Doveleys Manor, Staffordshire - November 2024
Doveleys Manor (originally ‘Dove Leys’) is situated between the East Staffordshire villages of Ellastone and Rocester next to the River Dove - hence the name I suppose! The manor as it stands today was mostly rebuilt in 1875 and was lived in by the Heywood family until 1946 when the house was put up for sale. After this time it was purchased by the Abbotsholme School and became the Doveleys School for Boys with accommodation for up to 104 pupils, aged between 12 and 15. In 1973 the school became a Community Home with Education under control of Staffordshire County Council until closure in 1988. Since then the estate has been used as a hotel, golf course and finally a garden centre until it closed permanently at the end of 2016.
Was out having a nice autumnal walk along the River Dove and remembered I’d seen some gooners poking around here on Facebook so went for a look while nearby.
After this I took a wander up to Calwich Abbey but immediately got stink-eye from some men in the yard so I pretended I was there to photograph autumnal trees instead...
Doveleys Manor (originally ‘Dove Leys’) is situated between the East Staffordshire villages of Ellastone and Rocester next to the River Dove - hence the name I suppose! The manor as it stands today was mostly rebuilt in 1875 and was lived in by the Heywood family until 1946 when the house was put up for sale. After this time it was purchased by the Abbotsholme School and became the Doveleys School for Boys with accommodation for up to 104 pupils, aged between 12 and 15. In 1973 the school became a Community Home with Education under control of Staffordshire County Council until closure in 1988. Since then the estate has been used as a hotel, golf course and finally a garden centre until it closed permanently at the end of 2016.
Was out having a nice autumnal walk along the River Dove and remembered I’d seen some gooners poking around here on Facebook so went for a look while nearby.
After this I took a wander up to Calwich Abbey but immediately got stink-eye from some men in the yard so I pretended I was there to photograph autumnal trees instead...
