Country Images Magazine May 2015 - North Edition | Page 19

somewhat compromised the setting of his new
house by building a terraced row of 28 cottages
on the opposite side of Babington Lane with a
malting floor set above the living accommodation
and all the windows facing away from the street,
presenting therefore an intimidating windowless
aspect to Babington Lane.
Alderman Forman’s son Robert inherited less
than a decade later and died in 1862, leaving
it to his brother, Cllr. Frederick Forman. He,
though, built himself a new house (to the designs
of Edward du Sautoy, great grand-father of the
late Cllr. Martin du Sautoy), on the grounds, at
the edge of Green Lane opposite Wilson Street.
Completed in 1869, this was called Green
Hill Villa and was a fine house unpardonably
destroyed in 2006 to build an exceedingly
intrusive hostel. Thus in 1869, the remaining
grounds of Abbot’s Hill plus house and stables
were sold to lace magnate Walter Boden, brother
of Henry Boden of The Friary.
In 1888 Boden added a rather odd looking new
wing and formed a new drive from Green Lane,
now Degge Street. He also sold part of the land
to the Council to build the Art College and more
just south of St. Peter’s church, to form Gower
Street. The architect for the new extension, rather
incongruously done in brick-nogged timber
framing, was Alexander MacPherson (architect of
the Derby Co-op in East Street/Exchange Street)
who also did much work at the Bodens’ Mill of
London Road.

diminishing its potential as a residential area.
Houses were also built between the Trinity
Chapel on Green Lane and the pub at the end,
the Babington Arms, Lenham Villas and Lenham
Terrace.

which was added to the country of the Meynell,
of which he was a leading member.
The Richardsons found the encroaching town
too much by the 1920s, and they left Abbot’s
Hill in 1926 and moved to The Leylands, Penny
Long Lane, Darley Abbey (happily not a lost
house), taking the Babington Hall panelling with
them, where some of it may still be seen in the
former drawing room, re-configured to make
a chimneypiece and overmantel. Other, 18th
century, panelling was also rescued, stored and
much later built into a large house in Quarndon.

In the Goodey collection at Derby Museum there
is a sepia painting by S. H. Parkins of a house
labelled Abbot’s Hill House. Yet it is of a rather
larger villa of the same vintage (c. 1720/30) but
with similarly characteristic detailing. No one has
yet identified it. The artist tended to paint, at the
behest of his patron, Alfred Goodey, retrospective
views of houses already lost, using oral accounts
and any other evidence, so the painting might
be misleading. However, it was painted whilst
Abbot’s Hill still stood, so has to be of somewhere
else, later mis-identified.

The house was then knocked down and the
grounds built upon with what was then an
elegant and smart shopping complex in local
stone designed by Naylor & Sale and built by
Joseph Parker of Friar Gate. The spur had been
the Council’s decision to widen Babington Lane,
thus much increasing its potential but sharply

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The new wing included a ‘massive oak staircase’
(in ‘Jacobethan’ style) three extra bedrooms and a
further four staff rooms and added 12 loose boxes
to the stabling. Yet, having spent much money
on these improvements, in 1898 he sold up and
went to live at The Pastures, Littleover (now the
Boys’ Grammar School) taking with him much of
the original panelling, freed up by MacPherson’s
extension. He died at The Pastures in 1905.

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The house and grounds, which included land
on both sides of Babington Lane were sold to
William Millward Richardson (1839-1922),
proprietor of the well-known tanning emporium
in Eagle Street, Cockpit Hill and later at Sinfin
Lane. The house was to be a residence for his
son, William Henry (1871-1932), who enlarged
the estate subsequently, acquiring three streets of
terraced houses behind Babington House, which
were made available at very favourable rents
to the Richardsons’ employees. 17th century
Babington House was redeveloped as retail, the
site being acquired by Hull shoe entrepreneur
George Edward Franklin (1849-1913) with new
premises going up to the design of John Wills,
junior. Abbot’s Hill itself was at first let the house
to Hepworth Tropolet Alton, of the brewing
firm, who died in 1903. W. H. Richardson then
moved in with his family and installed his hunters
in the loose boxes. Later he bought a large tract of
land around Mugginton from Marquess Curzon

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