Willersley Castle
| Willersley Castle | |
| Derbyshire | |
|---|---|
 Willersley Castle | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK296572 |
| Location: | 53°6’42"N, 1°33’30"W |
| Village: | Cromford |
| History | |
| Built to 1791 | |
| For: | Sir Richard Arkwright |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Methodist Guild Holidays Ltd |
| Website: | Willersley |
Willersley Castle is a late 18th century country mansion standing above the River Derwent at Cromford in Derbyshire. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
The house is a Georgian style castellated house of three storeys with a seven bay frontage, the central bay flanked by full height round towers.[1] It stands in 60 acres of grounds.
In 1782, the industrialist Sir Richard Arkwright bought the estate from Thomas Hallet Hodges for £8,864,[2][3] and commissioned William Thomas as architect o build a house here, which was named "Willersley Hall".[4] It stands on the slopes of Wild Cat Tor, 400 feet above sea level.
At the time of purchase there was no large house here, just a few farms and "Derwent House", which still stands off the main drive. Arkwright planted many trees, though not before clearing away a large limestone rock, which cost £3,000.[5]
In 1791, when the building was approaching completion, a fire broke out and severe damage was caused to part of the interior of the castle. Although the damage was repaired, Arkwright died in 1792 before the building was completed. In 1796 his son, Richard Arkwright junior, moved into it with his family, and the Arkwright family lived there until 1922.
The estate was bought in 1927 by a group of Methodist businessmen, and in 1928 it opened as a Methodist Guild holiday centre.[6]
During the War and its aftermath, between 1940 and 1946, the house served as a maternity hospital run by the Salvation Army, having moved out of East London. Today it operates as a Christian Guild Hotel.
Name
The name 'Willersley' comes from the ancient manor or estate. The adjacent manors of Cromford and Willersley were partitioned in 1615.[7]
The name Willersley also appears in -
- The nearby Willersley Tunnel, a railway 764 yards long on the line between Cromford and Matlock
- The Willersley Crag nearby,[8] also called Willersley Castle rocks.[9]