A hunting lodge was built at Bestwood in the late C13. (1)

Beskwood Park (sic) … hath a very fair Lodge in it. Little Sir John Byron, a great favourite to King Henry the Eighth … had it. (2)

There were hunting lodges on the site from the C14. (3)

No remains of an earlier building could be seen incorporated into the present house. (4)

Named 'Bestwood Hall' (5)

By 1650 … the Great Lodge [was] in the occupation of the keeper, William, Lord Willoughby of Parnham. The Hall was built of wood, lime and plaster and covered with slate and tile, just as the 1573 account of the original building had described. (6)

The present Bestwood Lodge was built in 1862-5. (7)

See M8932 for the Victorian house and M8789 for the garden.

OS, 1921, 6in 1921 (Map). SNT1065.

Historic England, 2021, National Record of Historic Environment (Digital archive). SNT5271.

<1> Colvin HM, 1963, History of the King's Works, p 921 (Published document). SNT179.

<2> Throsby J, 1790, Thoroton's History of Notts Vol 2, p 279 (Published document). SNT1346.

<3> Pevsner N, 1979, The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire 2nd ed., p 72 (Monograph). SNT4.

<4> Seaman BH, 1975, Pers Comm (Personal comment). SNT1253.

<5> Sanderson G, 1835, 20 miles around Mansfield - 2 in (Map). SNT48.

<6> Thoroton Society, 1985, TTS, p 58-60 (Serial). SNT1503.

<7> Pevsner N, 1951, The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire (Monograph). SNT49.