Denton Hall is an English country house

English country house

The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...

 located to the north of the River Wharfe

River Wharfe

The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...

, at Denton

Denton, North Yorkshire

Denton is a hamlet and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated north east of Ilkley, West Yorkshire. Denton Hall is located in the hamlet....

 between Otley

Otley

-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...

 and Ilkley

Ilkley

Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...

 in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, and set within a larger Denton estate of about 2500 acres (10.1 km²), including a village, church, and landscaped gardens

English garden

The English garden, also called English landscape park , is a style of Landscape garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal, symmetrical Garden à la française of the 17th century as the principal gardening style of Europe. The...

.

The current hall dates to the 1770s, with a cited completion date of 1778. It was designed and the construction overseen by John Carr, for Sir James Ibbetson, 2nd Bart. Twice before the hall had been burnt down through the (alleged) carelessness of servants, in 1734 and once rebuilt, again in 1743. This circumstance induced the builder of the present mansion to compose a Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 verse, which he had affixed in front of the building. It may be rendered as follows:

NOR WRATH OF JOVE, NOR FIRE, NOR SWORD, I FERVENT PRAY,

MAY THIS FAIR DOME AGAIN IN PROSTRATE RUINS LAY.

Among the furniture supplied for Denton, the largest amount (£551) was delivered by Thomas Chippendale

Thomas Chippendale

Thomas Chippendale was a London cabinet-maker and furniture designer in the mid-Georgian, English Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. In 1754 he published a book of his designs, titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director...

, born in the parish. The other major supplier was the firm of Gillow of Lancaster

Robert Gillow

Robert Gillow was an English furniture manufacturer.Born in Singleton, Lancashire he served an apprenticeship as a joiner and cabinet maker. He joined with a family of traders called Sattersthwaite and sailed with them to the West Indies as a ships carpenter. In Jamaica he became interested in...

; a small sum was spent with Ince and Mayhew

Ince and Mayhew

Ince and Mayhew were a partnership of furniture designers, upholsterers and cabinetmakers, founded and run by William Ince and John Mayhew in London, England, from 1759 to 1803; Mayhew continued alone in business until 1809. Their premises were listed in London directories in Broad Street, Soho,...

.

The written history of Denton goes back to at least 1253, when the then-owner, one Athelstan (not to be confused with the king

Athelstan of England

Athelstan , called the Glorious, was the King of England from 924 or 925 to 939. He was the son of King Edward the Elder, grandson of Alfred the Great and nephew of Æthelflæd of Mercia...

 of that name), made the estate over to the See of York

Archbishop of York

The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man...

, which already owned manorial rights in nearby Otley.

It was subinfeuded

Feudalism

Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...

 (sub-let) at an early date to the Vavasours

Vavasour (family)

The Vavasour family are an English Catholic family whose history dates back to Norman times. They are featured on the Battle Abbey Roll and lived at Hazlewood Castle from the time of the Domesday Book until 1908....

, and in 1284 Maugerus le Vavasur held the town for a fourth part of a knight's fee of the Archbishops of York, who continued lords paramount. In 1379, according to the poll-tax returns, one Adam Wayte appears to have been then farming the manor, at which time Denton had a more than ordinary reputation for clothes-making and drapery goods. The estate passed into the ownership of the Thwaites family when Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Thwaites, married John Vavasour of Weston, who died in 1482; records show the Thwaites family had been resident in Denton village earlier than that time. Again through marriage, in 1515 the estate passed to the Fairfax

Lord Fairfax of Cameron

thumb|Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of CameronLord Fairfax of Cameron is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Despite holding a Scottish peerage, the Lords Fairfax of Cameron are members of an ancient Yorkshire family, of which the Fairfax Baronets of The Holmes are members of another branch...

 family. At the time of Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 1st Lord Fairfax of Cameron was an English soldier, diplomat and politician, his title being in the Peerage of Scotland.-Life:...

, Denton Hall had repute as housing one of the best libraries in Yorkshire (some of which later made up a part of the Thoresby Museum

Ralph Thoresby

Ralph Thoresby , born in Leeds and is widely credited with being the first historian of that city. He was besides a merchant, non-conformist, fellow of the Royal Society, diarist, author, common-councilman in the Corporation of Leeds, and museum keeper.-Upbringing:Ralph Thoresby was the son of John...

; others, including the Dodsworth

Roger Dodsworth

Roger Dodsworth was an English antiquary.-Life:He was born at Newton Grange, Oswaldkirk, near Helmsley, Yorkshire, in the house of his maternal grandfather, Ralph Sandwith...

 manuscripts made their way to the Bodleian Library

Bodleian Library

The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...

 at Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

). Denton was the birthplace and seat of Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron

Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...

, famous as a general and commander-in-chief during the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

.

The estate was eventually sold by Lady Fairfax, widow of the 5th Lord Fairfax, in 1717 to James Ibbetson, a member of an old Yorkshire clan which had grown rich from a Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

 merchant house devoted to cloth. It is said that the sale was to pay off debts on her estates in Kent, but that the sale was made so recklessly that the price given for Denton was covered by the value of the timber on the estate. On the Ibbetsons coming into possession of Denton in 1717 they did much to improve the estate. Sir Henry Carr Ibbetson, Bart, as the first President of the Wharfedale Agricultural Society, specialised in the breeding of Shorthorn

Shorthorn

The Shorthorn breed of cattle originated in the North East of England in the late 18th century. The breed was developed as dual purpose, suitable for both dairy and beef production; however there were always certain blood lines within the breed which emphasised one quality or the other...

 cattle. Later Ibbetsons were responsible for the erection of the second and third Denton Halls.

By the marriage in 1845 of Laura, daughter of Sir Charles Ibbetson, Bart., with Marmaduke Wyvill, M.P., for Richmond

Richmond (Yorks) (UK Parliament constituency)

Richmond is a constituency located in North Yorkshire, which elects one Member of Parliament at least once every five years using the First-past-the-post system of voting....

, the Denton estate passed to the Wyvills in 1861. About 1902 the house was let, the furnishings being removed to the Wyvill's ancestral seat, Constable Burton

Constable Burton Hall

Constable Burton Hall is a handsome mansion of dressed stone in the village of Constable Burton in North Yorkshire whose owners are the Wyvill Family. The house has an elegant Ionic portico in and the principal entrance is approached by a double flight of steps...

, North Yorkshire. It was again sold, to Albert Holden Illingworth, 1st Baron Illingworth in 1920, and then by him in 1925 to Arthur Hill, who made a number of alterations to the hall still evident today. It was most recently bought by the firm of NG Bailey in 1976, who have refurbished it, use it as offices and let out rooms for meetings and conferences.

Film location

Denton Hall has been used as a college for old people, and also was a location for two films: In the 1942 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 film by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger under the production banner of The Archers. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David...

by Powell & Pressburger

Powell and Pressburger

The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers, made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1981 they were recognized for their contributions to British cinema with the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, the most prestigious...

, it is the seat of the Wynne family, whose daughter Barbara marries the eponymous Colonel. It is also a setting for the non-animated elements of the 1978 The Water Babies

The Water Babies (film)

The Water Babies is a 1978 animated feature film based on the book The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley.-Plot:When a 12-year-old chimney sweep is wrongfully blamed for being a thief, he makes a run for it, he jumps into a violent river. There he encounters a wondrous civilization of anthropomorphic...

.

External links

• Denton Hall - website operated by the current owners