Nuthall Temple lives on in Norfolk..

Sadly, both Watnall Hall and nearby Nuthall Temple have long since been demolished (in 1962 and 1929 respectively) but I recently found out that odd bits of Nuthall Temple (including its weird humanoid sphinxes) were later incorporated into a hodgepodge new build called Templewood House in Norfolk and so live on to this day. According to the Norfolk Heritage Explorer website... 

"From Nuthall Temple are sphinxes on west approach, stone staircase to south, a shortened wrought iron balcony rail, stands which derive from the interior gallery of the dome, the east terrace, and plaques of hanging garlands. From the old Bank of England (by Sir John Soane) derive the columns on west and south. The house itself is in Palladian style. "

Templewood House, Frogshall, Norfolk built in 1938

 

Nuthall Temple, built in 1764, and one of the "Three Ponds¹" in 1869 (by Alfred Dawson)

It looks like other bits have been reused too. Templewood was actually built as a house/shooting lodge in 1938 by John Seely and Paul Paget for the latter's uncle Sir Samuel Hoare (later Viscount Templewood, so named after the house) and incorporates architectural fragments from Nuthall Temple and the Old Bank of England. 

According to its Historic England listing, the bits from Nuthall are as follows... 

"The entrance is reached by a shallow flight of stone steps flanked by 2 C18 stone sphinxes all from Nuthall Temple, Nottinghamshire by Thomas Wright (demolished 1929). 7-bay south front has a double perron with stone and timber balustrade from Nuthall leading to a 3-bay loggia with 4 Bank of England columns; one bay to each side with sash windows and all 5 bays with a plain cornice and wrought iron roof balustrade by Bakewell of Derby also from Nuthall. Semicircular terrace to the west front with similar balustrade from Nuthall."

Templewood House in Norfolk and the Nuthall Temple sphinxes

 

The sphinxes being removed from Nuthall temple

Sunday Visits to Watnall Hall

Rev. Robert Holden
of Nuthall Temple

Watnall Hall and Nuthall Temple shared a deep-rooted connection. The owners and staff regularly used to meet up for social occasions, afternoon tea and for hunting and shooting trips. About the time of the Great War, when the Rev. Robert Holden was squire of Nuthall Temple, he came to visit the Rollestons every Sunday afternoon at Watnall Hall with two big brown dogs. Mrs. Emma Leaper, the Watnall housekeeper, in turn became a friend of Miss Shorthose, the housekeeper at the Temple, and took tea with her. She found she wasn't allowed to speak to the lower maids at the Temple and was reprimanded for so doing. She was married at the age of 40, on July 15th, 1933, to Ernest Leaper. They had the reception at Watnall Hall, and Lady Maud Rolleston supplied the wedding dress. Ham was served as part of the wedding breakfast - two slices to each guest. 

Mrs. Leaper had originally come to Watnall Hall as a young girl with her father Mr. Smith who was employed as a gardener. Emma in turn followed her father onto the garden staff but then had a lucky break. The Watnall Hall butler "got into trouble with a parlour maid" and they were sacked so Emma Smith applied for the job as joint butler and house parlour-maid and got it. She trained for a month before starting her new duties, but it surely was unusual for outside staff to become inside staff, and with such an important job too.

She remembered well the shoots and meeting of hounds at the Hall and the Temple which Col. Rolleston and Rev. Holden and  took turns to host. It was her job at shooting parties to lay the food out for the gentry and the chauffeur, Mr. Fred Justice laid out the food for the beaters - only sandwiches were provided for them. The cook was Mrs. Hesp, who lived to be 93. She also remembered that beef was given to the old people of Watnall at Christmas. 

Mr. Ken Livermore, a local shooting "beater", said that he went shooting on the Temple estate at Nuthall and at Watnall too. "At Temple, I used to get l/6d a rabbit there. At Watnall they gave us a bit more. I'm not sure that it was 6/-. "

Hunting party at Nuthall temple

Templewood's driveway

All Nuthall Temple's features can be seen in this picture

 

Original location of the sphinxes and staircases

 

Nuthall Temple ruins c.1960

 

Watnall Hall being demolished 1962

Sources and notes

- RA Horton - Watnall Hall and the Rollestons 2000

- Historic England listing https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1373510?section=official-list-entry

Shooting box. 1938. John Seely and Paul Paget for the latter's uncle Sir Samuel Hoare, Viscount Templewood. Painted brick, now pink but originally a warm yellow; lead roofs. Rectangular in plan, with rectangular ranges across west and east faces. Single storey west facade of 7 bays. Rendered plinth. Sash windows with glazing bars. Central 3-bay portico with 4 Ionic columns from the Taylor/Soane Bank of England supported on a rendered plinth; pediment over with Templewood's coat of arms in high relief; central double-leaved door with semicircular head, lower panels blank and upper 2 panels of each glazed. Each window of the flanking wings has apron and a continuous band to sill and head. Plain parapet. Statues on extreme corners in glass-fibre by Edwin Russell c1965. The entrance is reached by a shallow flight of stone steps flanked by 2 C18 stone sphinxes all from Nuthall Temple, Nottinghamshire by Thomas Wright (demolished 1929). To the left of the facade a screen wall with 6 blind rusticated arches. 7-bay south front has a double perron with stone and timber balustrade from Nuthall leading to a 3-bay loggia with 4 Bank of England columns; one bay to each side with sash windows and all 5 bays with a plain cornice and wrought iron roof balustrade by Bakewell of Derby also from Nuthall. 2 flanking wings project each with a sash with louvred shutters in the gable-end; bands and plain parapet as west front. Clerestorey above centre 5 bays with 3 oculi with radiating glazing bars and a stone festoon over the central opening. Semicircular terrace to the west front with similar balustrade from Nuthall. Central door with fanlight having 2 vertical glazing bars; sash to either side. 2 flanking bays project slightly having sashes with shutters. Plain cornice and wrought iron balustrade above centre 3 bays. Clerestorey with central oculus. Service entrance to north. Interior. Large central saloon with coved ceiling painted in 1964 with the life of Paul Paget by Brian Thomas. Modest apartments round the perimeter of the saloon. Country Life, 116, 4th February 1939. Burke's and Savills Guide to Country Houses, Vol.III, East Anglia 1981.

- Papers of Rev. Robert Holden relating to Nuthall tithes and to Nuthall Rectory - National Archives https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/5b143047-9037-493d-9794-641a9a775b05 

Reference: Hn Te 5/1-10

Title: Papers of Rev. Robert Holden relating to Nuthall tithes and to Nuthall Rectory

Description: A few of the papers in this section relate to Nuthall tithes at the time Rev. Charles Nixon was Rector of Nuthall. However, most of the papers date from 1914 and concern repairs made to the Rectory under the Ecclesiastical dilapidations act of 1871. This was at the time of the resignation of Rev. Robert Holden (1853-1926), (son of Rev. A A Holden), who had been Rector at Nuthall since 1879. In 1913 he inherited Nuthall Temple on the death of his older brother John and resigned the Nuthall living. He was succeeded as Rector by Rev. A J B Ellerton.

Pics - Keith Fisher, RA Horton, Historic England.

1 - The "Three Ponds" are old quarries from which the stone for building Nuthall Temple was excavated. A pub of the same now now exists on the main Nuthall to Nottingham road by the house's last remaining gate pier.