Stancliffe Hall

Stancliffe Hall is a grade II Listed building on Whitworth Road in the settlement of Darley Dale, near Matlock, Derbyshire.Early historyIn 1817, Magna Britannia reported thatHerbert Greensmith Beard was living there in 1792 when he passed on manuscripts from the Columbell family which were made for Roger Columbell of Darley Hall who died in 1605 (which confirm the Magna Britannia version). That document records that Herbert Greensmith sold the hall in 1799 to William Heathcote for ten and a half thousand pounds. Heathcote was then in Batavia in the colony of Demarara. Heathcote's brother, John Heathcote and his family were living there in 1817. John died unmarried on 13 January 1821 aged 72 and left the Hall to his nephew Andrew Heathcote Shepley. Andrew changed his name to Andrew Heathcote Heathcote and was the principal owner of land in Darley holding 550acre.WhitworthStancliffe Hall was bought in 1854 and again built, of stone, by the engineer Joseph Whitworth in the Tudor style. He and his wife moved into the Hall in 1870 when Whitworth had largely retired and was using his energies to direct the quarrying of stone from Whitworths quarry. The gardens were designed by Edward Milner; the architect for the 1872 renovation was T. Roger Smith, followed in 1879 by Edward Middleton Barry. A noted feature was the rockery, which Sir Joseph Whitworth had constructed out of a sandstone quarry.