Wyresdale Park

Wyresdale Park is an English country house and licensed wedding ceremony venue located within the Forest of Bowland to the northeast of Scorton, Lancashire, England.

Wyresdale Park
Wyresdale Hall circa 1900
LocationScorton, Lancashire, Endland
Coordinates53.9364°N 2.7506°W / 53.9364; -2.7506
OS grid referenceSD 509,492
Built1856–58
Built forOrmrod family
ArchitectE. G. Paley
Architectural style(s)Gothic Revival
Websitewyresdalepark.co.uk
Listed Building – Grade II
Designated3 December 2009
Reference no.1393555
Location in the Borough of Wyre

History

It was built in 1856–58, and designed by the Lancaster architect E. G. Paley for the Ormrod family of Bolton.[1] It has since been extended and outbuildings have been added. The hall is in Gothic Revival style.[2] A lake was added to the grounds in 1897. The hall and surrounding parkland were purchased in the 1920s by the Riddell family, and the farms and fell land by the Whewell family. In 1967 the hall was also bought by the Whewells. By the 2000s the hall continued to be in a satisfactory condition, but the outbuildings were in a poor state and the gardens were overgrown. The family worked with Ruth Watson, and cooperated with the Channel 4's programme Country House Rescue, creating a café and arranging Open Days.[3] The hall and its surrounding outbuildings are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[2]

The Ormrod Family

Peter Ormrod (1796–1875) built Wyresdale Hall in 1856. He bought 6,000-acres from the Duke of Hamilton to create the estate. The house cost £50,000 (about £4m at today’s value). The architect was Edward Graham Paley who designed many outstanding buildings in Lancashire. Peter was a banker and cotton manufacturer. His father James was one of the founders of the Bolton Bank (now the Royal Bank of Scotland) and on his death in 1825 Peter inherited the Partnership in the bank.[4] In 1838 Peter married Eliza Hardcastle who was the daughter of one of his partners. On their marriage his father in law, Thomas Hardcastle gave him Halliwell Hall and Peter made major alterations to this house. He also provided the entire funding for rebuilding the parish Church in Bolton.[5]

Captain Peter Ormrod (1869–1923)

The couple had no children and therefore when Peter died in 1875 Wyresdale Park was left to his nephew James Cross Ormrod . However his wife Eliza was given a life interest in the house and she remained there until her death in 1890. When James Cross Ormrod died in 1895 his son Captain Peter Ormrod (1869–1923) inherited the Estate.[6]

Captain Peter Ormrod was a very outgoing man and made major improvements to the property. His most outstanding achievement was the establishment of the Wyresdale Fishery which was said to be the largest in Europe[7] (see photos below). Two feature articles were written in 1899 in the magazine "Country Life" about this Fishery.[8] He also added a deer park and a lake to the estate. In 1899 it was widely reported in many newspapers that Peter had bought the whole of the fallow deer in Barningham Park the seat of Sir F. A. Millbank.[9]

In about 1912 Dame Laura Knight visited Wyresdale Park with her husband Harold at the request of the then owner Captain Peter Ormrod. In her autobiography she mentions that during her stay she was inspired to paint "the grounds, the byres and the fells."[10] One of these paintings was called "The Morning Ride" which depicts the fountain which still exists today in the grounds of Wyresdale Park. A link to this painting is given at this reference.[11] A photo of the fountain as it is today is given at this reference.[12]

In 1922 Peter sold Wyresdale Park. An advertisement for the sale is shown below. The Estate was split with the house and surrounding grounds being sold to Dr Hugh Riddell[13] and a large portion of the remaining land to Shepherd Whewell.

  • Releasing small trout into the pond at Wyresdale Fishery in 1900.
  • Advertisement for the sale of trout at Wyresdale Fishery in 1900.
  • Loading fish from the ponds at Wyresdale Fishery in 1900.
  • Advertisement for the sale of Wyresdale Park in the London Times in 1922.

The Whewell Family
Whewell Family Photo

The estate broke up in the 1930s when the Riddell family bought the hall and grounds. Shepherd Whewell, purchased much of the land.

From the 1960s, Shepherd Whewell and his brother started re-uniting parcels of the estate including the house and concentrated on hunting partridge, pheasant and mallard. But trying to maintain such a costly concern on the income of 800 acres started to become a strain and action was needed to find new revenues.[14]

In 2011 Jim Whewell Jr. and his sister Sarah persuaded their parents to transform parts of the grounds around into a boutique camping destination.

The family was pointed in a different direction when they featured on Channel 4’s Country House Rescue, a show where presenter Ruth Watson gives blunt advice to owners of estates and stately piles struggling to keep their heads above water.

The Whewell's first step was to convert the brick outbuildings and glasshouse in the walled garden into the Applestore Café, which is run by Sally Whewell.

