History

Casterne Hall is a perfect example of a country manor house that has changed little over the centuries and is still lived in by the family who built it.

There has always been a house of some kind at Casterne. The surrounding land bears remains of iron-age, bronze-age and even stone-age man, and it is known that there are Roman remains in the foundations.

Before the Conquest Casterne was part of the estates of Wulfric Spot, an Anglo-Saxon nobleman who left it to the Abbey of Burton, who in turn leased it to various families during the late Middle Ages, including a famiy called de Casterne. At that time there was a medieval hamlet behind the house which may have been a victim of the Black Death.

The Hurt family came to Casterne in the late 1400s, first leasing then acquiring the estate. The Hurts had already been established around Ashbourne for several generations. They lived at Casterne until 1690, rebuilding the house at least once during that time.

In 1690 they moved to the much bigger house and estate at Alderwasley, near Wirksworth, after which Casterne became the domain of younger sons. One of these, Nicholas Hurt, rebuilt the Casterne that we see today, the early Georgian front concealing parts of the older houses.

In the 20th Century, Alderwasley was sold and Casterne once again became the family's principal residence

casterne hall is set in a beautiful remote park - ideal for film locations

casterne hall - film location of jane eyre, far from the madding crowd

Georgian bedroom - tour of casterne hall

georgian fireplace - tour of casterne hall

The Dolls House

Miniature Hall was constructed from scratch by Caroline Hurt and is fine example of a Georgian Town house. It is home to a cornucopia of treasures collected over the past 15 years and houses some unique pieces of furniture all hand made by expert craftsmen.

The house is decorated in the style of some of England's grand Stately homes - the wall paper in the Drawing room is hand blocked and a replica from ‘Anne’s bedroom’ in Fairfax House, York , while the Ballroom Room paper replicates that found in the Drawing Room at Sutton Park , The Oak Dining Room is suitably papered in traditional hunting scenes.

The flooring is a mixture of hand laid stone and wooden parquet, the bedrooms and bathroom of course are carpeted!

Some of the many works of art that furnish this unique miniature include aworking grandfather clock, collection of hand wound cotton bobbin reels, oil paintings of Lord St Helens and the Hurt family, glass and silver wine decanters, hand blown glass ornaments from Venice and a working chess set. No dolls house is complete without its own miniature dolls house which of course this has - come and visit and see for yourself

dolls-house-exhibition

Dolls House - Casterne Hall, Derbyshire

Come dine with me!

The dolls house nursery.

Testimonials

"I am writing to say how much our party enjoyed their visit to Casterne. We visit Derbyshire's grandest houses, Chatsworth, Haddon, Kedleston etc. but the general concensus of members was that the highlight of our four day tour was Casterne." - Richard Wilson of the Art Fund.

"We were all totally captivated by Casterne, both the house and its amazing position, and our visit was definitely the highlight of our Derbyshire stay." - The Dilettanti Group.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening in your magnificent home. Everyone raved about your hospitality and thoughtfulness. The best memories of our tour are the homes in which the owners greeted and entertained us, and we are still enthusiastically praising you both for such a magical evening." - New Orleans Tours.

"We appreciated the visit hugely and the members were in awe of your home which was absolutely lovely. The visit was certainly one of the highlights of the holiday - it is a huge privilege to be allowed to visit private houses and one which we really do appreciate." - County Durham Centre of the National Trust.

"The perfect proportioning and retention of so many Georgian features left us all captivated by the house. The visit was made accessible by your presentation and I left wishing only that there could have been more time to absorb the atmosphere of the place. Speaking personally, I don't think I have visited a house that has appeared to fit more into its surroundings or exuded such a feeling of being 'right'." - Ray Biggs of the Grimsthorpe Castle Guides.

"Thank you for allowing us to visit your beautiful home. Everyone was fascinated by the situation, history and your clear explanations about the house and your family. The weather and refreshments on the patio completed a very memorable evening." - The Mugginton and Weston Underwood Tuesday Group.