Blakesley Hall (Northamptonshire)
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Blakesley Hall was a manor house situated near the village of Blakesley in Northamptonshire, England. Dating from the reign of King Henry III in the 13th century, it was demolished in 1957.
The hall was owned by C. W. Bartholomew from 1876 to 1919. In 1903, Bartholemew constructed a 15-inch-gauge ridable miniature railway in the grounds to facilitate the movement of coal and other supplies to the house. The railway extended to the nearby Blakesley Station on the East and West Junction Railway (later known as the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway) between Stratford-upon-Avon and Blisworth Junction. One of the engines run on the miniature railway was a 4-4-4T internal combustion locomotive (with a steam outline) named Blacolvesley and built by Bassett-Lowke of Northampton in 1909. [1]
More recently, local architectural designers, the Roger Coy Partnership, have been granted planning permission to undertake work on their proposed recreation of the hall. [2] The current owner discovered a stream by landscape gardeners, James Pulham and Son, while clearing the grounds in readiness for the redevelopment. The stream, which had become overgrown, included cascades and other water features.
