An estate of 1200 acres at Stanford was granted by Queen Mary to her goldsmith, Robert Raynes in 1558. It was Raynes' great grandson, also called Robert who built the first hall here of stone in 1641. Charles Vere Dashwood demolished the original hall and commissioned William Anderson of Loughborough to build a new brick mansion between 1771 and 1774. The estate continued to grow in a piecemeal fashion by purchase and enclosure until it was sold by Charles Lewes Dashwood in 1887 to the Ratcliffe family, noted brewers from Burton. The Ratcliffes began a comprehensive redevelopment of the hall and estate including the layout of formal gardens. The walled kitchen garden dating from the early nineteenth century was remodelled to include a cottage and a conservatory. By 1899 the estate had grown to 1,682 acres. When it was sold again in 1928 its area totalled some 3,000 acres. The buyer on this occasion was the renowned Sir Julien Cahn (1882 - 1944). Upon purchasing the estate he began a series of major works which were designed to aggrandise both the house and grounds very much in the flambuoyant spirit and style of the day. Sir Julien was also responsible for remodelling the fishponds, the tennis pavilions and courts, the sea lion pit, the penguin pool, the classical pavilion, the octagonal game house, the putting course, bowls green, the layout of the cricket pitch and the Italian garden which was fed from a natural spring in the basement of the house. He also laid out an 18 hole golf course in the park and a roof garden over the Private Foyer both of which no longer exist. Of particular interest is the open air swimming pool which was built voluntarily by his staff by converting an old reservoir in 1930. Sir Julien adapted the scheme and between 1934 and 1939 built changing cubicles, the filtration unit, the rockery walls and grottoes.
At the end of the war following Sir Julien's death the estate was temporarily requisitioned as a transport centre. In 1945 the Hall and the surrounding 300 acres of parkland were sold to the Co-Operative college and Education Department of the Co-Operation Union. (2)
Park shown. (3) (4)
Landscape park, gardens and pleasure grounds to Stanford Hall. Gardens documented circa 1730 comprised extensive walled gardens situated within an enclosed deer park. Much of the current layout has been developed since 1887 with further development of the grounds taking place between 1928 and 1944. (5)

See M224 for Stanford Hall.

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

<1> Notts Historic Gardens Trust, 1995-1997, Notts Historic Parks and Gardens Files (Unpublished document). SNT4553.

<2> Biggadyke J, 1995, Stanford Hall - Register Review Report (Unpublished document). SNT4609.

<3> Chapman J, 1774, Nottinghamshire - approx 1in (Map). SNT550.

<4> Sanderson G, 1835, 20 miles around Mansfield - 2 in (Map). SNT48.

<5> English Heritage, 1985, Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England - part 33, Notts, Nottinghamshire, 05-Aug-2002 (Published document). SNT4554.