A former townhouse in the Lace Market area of Nottingham City Centre, the origins of which can be traced all the way back to the early 1600s. The property was formerly known as ‘Lady Hutchinson’s House’ as it was she who occupied County House in 1646 and was the mother of the great Colonel Hutchinson who was in command of the garrison that held Nottingham Castle for parliament during the Civil War.
The house at it stands today dates from around 1730 with alterations and additions made during 1833, when it ceased to be a private residence and became accommodation for judges. The principal architect for the 1833 extension – primarily a large double-height dining hall – was renowned local architect and surveyor Henry Moses Wood.
For a brief period in 1887 it was lived in by Princess Louise, the 4th daughter of Queen Victoria. The lodgings had to be specially furnished for her stay, with the Mayor of Nottingham himself footing the bill!
In 1922 it became the Nottinghamshire Record Office, holding both City and County archives. The large extension formerly used as the judges' dining hall was converted into a public reading room. In 1992 the County Archives moved to its present location in Wilford Street, with County House having now been vacant for 30 years.
A big, grand old place but completely empty and quite frankly absolutely knackered after 30 years of abandonment. I think the current owners have recently made the roof watertight, complete with chimney mounted PIRs to watch out for any would-be pikeys!
External views, front & rear
Around the main staircase - I believe a chunk of this may have collapsed now
The house at it stands today dates from around 1730 with alterations and additions made during 1833, when it ceased to be a private residence and became accommodation for judges. The principal architect for the 1833 extension – primarily a large double-height dining hall – was renowned local architect and surveyor Henry Moses Wood.
For a brief period in 1887 it was lived in by Princess Louise, the 4th daughter of Queen Victoria. The lodgings had to be specially furnished for her stay, with the Mayor of Nottingham himself footing the bill!
In 1922 it became the Nottinghamshire Record Office, holding both City and County archives. The large extension formerly used as the judges' dining hall was converted into a public reading room. In 1992 the County Archives moved to its present location in Wilford Street, with County House having now been vacant for 30 years.
A big, grand old place but completely empty and quite frankly absolutely knackered after 30 years of abandonment. I think the current owners have recently made the roof watertight, complete with chimney mounted PIRs to watch out for any would-be pikeys!
External views, front & rear
Around the main staircase - I believe a chunk of this may have collapsed now
Top floor - the second image gives a good indication of how shonky it is inside
The 1830s extension and former dining hall
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The former Shire Hall and County Jail - more recently the Galleries of Justice Museum
A few areas of the ground floor starting with the nicely panelled main entrance - note the useless PIR and alarm speaker arrangement
Obviously, any old building in Nottingham has to have its own sandstone cave...
There is a planning application currently approved for mixed-use development and conversion, including bar, offices etc, so hopefully this gets underway in the near future as last time I passed by it was looking much more smashed and tagged than it previously was.
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