Before the Norman Conquest in 1066, the manor of Olaveston (Wollaton), comprising of some 180 acres, belonged to the Saxon, Wulfsi The Noble. In the Doomsday Book of 1086, Olvaston is now listed as belonging to a William Peverel, who installed Warner de Codnor to manage the estate. Warner's son, Robert, took the family name of Morteyn and indeed the Morteyn family remained in ownership of the estate until the 14th century.

In 1176 Adam de Morteyn (Robert's son) is described as Lord of the Manor at Wollaton and his family lived in a house probably on the site of the Old Rectory. In 1314 Sir Richard de Willoughby (descended from a rich Nottingham wool merchant) purchased land in Wollaton, including property belonging the Morteyns; with this sale Sir Richard became the Lord of the Manor. His son, also a Richard, perpetuated the link with the previous owners by his marriage to an Isabelle Morteyn.

It was not until the 1460s that the Willoughbys moved to Wollaton, where they probably either rebuilt or expanded the manor house ('Old Hall'). The Willoughby’s wealth derived from substantial coal mines in the parish as well as their extensive land holdings. Sir Henry Willoughby, who was buried in St Leonard’s Church in 1528, died one of the richest men in England. His great grandson, Sir Francis Willoughby, set about building Wollaton Hall (1580-1588) on the top of a nearby hill, surrounded by a park. One of the foremost English architects of the sixteenth century, a Robert Smythson, was brought in as professional master surveyor. It is considered one of the finest Elizabethan buildings in the country and was an architectural sensation of its age; the style is advanced Elizabethan with early Jacobean elements.

You can read more about Robert Smythson in one of our articles.

Wollaton Hall main entrance (north elevation)
(Photo by Robert Bourne)

In 1712 Sir Francis’s great-great grandson, Thomas Willoughby, became the 1st Baron Middleton. He substantially altered the interior of Wollaton Hall but like most of his successors spent little time there. The 5th Baron Middleton, Henry Willoughby, commenced the building of the new stable block in 1743 (which then had additions in 1774 and 1829) and may have been responsible for almost completely rebuilding Wollaton Village after 1750. Major alterations were made to Wollaton Hall in the early 19th century following fire damage and it was remodelled by Jeffry Wyatville.

By the 1860s the family had moved their principal residence to Birdsall House in Yorkshire and Wollaton Hall was occupied only on occasional visits by the family. In 1881 the Willoughby family considered the Hall to be “too near the smoke and busy activity of a large manufacturing town”.

During a time of significant death duties, the 10th Baron Middleton, Godfrey Willoughby, decided to sell all their family Estates in Nottingham, Middleton and Yorkshire; in 1925 these were eventually sold by the then 11th Baron Middleton, Sir Michael Willoughby. Nottingham City Council bought the Hall and Park for £200,000 on the condition that they would be retaining both the Hall and a substantial part of the Park. (The sale catalogue for the wider Wollaton Estate is available to our WHaCS members in the Members Only archive.)

Nottingham City Council proceeded to develop the eastern part of the Park with a new road, Middleton Boulevard, with housing on either side. Further, 140 acres of Wollaton Park was given over to Wollaton Park Golf Club, which then opened in 1927. The whole of Wollaton Parish was finally absorbed within the boundary of the City of Nottingham in 1933.

The Nottingham Natural History Museum has been within Wollaton Hall since 1926 and in the stable block there is the Nottingham Industrial Museum, which opened to the public in 1971. Wollaton Hall is a Grade I listed building (first listed in 1952) and the Park is Grade II listed, along with its associated buildings.

Did you know?... back in 2011 Wollaton Hall was the location shoot for Wayne Manor in the Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight Rises. Batman might not be with us now, but we certainly do have Bats at the Dovecote.

The Friends of Wollaton Park website has an excellent Wollaton Hall and Park Historic Timeline.