The Hall Archives - Parlington Information Blog

April 2021 Advertiser Article

History is a moving target, not something which has a finite answer. Essentially what happens in a moment rapidly loses its component parts and re-assembly of the parts whether virtual or real is always open to interpretation. The passage of time makes the task more difficult. The distance from which we sit today relative to the events which took place at Parlington prior to its destruction over the early decades of the twentieth century, enable many theories to be expounded.… Read the full article

March 2021 Advertiser Article

parlington around 1860, stereo photo & brewster viewer

Early photography was very different, in fact photography up until the nineteen nineties was constrained by the storage medium. But with the advent of digital cameras and electronic storage the world changed. Back in the Victorian era a camera was a huge box with a brass mount for a large glass lens, all supported on a sturdy wooden tripod.… Read the full article

February 2021 Advertiser Article

Imagine if you were exploring Parlington Woods in the early 1950’s on a cold and dark winter’s day and out of the gloom you were confronted with the desolate scene of the abandoned old hall, you might be forgiven for imagining that there was more to the place than simply a derelict old building.… Read the full article

October 2020 Advertiser Article

Recently acquired family papers delivered to Lotherton Hall, bequeathed by a Gascoigne relative, are providing new insights into, and filling many gaps in the family story. One very glaring absence is the complete lack of any photographs of Colonel Frederick Trench-Gascoigne, or his wife Isabella. But at least Isabella and her sister Elizabeth feature on a drawing and later engraving, titled ‘Peris of the North’, clearly from their early adulthood.… Read the full article

Notes from the Cellar Discovery

Coffee Cup, found in the excavations (2 pieces glued together)

The discovery of the cellar at Parlington prompted me to make the following notes at the time, 2005

He considered the options carefully, “How could it be? No one, and I mean nobody, could have been in here for around seventy or more years, not since the main entrance area was demolished when the Porte Cochère was moved to Lotherton Hall — it’s giving a tingling sensation down my neck, spooky!… Read the full article

Advertiser Mag :: 2020 #22

Bottles discovered in the Excavation of the Cellar

Following on from the previous episodes about the cellar discovery, I should like to resume with a brief story in a light hearted vein of my archaeological work.

Continuing excavations in the gardens during a warm, sunny and settled early July 2005, the cellar being discovered, then the stone staircase down to it unearthed.… Read the full article

Advertiser Mag :: 2020 #21

Part Two

Cellar, looking back towards the stairway entrance

The destruction of Parlington Hall was not a single event. The hall was largely unoccupied sometime after the death of Colonel Frederick Trench-Gascoigne in 1905, his son Dick and new bride preferring the recently inherited Lotherton Hall. Dick, took the view that the property was really beyond saving.… Read the full article

Advertiser Mag :: 2019 #20

Excavation down to the Cellar beneath the Small Drawing Room

The majority of articles I have written on the topic of Parlington concern historical events, references to lost heritage or details of the estate landscape and structures. However there is one event even though some fourteen years since, still affords me a moment to marvel at what occurred.… Read the full article

Advertiser Mag :: 2018 #06

During the twentieth century the Gascoigne family, like many other large UK landowners were required to address their changed circumstances, especially after the Great War. Taxation and particularly death duties brought into stark focus the need to divest yourself of long held assets to raise funds to satisfy the voracious taxman.… Read the full article

Advertiser Mag :: 2018 #04

Last month we concluded our look at Parlington lane at the Gamekeeper’s lodge. Amongst the recent changes at Parlington has been the heritage listing of various buildings and structures, these are Home Farm, the nearby Stallion Pens, Barwick Lodge, Wakefield Lodge, the Ice House and jointly listed the Light and Dark Arches, all Grade II.… Read the full article