Pictures of Sutton Scarsdale

About Sutton Scarsdale

This is a village noted for the romantic ruins of what was once one of the grandest houses in Derbyshire. Sutton Scarsdale Hall was built for the first Lord Scarsdale, who according to local legend is reputedly the model for the old peer in Hogarth's "The Rake's Progress. Another literary connection with the hall is that a later owner was supposedly a role model for Sir Clifford Chatterley in D.H.Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover".

The remaining walls of the building give some clue to the lavish interior of the building which had superb decoration by Atari and Vassali. It was adorned with fantastic fireplaces, splendid staircase and panelling, much of which was the work of local craftsmen.

The house remained in the hands of the Earls of Scarsdale until the death of the fourth Earl, at that time the estate was sold to Godfrey Clarke of Somersall, Derbyshire. Later it passed via marriage to the Marquis of Ormonde. In 1824, following the death of the Marquis, Sutton Scarsdale was bought by Richard Arkwright, son of the Cromford Mill Arkwrights.

Sutton Scardale Hall remained a cherished home amidst a beautiful landscape until 1920, when left to the elements it quickly fell into a bad state of repair. After years of neglect, stripped of its building materials, the house came to the notice of Sir Osbert Sitwell who purchased the remaining shell to preserve as a ruin.

Tales abound of ghostly happenings at the hall, and it believed much of the rich interior found its way to America, but in its lovely, lofty landscape with views over the surrounding countryside Sutton Scarsdale is well worth a visit.