Gazetteer of
British Place Names

Sutton Scarsdale Hall is the ruined shell of a magnificent 18th-century Baroque mansion in Sutton cum Duckmanton, Derbyshire. The hall was built on the site of an existing house between 1724 and 1729 for Nicholas Leke, the 4th Earl of Scarsdale. The architect for the new hall was Francis Smith of Warwick, who skilfully incorporated the earlier building of about 1469 within his design. The interior featured elaborate stucco work by Italian craftsmen Artari and Vasalli and possibly wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The high cost of construction led to financial difficulties for the Leke family, who eventually sold the hall in the 19th century. In 1919, the building was sold to a company of asset strippers who removed the roof and sold off many of its fine interior fittings to buyers in the United States. The ruins of the hall were saved from demolition by the writer Sir Osbert Sitwell who bought it in 1946. In 1970 descendants of the Sitwells persuaded the Department of the Environment to take the building into guardianship and preserve it for the nation. A recent programme of works has been undertaken by English Heritage to preserve and protect the fragments of the original stucco interior. It is within the council area of North East Derbyshire (Derbyshire).
Historic England Grade I Listed 1108914.

Place Type: Georgian House
Historic County: Derbyshire
Lat, Long: 53.215364,-1.3396479
Grid Reference: SK 4419 6890
Civil Parish: Sutton cum Duckmanton CP
Council Area: North East Derbyshire CA (Derbyshire CA)
Strategic Authority Area: East Midlands SA
Police Area: Derbyshire PA

GBPN ID: 319431
Entry Type: Main listing (P)
URL: https://gazetteer.org.uk/place/Sutton_Scarsdale_Hall,_Derbyshire_319431

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