A remarkable Grade I-listed Elizabethan mansion dating from 1583 and designed by the architect Robert Smythson is to go to auction with a guide price of £550,000–£600,000.
Barlborough Hall, in Derbyshire, was built in 1583 for Sir Francis Rodes, a judge who took part in the trial of Mary Queen of Scots, and is attributed to Robert Smythson, the architect behind celebrated 16th century buildings such as nearby Hardwick Hall and Wollaton Hall.
Set in around 14 acres of gardens, lawns and woodland, the house has almost 16,000 sq ft of accommodation. The estate forms part of a Grade II registered park and garden.
The house and land is being auctioned following last year’s closure of Jesuit-run Mount St Mary’s College and Barlborough Hall School, which had occupied the building since 1939. The school went into administration in July 2025, with other parts of the estate sold this summer.
Barlborough Hall will feature in the next auction held by BTG Eddisons Property Auctions later this month, offering buyers the opportunity to acquire a substantial Elizabethan country house with an architectural heritage that goes back more than four centuries.
James Vandenbrook, associate director at BTG Eddisons Property Auctions, said: “Barlborough Hall is an exceptional property in every sense. It is not often that a Grade I-listed Elizabethan house of this scale, with such a remarkable architectural history and so much land, comes to the market at auction.
“The fact that it dates back to 1583 and is associated with Robert Smythson, whose work includes Hardwick and Wollaton halls, gives it a very special place in the history of English country houses.
“It is also a property with enormous potential for its next chapter. Of course, any future use will need to respect its Grade I listing, its historic significance and the necessary planning and other consents, but the scale and setting of the estate make it a fascinating proposition for the right buyer.”
The hall is surrounded by mature parkland and landscaped grounds, with its size, historic buildings and setting potentially lending themselves to a range of future uses, subject to planning, listed building consent and other necessary approvals.
Vandenbrook added: “Barlborough Hall is a building of genuine national architectural significance and there will inevitably be a great deal of local and national interest in what happens to it next.
“Whoever acquires it will have the opportunity, and indeed the responsibility of becoming the next custodian of a unique house that is more than four centuries old.”
Barlborough Hall will feature in BTG Eddisons Property Auctions’ live stream auction on 30 September, with a guide price of £550,000–£600,000.
The property is around seven miles from Chesterfield and 10 miles from Sheffield, with access to the M1 at Junction 30 and rail connections providing direct services to London St Pancras.
For further details and bidding information, visit www.btgeddisonspropertyauctions.com.
BTG Eddisons Property Auctions is a national property auction business formed through the unification of the regional auction brands Pugh, SDL Property Auctions, Mark Jenkinson and Network Auctions. It offers a wide range of residential and commercial property and land at auction to buyers across the UK.