The many industrialists of the north had many flaws, but they did have a habit of building very nice houses in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras. I am not sure what I would do with that much money, but it probably wouldn’t be ‘build a big house in the Peak National Park’. I’ve seen enough Grand Designs to know how stressful that is.
I might, however, buy a ‘big house in the Peak National Park’ that someone else has already built, such as Bents House. It’s for sale with Carter Jonas for £2.75 million. It has six bedrooms, five bathrooms and is very large. It comes with three acres of gardens and grounds.
athrooms and is very large. It comes with three acres of gardens and grounds.
Back to the industrialists. Bents House was built by the civil engineer Charles Boot in 1930. Charles was the son of Henry Boot, who made his fortunes in construction. After building Bents House, Charles purchased somewhere called Heatherden Hall in 1934, which he then decided would be better used as a film studio. You may know it now as Pinewood Studios.
We have much to thank Charles for, not least Bents House, which was built as lavishly as the style of the day could take — this really is a monument to Edwardian excess. But it's tied to the history and landscape of the area as well: it's thought that much of the local stone used in construction was sourced from Derwent Hall when the latter was demolished to make way for the Ladybower Dam.
Glorious architectural details abound, notably the stone mullioned windows, lead gutters and fall pipes, and original stone fireplaces. The oak panelling was taken from Pinewood Studios and HMS Mauretania, and let us pause and reflect on the glory of the plasterwork in the kitchen.
The main property is set over three floors and features a vast living/kitchen/dining room, an orangery, another dining room, drawing room, sitting room and another living room. There’s also a wine cellar.
Within the three acres, which includes beautifully manicured and landscaped gardens that are only improved by the surrounding Peaks landscape, you will find an annexe that features two further bedrooms and a gym.
A look at the photographs show that this is a house of a grand scale, befitting the era in which it was built, but with plenty of modern touches that make life comfortable. Well done Mr Boot.
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