasn’t Grade II listed, it probably would be lost in the mists of time altogether.
So big-up to my non-forum member mate who spotted the listing details and sent them my way for further investigation. Once I’d trudged across sodden fields, negotiated the barbed-wire fence surrounding the wood that now envelopes the place, I was in. It was like entering another world. It was very small but equally rather magical. The listing has done nothing to help save the place. Ultimately nature will take it over and it will crumble.
3. The Pictures
The first view you get as you approach from the north-east. One of the two single one-storey pavilion entrances:
The arch on the one the other side on the north-west hasn’t been so lucky:
The two-storey pavilion:
Looking out into the garden:
And looking up to what would have been a roof terrace:
On to the main attraction - the three-storey pavilion:
The first-floor picture window and fireplace:
Looking from the first floor downwards to the ground floor:
Round the side and down to ground level:
On the ground floor itself:
Looking back up:
The north wall of the 3-storey pavilion:
Not too sure what this ironwork was used for:
Shadows on the pavilion's enclosure wall:
And finally, the boundary wall of the garden:
Wallingwells is a small civil parish and hamlet in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. Here can be found Wallingwells Hall, a Grade 2 listed 17th-century country house built on the site of Wallingwells Priory, the site of a former Benedictine Nunnery. Along with the hall, three cottages, a converted stable block, and one further property make up the secluded hamlet of Wallingwells. Dating back 400 years, in 1946 the hall was split into four separate dwellings.
An addition to the estate in the mid-18th century, north of the house and overlooking a former small limestone quarry, was a walled garden and pavilion. A six-inch O/S map surveyed in 1851 shows no such pavilion, but one ten year's later does. Constructed of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and a quadrangle plan, a wall ran along the north, east and west edges of the walled garden and pavilions. To the south was the rim of an old quarry. At the north-east and north-west corners were two single storey pavilions, each entered through a single pointed-arch doorway. At the south-east corner was the main structure of the ensemble; a 3-storey pavilion. Entered from the west side on the first floor, this floor represented the main residing space and included a small fireplace. It opened out into the garden via single central pointed archway, with two narrower arches either side. The ground floor gave access to the quarry via a single archway. Finally, in the south-west corner is a further 2-storey pavilion entered from the east side at ground floor level. It opened
out into the garden, while the south portal entrance looks out over the quarry.
Despite being Grade 2 listed in November 1985, the pavilion has been forgotten and neglected as nature gradually takes it back.
2. The Explore
At some time or other most of us have explored vast industrial spaces. Well, this place is the opposite end of the scale. It’s bijou, hidden from Google Maps and almost forgotten about. If it wasn’t Grade II listed, it probably would be lost in the mists of time altogether.
So big-up to my non-forum member mate who spotted the listing details and sent them my way for further investigation. Once I’d trudged across sodden fields, negotiated the barbed-wire fence surrounding the wood that now envelopes the place, I was in. It was like entering another world. It was very small but equally rather magical. The listing has done nothing to help save the place. Ultimately nature will take it over and it will crumble.
3. The Pictures
The first view you get as you approach from the north-east. One of the two single one-storey pavilion entrances:
The arch on the one the other side on the north-west hasn’t been so lucky:
The two-storey pavilion:
Looking out into the garden:
And looking up to what would have been a roof terrace:
On to the main attraction - the three-storey pavilion:
The first-floor picture window and fireplace:
Looking from the first floor downwards to the ground floor:
Round the side and down to ground level:
On the ground floor itself:
Looking back up:
The north wall of the 3-storey pavilion:
Not too sure what this ironwork was used for:
Shadows on the pavilion's enclosure wall:
And finally, the boundary wall of the garden:
Last edited:
