Large country house. Built 1864-71 by A. Salvin with details by O. Salvin for the third Earl Manvers. Elizabeth revival style with irregular facades. Rockfaced ashlar. Ashlar dressings. Slate roofs, some with decorative iron cresting. Chamfered plinth, first floor band, string course, moulded cornice. Panelled parapets with pierced decoration and strapwork. Quoins have chamfered rustication. 2 gable, 2 side wall, 6 ridge and 9 corner stacks. 4 and 5 storeys plus attics. 9 bays wide by 8 bays deep. Square plan with central courtyard. Balanced principal facades have prominent central features and corner towers of various designs. Windows are cross and mullioned casements. Main east front has central 3 storey projecting porch with porte-cochere and above it, 2 stage bell tower with cupola. Porte cochere has 3 round headed keystoned openings. Flanked to left by 3 casements and beyond, door with overlight. Beyond again, 2 casements. To right, 4 casements. Above, porch has elaborate paired casement with domed flanking pilasters. To left, 5 and to right, 4 casements on each floor. Return angles have each a single casement on each floor. Above again, porch has 2 storey canted oriel window. Attics have 4 gabled dormers. Tower has cornice with 4 urns. Above, clock stage has triple corner pilasters and rosette decoration. Clock face to east. Domed octagonal cupola has fluted scroll brackets and round headed openings. Corner tower to left has shallow clasping buttresses topped with square domed cupolas with round headed openings. 4 shouldered gables with obelisk finials. To east, parapeted square bay window with casement. Above, 2 floors each with a single casement. Above again, paired casements. Above it, single casement in gable. Tower to right, 5 stages, has to east a casement on each floor. Arcaded top stage has round headed openings. South front has 3 different bay windows, 2 storeys, each with 3 or 4 casements. Central scrolled shaped gable flanked to left by parapeted square tower and to right by tower with corner cupolas. Central pedimented doorcase flanked to left by 3 and to right by 2 casements on each floor. Above again, to left 3 and to right 2 pedimented gabled dormers. West front has square parapeted flanking towers, that to right with a 3 storey gabled bay window. To left, single storey parapeted pavilion, 3 bays, with, to west, pedimented door flanked to right by 2 casements. Angled linking corridor, to right, has a casement. To right, corner block has 3 casements. To right again, canted balustraded corner bay window. To right again, pedimented doorcase flanked by single casements. Beyond, to right, 2 casements and bay window with 3 casements. Above, 11 casements. Above again, 4 gabled cross-eaves dormers, flanked to left by 3 casements and to right by single casement. Above again, to left, a gabled dormer. Cross-gabled main staircase tower, 6 storeys, has balustrade and 4 side wall stacks. On each side, a pair of casements with strapwork lintel. Shaped gables have each a pair of flanking stacks and a central stepped casement. Central courtyard has to east 4 floors with casements and above again, 3 gabled dormers. South side has central canted parapeted 3 storey bay window with 3 casements on each floor, flanked by 2 and 3 casements. Above again, projecting bay flanked to left by 3 casements with aprons and to right by 3 casements with bracketed sills. West side, 4 storeys, has 7 casements and above, 3 floors each with 6 casements of various sizes. Rainwater heads dated 1891 and 1893 and initialled 'M'. North side, single storey plus attics, has to left, 2 casements and to right, C20 French window. Above, 4 round beaded shouldered dormers. To north, adjoining service wings. 2 staggered parallel single storey ranges with cross-gabled transverse range, 2 storeys plus attics. 12 bays long. All in a simplified version of the style of the Hall, with similar detail. Rainwater heads dated 1866. Transverse range, 6 bays, has round-headed archway at each end, first floor Tudor arched linking bridge to north, scrolled gabled dormers and paired central stack containing bellcote. Retaining wall to north, rockfaced ashlar, has openings with segmental heads, similar boundary wall, to east, has pilasters and parapet. Hall interior has Great Hall with moulded string course and hammer beam roof with carved corbels and drops. To south, bracketed ashlar fireplace, probably by Fisher and Dyson, with crest containing Arms, coronet and supporters. Panelled dado. Classical doorcases with scroll brackets and pediments. Above, 4 moulded round headed openings to gallery. East end has screens passage with 3 round headed openings. Above, 3 triple openings with granite shafts and above again, a 3 bay arcade with shell niches in piers and pierced balustrade. West end has central round headed arch flanked by single shell headed niches and beyond, single round headed recesses. Above, 2 round headed openings with elaborate corbelled balconies. Above again, 3 small round headed openings. Principal Imperial staircase has half-landings and elaborate scrolled foliate cast iron balusters. Stair well has shell-headed niches and domed ceiling. Front entrance hall has segmental headed opening to dogleg staircase with landings. Drawing room in Second Empire style has deep frieze and elaborate coffered ceiling. Original silk wall covering. 2 marble fireplaces with angled figure brackets and overmantel mirrors with gilt frames. Library has fitted bookcases with C19 lamps, foliate frieze and coffered ceiling. Large carved oak Classical fireplace with carved figures and relief panel by Gerrard Robinson. Ante room has marble Classical fireplace with herms and overmantel mirror. 5 painted wood panels. Dining room has Classical marble fireplace attributed to John Carr, with Ionic columns, frieze with relief panel and dice with urns. Main bedrooms have coffered ceilings and 2 Classical marble fireplaces with overmantels, reputed to be from the John Carr house. Outside, front entrance court flanked by rockfaced ashlar retaining walls, with pilasters, parapets and urns. Keystoned openings. To east, dwarf boundary wall, curved plan, carrying elaborate wrought iron railing. Pair of central crested wrought iron piers with lamp brackets and pair of wrought iron gates. Thoresby Park was enclosed by William Pierrepont, fourth Earl of Kingston, in 1783. The existing early C17 house was remodelled, probably by Benjamin Jackson, in 1685-87, and burnt down in 1745. A second house by John Carr was built in 1767-71. This was pulled down c.1865, when the present house was built on a site about 400M to the north. (NCC/js)