Building record MDR5360 - Tapton House, Chesterfield
Type and Period (3)
- HOUSE (Georgian to Early 20th Century - 1782 AD to 1925 AD)
- SCHOOL (Early 20th Century to Cold War - 1931 AD to 1991 AD)
- TRAINING COLLEGE (Late 20th Century to 21st Century - 1994 AD to 2050 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
Full Description
Tapton House (now Tapton House School) is a late 18th century three-storeyed house of red brick with double stone bands above ground floor. It was formerly the home of George Stephenson, the railway pioneer. Grade 2*. (1, 2)
Tapton House is a most stately and impressive house set atop a hill overlooking Chesterfield and in a spacious park, which happily survives to a large extent. It was started in1782 for Isaac Wilkinson, who had just received a legacy, and was completed after he had received another - this time from his father - in 1794. The house is two and a half storeys high and eight by five bays, built of brick with stone dressings and with a slate roof. The interior is unexpectedly fine with a wealth of restrained Rococo plasterwork and a vaguely Gothick oak staircase top-lit by a dome. The anomalies in the structure suggest that Wilkinson built a five by three bay villa first in 1782 and greatly expanded the house on succeeding his father twelve years later. The detailing suggests that Joseph Badger was the architect, as at Tapton Grove, at least for the first phase. In 1837 the house was leased to the celebrated railway pioneer George Stephenson who re-landscaped the 94 acre park with the help of his friend Sir Joseph Paxton. The house was given to Chesterfield Corporation in 1925 and was opened as a school in 1931, the grounds being turned into a public park. The school closed in 1991 and the building reopened as a College three years later. (4)
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SDR12041 Map: 1883. OS 6", 1st edition.
- <2> SDR5122 Bibliographic reference: DOE (HHR) Borough of Chesterfield Derby Sept 1977 11..
- <3> SDR12891 Bibliographic reference: Pevsner, N. 1979. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. 2nd ed., revised. p150.
- <4> SDR19744 Bibliographic reference: Craven, M & Stanley, M. 2001. The Derbyshire Country House: 2. pp 313-314, illust..
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred SK 3921 7215 (29m by 32m) (Centre) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | CHESTERFIELD, CHESTERFIELD, DERBYSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
- EDR3716
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External Links (0)
Record last edited
Nov 16 2017 10:13AM