1. The History
The village of Ossington is located in the county of Nottinghamshire, seven miles north of Newark-on-Trent. Ossington’s first manor house, a stone-faced construction with gabled façade, was built on the site by the Cartwright family circa 1580 (as illustrated by Thoroton) but was damaged during the Civil War in the mid-1600s. A completely new house was built in 1729 in the Palladian style and in 1768, the family sold the house to William Denison (1714-1782), a wealthy wool merchant from Leeds (note: some sources identify 1753 as the date he acquired the estate). Denison’s fortune was, in part, due to the misfortunes of others. In 1755, it was one of his ships that was the first to arrive in the Portuguese city of Lisbon after it had been almost totally destroyed by an earthquake that year. In the coming years, he and his brother, Richard, made significant alterations to the house. On his death in 1782 (in Bath), the house then passed to Denison's nephew, John Wilkinson (1759-1820). He latterly changed his name to Denison in 1795 and made further improvements to the house. William Lindley, from nearby Doncaster, oversaw building work between 1788 and 1790, and again between 1805 and 1806, during which time the house was extended. The kitchen facilities were improved, and plans were drawn up for stables and a coach house. A new church and mausoleum, designed by John Carr (1723-1787), was earlier completed in 1786.
On his death in 1820, the hall passed to his eldest son, John Evelyn Denison (1800-1873), at the relatively early age of twenty. He married Lady Charlotte Cavendish-Bentinck (the 3rd daughter of the 4th Duke of Portland from Welbeck Hall) in 1827. In 1839, the main entrance was moved to the east front and a new drawing room erected. The interior decoration was completed in 1842 and plate glass windows added in 1856. John Evelyn Denison went on to become the Speaker of the House of Commons and held the estate until his death in 1873, a year after he was made Viscount Ossington. With no direct heir, the house passed to his nephew, William Evelyn Denison (1843-1916).
Layout of the estate from a 1900 O/S map:
Key:
A – Main house
B – Holy Rood Church and sundial
C – Walled Garden
D – Lake and pump house
E – To Estate Gates and Well
West façade of the Hall in 1910:
Photographer: Unknown
After his death, his son, William Frank Evelyn Denison (1878-1918) had just two years as owner before he died in action in World War One, in March 1918. His will left the estate to his cousin Alfred John Denison (1857-1943) subject to the life interest of W.F.E. Denison's mother, Lady Elinor Denison. Latterly, in 1933, she conveyed her life interest in the whole of the estate, apart from the Hall itself (where she remained as ‘tenant for life’ until her death in 1939), to the heir in expectation, W.F.E. Denison's cousin, William Maxwell Evelyn Denison (1904-1972), who effectively became the last owner of the hall.
East aspect of the Hall:
© Ian Malpass-Scott (IMS Photography)
When World War II broke out in 1939, a large Royal Air Force base known as RAF Ossington was constructed on land close to the Ossington estate, opening for active duty in January 1942. Subsequently, as was the case with many large manors and halls in the UK, Ossington Hall was commandeered for the war effort, providing accommodation for staff from the airfield. By 1959, the house was empty and gradually fell into disrepair. The remaining content was sold off during a two-day auction in 1963 and the house demolished shortly after, along with the stable block. The estate church, designed by John Carr survives (and is now Grade I listed) along with the sundial at the church, the boundary wall to the north, the extensive walled garden and the wellhead/memorial structure and gates to the south.
2. The Explore
I came across this place completely unexpectedly. I knew the church was there but didn’t know it was part of the Ossington Estate. I stumbled across here while looking nearby for remnants of RAF Ossington, which brought me to this corner of Nottinghamshire. The first thing I came across was the grand walled gardens and their associated buildings. After researching the place, I popped back a few weeks later to see what else I could find. Beyond the ha-ha, a type of trench for containing livestock and designed to be almost invisible, the main hall has gone without a trace. Demolished in 1963 along with the stable block, the latter now serves as a car park for the church, which survives in excellent condition. The wall-garden, which has a magical other-worldly quality to it, is by far the best bit. Ironically, though, while there’s plenty of archive pictures of the house on-line, there’s none of the walled garden. After that, it’s pretty scant pickings.
3. The Photographs
Taken over two sun-drenched days in February and March, 2025.
The first thing you come to is the gates of the estate:
Just up the drive on the right-hand-side is the well:
It’s dedicated to Edward Denison:
After that we head north to the walled garden, to the left:
This place is really lovely:
This room has a nice range in it:
This chimney looks a bit shonky:
Don’t linger under here either!
