New chapter for former Barlborough Hall school as Elizabethan mansion goes to auction with £600k guide price

The Elizabethan manor once home to a Derbyshire independent school that suddenly shut last year is on the market for a mere £600,000.

House-hunters have the chance to live like a lord for the same price as a London flat at the historic Barlborough Hall - once one half of the Mount St Mary’s College and Barlborough Hall private schools.

The communities of the combined primary and secondary schools were sent reeling in July 2026 when it announced they were entering administrations after 80 years.

Now, the 16th century mansion has come to market, with the astonishing hall and grounds carrying a suggested price of only £600,000 - less than some Sheffield homes in Nether Edge and Brincliffe.

In fact, for the same price of a London home, a would-be buyer stands to take ownership of a Grade I-listed Elizabethan stately home dating back to 1583 along with 14 acres of land.

The sprawling estate near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, boasts almost 16,000 square feet of accommodation, landscaped gardens, woodland and lawns.

The magnificent 440-year-old hall was built for Sir Francis Rodes, the judge who took part in the trial of Mary Queen of Scots.

It is believed to have been designed by architect Robert Smythson, the man behind other nearby stately homes including Hardwick Hall and Wollaton Hall.

The country house is set in around 14 acres of gardens and the estate forms part of a Grade II registered park and garden.

James Vandenbrook, associate director at BTG Eddisons Property Auctions, which is handling the sale, 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.

“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 be auctioned on September 30.

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