Wollaton Hall

Wollaton Hall was built for wealthy land and coal pit owner Sir Francis Willoughby by the esteemed architect Robert Smythson. The designer of many other remarkable properties, such as Hardwick Hall and Gawthorpe Hall, Smythson took eight years to complete Wollaton, finishing the project in 1588.

Having previously entertained Queen Elizabeth I at his house in Wollaton village, Sir Francis had set out to display his industrial success and vast wealth with an opulent residence that would not only provide a monument for the area but also be sufficiently magnificent for the Queen to take lodgings upon her return visit. Sadly, this never happened, and although the sumptuous mansion was successfully completed, it proved to be a rather ill-fated undertaking for the unfortunate Sir Francis.

Records note that Sir Francis was unhappy in his marriage and that his wife, Elizabeth, was cruel and controlling to both her husband and their six daughters. They eventually separated, and he lived at Thurland House in Nottingham, from where he walked each day checking on the progress of the build. Following Lady Elizabeth's death in 1595, Sir Francis married widow Dorothy Tamworth.

The immense £80,000 cost of the construction of the hall is the equivalent of over £25 million today. Sadly, only a year after remarrying and just eight years after the completion of Wollaton Hall, Sir Francis died with considerable debts and never having lived at the hall. The palatial residence would nevertheless remain under the ownership of the Willoughbys until it was sold to Nottingham Corporation in 1925.

Having survived a fire in 1642 followed by a period of over 40 years when it sat unoccupied, alterations were made to the house in the late 17th and early 19th centuries, but it still remains one of the most important and well-preserved Elizabethan houses in England.