Digging the hut:
Next door they have this little stove:
Along the inside of the north wall are a series of wrought-iron glass houses:
The village of Ossington is located in the county of Nottinghamshire, seven miles north of Newark-on-Trent. Ossington’s first manor house, a stone-faced construction with gabled façade, was built on the site by the Cartwright family circa 1580 (as illustrated by Thoroton) but was damaged during the Civil War in the mid-1600s. A completely new house was built in 1729 in the Palladian style and in 1768, the family sold the house to William Denison (1714-1782), a wealthy wool merchant from Leeds (note: some sources identify 1753 as the date he acquired the estate). Denison’s fortune was, in part, due to the misfortunes of others. In 1755, it was one of his ships that was the first to arrive in the Portuguese city of Lisbon after it had been almost totally destroyed by an earthquake that year. In the coming years, he and his brother, Richard, made significant alterations to the house. On his death in 1782 (in Bath), the house then passed to Denison's nephew, John Wilkinson (1759-1820). He latterly changed his name to Denison in 1795 and made further improvements to the house. William Lindley, from nearby Doncaster, oversaw building work between 1788 and 1790, and again between 1805 and 1806, during which time the house was extended. The kitchen facilities were improved, and plans were drawn up for stables and a coach house. A new church and mausoleum, designed by John Carr (1723-1787), was earlier completed in 1786.
On his death in 1820, the hall passed to his eldest son, John Evelyn Denison (1800-1873), at the relatively early age of twenty. He married Lady Charlotte Cavendish-Bentinck (the 3rd daughter of the 4th Duke of Portland from Welbeck Hall) in 1827. In 1839, the main entrance was moved to the east front and a new drawing room erected. The interior decoration was completed in 1842 and plate glass windows added in 1856. John Evelyn Denison went on to become the Speaker of the House of Commons and held the estate until his death in 1873, a year after he was made Viscount Ossington. With no direct heir, the house passed to his nephew, William Evelyn Denison (1843-1916).
Layout of the estate from a 1900 O/S map:
Key:
A – Main house
B – Holy Rood Church and sundial
C – Walled Garden
D – Lake and pump house
E – To Estate Gates and Well
West façade of the Hall in 1910:
Photographer: Unknown
After his death, his son, William Frank Evelyn Denison (1878-1918) had just two years as owner before he died in action in World War One, in March 1918. His will left the estate to his cousin Alfred John Denison (1857-1943) subject to the life interest of W.F.E. Denison's mother, Lady Elinor Denison. Latterly, in 1933, she conveyed her life interest in the whole of the estate, apart from the Hall itself (where she remained as ‘tenant for life’ until her death in 1939), to the heir in expectation, W.F.E. Denison's cousin, William Maxwell Evelyn Denison (1904-1972), who effectively became the last owner of the hall.
East aspect of the Hall:
© Ian Malpass-Scott (IMS Photography)
When World War II broke out in 1939, a large Royal Air Force base known as RAF Ossington was constructed on land close to the Ossington estate, opening for active duty in January 1942. Subsequently, as was the case with many large manors and halls in the UK, Ossington Hall was commandeered for the war effort, providing accommodation for staff from the airfield. By 1959, the house was empty and gradually fell into disrepair. The remaining content was sold off during a two-day auction in 1963 and the house demolished shortly after, along with the stable block. The estate church, designed by John Carr survives (and is now Grade I listed) along with the sundial at the church, the boundary wall to the north, the extensive walled garden and the wellhead/memorial structure and gates to the south.
2. The Explore
I came across this place completely unexpectedly. I knew the church was there but didn’t know it was part of the Ossington Estate. I stumbled across here while looking nearby for remnants of RAF Ossington, which brought me to this corner of Nottinghamshire. The first thing I came across was the grand walled gardens and their associated buildings. After researching the place, I popped back a few weeks later to see what else I could find. Beyond the ha-ha, a type of trench for containing livestock and designed to be almost invisible, the main hall has gone without a trace. Demolished in 1963 along with the stable block, the latter now serves as a car park for the church, which survives in excellent condition. The wall-garden, which has a magical other-worldly quality to it, is by far the best bit. Ironically, though, while there’s plenty of archive pictures of the house on-line, there’s none of the walled garden. After that, it’s pretty scant pickings.
3. The Photographs
Taken over two sun-drenched days in February and March, 2025.
The first thing you come to is the gates of the estate:
Just up the drive on the right-hand-side is the well:
It’s dedicated to Edward Denison:
After that we head north to the walled garden, to the left:
This place is really lovely:
This room has a nice range in it:
This chimney looks a bit shonky:
Don’t linger under here either!
Digging the hut:
Next door they have this little stove:
Along the inside of the north wall are a series of wrought-iron glass houses:
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