Foremarke Hall is a Georgian-

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peop ...

and

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals ...

. Completed in 1762, the Hall is located at the manor (

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

) of

Foremark Foremark is a hamlet and civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. It contains Foremarke Hall, a medieval manor house which now houses Repton Preparatory School; and part of Foremark Reservoir. Foremark is near the ...

, near the hamlets of Ingleby, Ticknall, Milton, and the village of Repton in South

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England. It is the current home of the Repton Preparatory School (known as

Repton Prep Repton Prep (formally Repton Preparatory School) is a co-educational Independent Preparatory School in Foremark, Derbyshire, England which caters for day and boarding pupils aged 3–13 years old. It is commonly referred to as Foremarke Hall � ...

). Before becoming the Preparatory School, Foremarke Hall was the ancestral home of the Burdett family of Bramcote. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The school and a

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

"Modified Hall" class

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

, no. 7903, are named after this hall.

The preparatory school

Repton Prep, housed in Foremarke Hall and its grounds, is a school for boys and girls, day and boarding, from ages 3–13. Founded in 1940 to meet the schooling and

boarding Boarding may refer to: *Boarding, used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals as in a: ** Boarding house **Boarding school *Boarding (horses) (also known as a livery yard, livery stable, or boarding stable), is a stable where ho ...

needs caused by the Second World War, it was originally established in 1940 at "The Cross" in Repton with just eight boys. In 1942 it moved to Latham House, which was part of

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 co-educational, independent, day and boarding school in the English public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, England. Sir John Port of Etwall, on his death in 1557, left funds to create a grammar school whi ...

. By the end of the War there were over 100 boys in the prep school, but as the senior school numbers increased the prep school was in danger of being closed or squeezed out. Fortunately Foremarke Hall became available.

"The army moved out of Foremarke Hall in 1946 and Repton school moved in 1947, renting the building from the Church Commissioners. The school was able to purchased the freehold of the current campus in 1967 with of land and three cottages of
the Hamlet ''The Hamlet'' is a novel by the American author William Faulkner, published in 1940, about the fictional Snopes family of Mississippi. Originally a standalone novel, it was later followed by '' The Town'' (1957), and '' The Mansion'' (1959), ...
." P. Brewster, 2002

The building

It is known that there was a building on this site in 1712 but it can be assumed that it may have already been there some time as Sir Francys Burdett built the nearby Saint Saviour's Church in 1662 and the hall was large and convenient with a hearth tax of 24 hearths. Foremarke Hall 1805

The present building was built in 1759 to 1761; and is of Georgian and

architectural style with an imposing portico, cursive and round domes, chamber, pillars and a magnificent south front. A

double spiral staircase Stairs are a structure designed to bridge a large vertical distance between lower and higher levels by dividing it into smaller vertical distances. This is achieved as a diagonal series of horizontal platforms called steps which enable passage ...

leads up to the 1st floor – to the rectangular balcony and pillared front entrance of the Hall and into the approximately main hall/living area of the building which consists of two large imposing fireplaces and a glass chandelier. The entrance is decorated with a tall black wooden double-door, accompanied by equally impressive checker-framed windows. There is an imposing back entrance on the far side of the main hall with identical doors and windows, and which leads to a decorated ornamental patio-courtyard. Another balcony sits outside the back entrance but is connected to imposing angular staircases on either side with right-angled twists; instead of the spiral ones found on the front face. All the staircases and balconies are fenced with stylised pillar columns. There is a doorway situated on ground level centred in between the imposing staircases, beneath both the front and rear entrances. At the front main entrance, the doorway is sealed by a black wooden door and leads slightly down into a storage room; which nowadays also houses the water boiler. The doorway at the rear entrance leads into a short tunnel and into the corridor of the ground floor; which is now a boarding house. In addition, an Annex was built as a Guesthouse and to house the Lord's

retinue A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble, royal personage, or dignitary; a ''suite'' (French "what follows") of retainers. Etymology The word, recorded in English since circa 1375, stems from Old French ''retenue'', ...

with a corridor at ground floor linking the two buildings. The Hall is four storeys high and consists of a large hall on the second floor with an infamous portrait of Burdett whose eyes Foremarke teachers and students claim 'seem to be staring directly at them in whatever angle'. After the manor house was rendered part of Repton Prep School a store room was built halfway in between the 1st and 2nd floor above the headmaster's offices to house instruments. On the 2nd floor, in between the Library and the Main Hall, the 3rd floor is hollowed to give a large two-storey space in which large portrait-paintings of Sir Francis 5th Bart.and his wife Sophia,Lady Burdett as well as his father, Francis Burdett, are hung. An L-shaped velvet-carpeted staircase next to the library door leads up to the 3rd-floor, household which is lined with Georgian carved wood-fencings. A chandelier hangs from the roof of the two-storey area. Steps on the 2nd floor lead down to the 1st floor, occupied by Francis boarding house.

