Bunny Hall is a

grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

country house in Bunny, Nottinghamshire. The house was originally an

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female per ...

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 – 29 March 1741) was an English writer, landowner, architect and engineer who was a prominent figure in British wrestling during the Georgian era. Life Born in 1664 at Bunny, Nottinghamshire, he was the s ...

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, ...

. 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 A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

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

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

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 14th ...

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. They sold the whole estate to

Sir Albert Ball Sir Albert Ball (20 July 1863 – 27 March 1946) was Mayor of Nottingham and Lord Mayor of Nottingham, and the father of the famous Great War air ace Captain Albert Ball (1896–1917), a recipient of the Victoria Cross. Ball started life as a p ...

, the Mayor of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

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. After his very public fall from grace, with a £32m debt, Chek Whyte sold Bunny Hall to Anita Dougal in 2021. https://bunnyvillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/March22-1.pdf page 32

References

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

History

See also

References