Tales from Watnall Hall

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The woodland reveals its secrets slowly...

on April 27, 2020

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Secrets in the woods

Are slowly revealed to us

As years go by

April 27th 2020 - Watnall's secret sunset "Son et Lumiere"
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"Flying Bedstead" pilot crashes onto B600 and into Watnall Hall's garden wall

Today's dramatic tale from Watnall Hall is from Friday May 19th. 1939 when an aircraft crash landed through a hedge and onto the main B600 road at Watnall narrowly avoiding a herd of cows and a Post Office delivery van. The unruffled aviator turned out to be Rolls Royce's chief test pilot Captain R.T. "Shep" Shepherd¹ who lived at Nuthall and would later be first to fly the famous Flying Bedstead. We also look at the poignant story behind that flight which is quite remarkable. He also received an OBE for his wartime work testing the Merlin Spitfire engine at Hucknall.

The ha-ha of Watnall Hall

Watnall Hall in 1955, tucked into the hillside, viewed from near the Rolleston graves in the parkland above. Anyone walking on the grassy fields above Watnall could be forgiven for thinking they are in the spacious grounds of a country house and that is because they are. The fields, now usually grazed by cows, used to be called Watnall Park, a name that's sadly fallen out of use. It was the parkland of Watnall Hall, the home of the Rolleston family. We can still find a few clues to its former parkland status including a curious feature called a "ha-ha".

The Watnall Hall graves - who is buried there?

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The woodland reveals its secrets slowly...

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