Historic Elizabethan Mansion Barlborough Hall Heads to Auction with BTG Eddisons Property Auctions

A Grade I-listed Elizabethan mansion with more than four centuries of history is being offered at auction, with a guide price of £550,000–£600,000.

Barlborough Hall, near Chesterfield, dates back to 1583 and is attributed to renowned Elizabethan architect Robert Smythson, whose other notable works include Hardwick Hall and Wollaton Hall. The house extends to almost 16,000 sq ft and sits within approximately 14 acres of gardens, lawns and woodland, forming part of a Grade II registered park and garden.

Built for Sir Francis Rodes, a judge who was involved in the trial of Mary Queen of Scots, the property has been home to Mount St Mary’s College and Barlborough Hall School since 1939. The schools closed last year after entering administration in July 2025, with other parts of the wider estate sold this summer.

Barlborough Hall will now go under the hammer with BTG Eddisons Property Auctions, offering the opportunity to acquire a substantial historic country house and its surrounding grounds.

James Vandenbrook, associate director at BTG Eddisons Property Auctions, said: “Barlborough Hall is an exceptional property in every sense. It is not often that a Grade I-listed Elizabethan house of this scale, with such a remarkable architectural history and so much land, comes to the market at auction.

“The fact that it dates back to 1583 and is associated with Robert Smythson, whose work includes Hardwick and Wollaton halls, gives it a very special place in the history of English country houses.

“It is also a property with enormous potential for its next chapter. Of course, any future use will need to respect its Grade I listing, its historic significance and the necessary planning and other consents, but the scale and setting of the estate make it a fascinating proposition for the right buyer.”

Surrounded by mature parkland and landscaped grounds, the property could lend itself to a range of future uses, subject to planning, listed building consent and other necessary approvals.

Vandenbrook added: “Barlborough Hall is a building of genuine national architectural significance and there will inevitably be a great deal of local and national interest in what happens to it next.

“Whoever acquires it will have the opportunity, and indeed the responsibility of becoming the next custodian of a unique house that is more than four centuries old.”

Barlborough Hall will feature in BTG Eddisons Property Auctions’ live stream auction on 30 September, with a guide price of £550,000–£600,000.

The property is around seven miles from Chesterfield and 10 miles from Sheffield, with access to the M1 at Junction 30 and rail connections to London St Pancras.

For further details and bidding information, visit www.btgeddisonspropertyauctions.com.