History

Foremarke Hall was commissioned to be built as a

stately home An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

in 1760 by Sir Robert Burdett for his son

Francis Burdett Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet (25 January 1770 – 23 January 1844) was a British politician and Member of Parliament who gained notoriety as a proponent (in advance of the Chartists) of universal male suffrage, equal electoral districts, vo ...

(not to be confused with the latter's son Sir Francis Burdett). The architect was David Hiorns, a famous architect then whose architectural firm in London still thrives today. List of historic buildings and architects of the United Kingdom frankburdett

According to a directory published in 1846,History,Gazetteer and Directory of Derbyshire, Samuel Bagshaw, 1846 the hall was "erected about the year 1762" by Sir Robert BurdettA View of the Present State of Derbyshire, James Pilkington, 1789 (4th Bart. of Foremark), replacing an earlier house on the site, and making it one of the oldest local buildings. However, the nearby

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

– St Saviour's Church, Ingleby – was erected and consecrated in 1662 by Sir Francis Burdett 2nd Bart. of Foremark The

s of InglebyDirectory of the County of Derby, Stephen Glover, 1827-29 and Foremarke (sometimes referred to as a manor) were under the Lordship of and owned by the

Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet (25 January 1770 – 23 January 1844) was a British politician and Member of Parliament who gained notoriety as a proponent (in advance of the Chartists) of universal male suffrage, equal electoral districts, vo ...

in 1829. The

Baronetage 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 14th ...

of his family line began with Sir Thomas Burdett on 25 February 1619, who was registered on the Baronetage census as "Burdett of Bramcote, Warwicks". Francis married Sophia Coutts, daughter of the wealthy banker

Thomas Coutts Thomas Coutts (7 September 1735 – 24 February 1822) was a British banker. He was a founder of the banking house Coutts, Coutts & Co. Early life Coutts was the fourth son of Jean (née Steuart) Coutts and John Coutts (merchant), John Coutts (1 ...

, in 1793, which brought him a fortune. In 1835, the hall was described thus:

"Foremark, three miles west from Melbourn, is distinguished as having within its precincts the beautiful seat of Sir Francis Burdett, most judiciously and romantically placed, amidst scenery of a rich, bold and varied character, upon the southern banks of the Trent – the hanging hills being crowned by thriving plantations. The house is spacious, and its appearance imposing to a considerable degree ; the pleasure-grounds are very tasteful, and lead down a valley, through finely wooded avenues to the banks of the river. The church, here, which is dedicated to our Saviour, is a small, plain edifice: the living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Sir Francis Burdett. The parish of Foremark (including Ingleby township, 163) contained, in 1831, 221 inhabitants."Pigot & Co.'s Commercial Directory for Derbyshire,1835

The Burdett family owned the hall until 1850 when Henry Allsop

esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

resided there.Slater's Directory of Derbyshire, 1850 It could be that Henry Allsop was not the owner as the Burdett family were still reported as the owners in 1881.Kelly's Directory of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Rutland, and Derbyshire, 1881 In 1932, Kelly's directoryKelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1932 reported:

Major Sir Francis Burdett bart. D.L., J.P. lord of the manor and sole landowner, asa fine stone mansion, surrounded by beautiful trees and shrubs ; in the grounds is a lake of considerable dimensions.

During the course of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

the hall was taken over by the

British army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

as a military hospital. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

it was used as an Officer Cadet Training Unit; the military identification plate nailed to one of the pillars of the front entrance is still present. The Manor may be spelled ''Foremark'' or ''Foremarke'' (though usually the former), but the stately home – i.e. Foremarke Hall – is always spelled ''Foremarke''. In autumn 1972 the BBC filmed scenes from ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' at Foremarke Hall. Girls from John Port School in Etwall played pupils at Jane's school, Lowfield, in outdoor scenes.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Repton Preparatory School
Country houses in Derbyshire Grade I listed buildings in Derbyshire

The preparatory school

The building

History

See also

References

External links