The next step was tapping into the ‘glamping’ market with two different experiences, Feather Down Lodges and The Orchard Bell Tents, both situated by the boating lake.

In 2018, the estate moved into a new phase after restoring a large collection of Victorian barn buildings – a full set of stables, haylofts, a shippon and a piggery into unique spaces, especially for weddings.[15]

Co-worker shared office spaces have also been established, under James Whewell's’ guidance, to assist start-ups businesses and establish a creative community.[16]

Visitor attractions
  • Applestore Cafe
  • Nicky Nook Fell[17]
  • Licensed wedding ceremony barns[18]

Events, Filming and Press
  • Wyresdale Park featured on Drew Pritchard’s Salvage Hunters in 2017.
  • In September 2011, Wyresdale Park featured on Channel 4's Country House Rescue[19] it was the first episode in Series 3 and was first broadcast at 21:00 on 6 March.
  • Crafty Vintage hosted Christmas Makers Markets in 2017 and 2018.[20]
  • Nicky Nook Fell hosted a road stage of the North West Stages car rally on 23 March 2019.[21]
  • The Financial Times featured Wyresdale Park to highlight how diversification is being applied to Country houses in the United Kingdom.[14]
  • The Applestore Cafe at Wyresdale Park was featured on the front page of the I (newspaper) on 24 August 2019[22] as a suggested alternative for motorists using Lancaster (Forton) Services.

Awards
  • 1965: Snowhill Lane Bridge - Civic Trust Award[23]
  • 2018: Marketing Lancashire Tourism Superstar - Finalist[24]
  • 2019: Great Northern Wedding Awards - Best Wedding Venue - Barn / Farm - Finalist[25]
  • 2019: Great Northern Wedding Awards - Best Creative Space - Finalist[25]
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See also

References
  1. Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 607–608, ISBN 978-0-300-12667-9
  2. Historic England, "Wyresdale Park, estate buildings and garden features, fountain, workshop, storerooms, tack room, stables, garage, gun room, barns, shippons, and Keepers Cottages, Snowhill Lane (1393555)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 27 August 2011
  3. The Estate, Wyresdale Park, retrieved 27 August 2011
  4. Royal Bank of Scotland, online reference http://heritagearchives.rbs.com/wiki/Hardcastle,_Cross_%26_Co,_Bolton,_1818-78
  5. Halliwell Hall Webpage. Online reference http://www.ss-osands.org.uk/ssosands/beep/halliwell/halliwell_hall.htm and https://archive.org/stream/historyboltonwi00pimbgoog#page/n245/mode/2up
  6. British History Online "Nether Wyresdale". Online reference http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53241
  7. Tracy, W. B. 1903 "Lancashire at the Opening of the Twentieth Century", p. 186. Online reference http://www.spinningtheweb.org.uk/bookbrowse.php?irn=2974&sub=&theme=home&crumb
  8. Country Life Illustrated (London) 11 November 1899; pg. 597 and Country Life Illustrated (London) 25 November 1899, pg. 652.
  9. Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes (London), 1 May 1899, pg. 394.
  10. Knight, Laura, 1936 "Oil and Grease Paint: Autobiography of Laura Knight", p. 194.
  11. Mutual Art http://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/The-Morning-Ride/232122D9A83007D6
  12. Wyresdale Park Website http://wyresdalepark.co.uk/cafe-gardens/
  13. Country Life Illustrated (London) Volume 52, 1922, pg. 390.
  14. Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/8fdaf272-989a-11e7-8c5c-c8d8fa6961bb
  15. Lancashire Evening Post https://www.lep.co.uk/news/people/a-fun-filled-day-for-teaching-duo-hayleigh-jones-and-will-capstick-1-9887207
  16. Creative Lancashire https://directory.creativelancashire.org/profiles/wyresdale-park/
  17. BBC Lancashire http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2006/12/19/nature_walks_boxing_day_garstang.shtml
  18. "Locations for your ceremony: Preston". Lancashire City Council. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  19. Lancashire Evening Post https://www.lep.co.uk/whats-on/tv/rescue-house-is-tourist-trap-1-3818859
  20. Lancashire Evening Post https://www.lep.co.uk/news/here-are-where-the-2018-christmas-markets-are-held-in-lancashire-1-9454395
  21. Discover Wyre http://www.discoverwyre.co.uk/whats-on/legends-fire-north-west-stages-2019-wyre-p939590
  22. The i Newspaper https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/travel/august-bank-holiday-2019-travel-advice-motorway-service-stations-alternatives-uk/
  23. http://motorwayarchive.ihtservices.co.uk/m6preslanc.htm
  24. Lancashire Telegraph https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16834303.tourism-stars-up-for-awards-recognition/
  25. https://www.littlewhitebooks.co.uk/greatnorthernbride/post.php?p=2018-11-29-great-northern-wedding-awards-2019-your-finalists-are-announced
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