Bunny Hall is a grade I listed country house in

Bunny, Nottinghamshire Bunny is a village and civil parish located in the Rushcliffe borough of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish has a population of around 600, measured at 689 in the 2011 Census. It is on the A60 south of Nottingham, south of Bradmore and n ...

Bunny, Nottinghamshire, approach to Hall

The house was originally an Elizabethan red brick house with an 80 foot high tower. The house was rebuilt in 1720 by

Sir Thomas Parkyns, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Parkyns, 2nd Baronet (1664–1741), known as "Luctator" or the "Wrestling Baronet", was an English country gentleman now known as an architect and enthusiastic patron of wrestling. Life Born in 1664 at Bunny, Nottinghamshire, he was the ...

and now stands in of formal gardens and parkland. It has been equipped with a cinema room and a leisure area equipped with gymnasium, steam and sauna rooms, a large indoor heated pool and separate Jacuzzi and spa area. There is also a large orangery, drawing room, library and a circular glazed frosted dome allowing light to illuminate the hallway and staircase. The hall is listed Grade I on the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

. Several buildings and structures associated with the hall are listed Grade II; these include the stable block, an out building to the north, a barn dating from 1734, the carriage archway and barns, and the garden walls and garden outbuildings, and the gate piers and walls around the park. A chest tomb near the hall and the sundial are also Grade II listed.

History

The manor of Bunny was acquired as a dowry by Richard Parkyns when he married Elizabeth Barlowe in the 1570s and it is believed he built the original hall. Successive generations of the Parkyns family were to live there until 1850. After the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

the owner at the time, Thomas Parkyns, was elevated to the

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

age in recognition of the family's support for the throne. In 1720 the buildings were greatly renovated by Thomas Parkyn, 2nd Baronet. Further extensive re-modelling of the Hall was carried out between 1826 and 1835. In 1850 the Parkyns lineage failed and the estate was bequeathed to Mrs. Burt, the housekeeper who in turn left it to the Levinge family. He sold the whole estate to Sir Albert Ball, the Mayor of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

who quickly passed it on to the Cordeux′ family. During World War II the estate and hall were bought by Bertie Edwards whose son moved out and renovated the building. It was bought in 2000 by the family of Chek Whyte and in 2009 was for sale at a price in excess of £3 million.

References

{{reflist Grade I listed buildings in Nottinghamshire Grade I listed houses Country houses in Nottinghamshire Houses completed in the 19th century Rushcliffe