Ashfield House, Mansfield

I have recently obtained a copy of the death certificate of my great great grand-mother Harriet Clay who died in 1900.  Although she was living at the Queens Head with one of her sons, Walter John Clay, the publican, she appears to have been at Ashfield House, Mansfield when she died.  I haven’t been able to find any reference to ‘Ashfield House’ and wonder what and where this was.

How Mansfield possibly looked when the Clay family lived there.

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  • I have this postcard which shows Trenam Market Hotel.  This was owned by my mothers family on her mothers side.  I always look on this site but never find anything about it.  I know Arthur Trenam owned it first but then was sold later on. 

    By susan amspacher (16/12/2016)
  • Hi all, Hi Trevor. remember me ? I worked at the college at the same time as Trevor, one evening when I was locking up I got to the room which is now the art and design reception when I heard footstep above my head, this would be in room 21 or 22, when I walked out of the reception there was a strong smell of lavender and the temperature had dropped in the hallway with a sudden strong draught, I thought I had left a door or window open. Ii went upstairs, put the lights on the room was empty, Ii came back down the stairs the smell had gone and the temperature seemed to be back to normal……. it did spook me a little.

    By rob wilton (03/12/2013)
  • Further to my last comment regarding Ashfield House, I have found further evidence that Ashfield House was mentioned in the 1851 and 1861 census. Again it was the Parsons family who occupied it in both census. However, there were three generations of Parsons. Going back to the 1851 census, it was occupied by Richard Parsons who was born in 1782 at Duffield in Derbyshire. His profession was that of Attorney. This would be the Grandfather of the last Richard Parsons who occupied the house in 1911. It would appear that the last Richard Parsons died in 1918, his younger brother Lawrence died in 1911. This would tally with the house being sold in 1922, when it was purchased for the temporary use as a Technical College whilst the College fronting Chesterfield Road was being built. In 1930 Ashfield house became the new Art College, having previously been at Carr Bank. The headmaster being Albert Sorby Buxton. In a 1914 map of the area it shows Ashfield House and the extent of it’s very large gardens, which stretched all the way down to Chesterfield Road. It must have been a very impressive House in it’s time.

    By Angela Roche (10/04/2013)
  • I worked as a tutor at the College of Art as it was and indeed Ashfield House, which was the front part of the college building is a lovely building. A wonderful Wisteria adorned the whole of the front of it. It was a real joy when in flower. I presume that originally the garden went all the way down to Chesterfield Road. Re. Darrell’s question regarding it’s former use: I believe that it was a private residence and we used to refer to Lady Ashley’s ‘presence’ still being in the building. I have no information about who ‘Lady Ashley’ was other than knowing the name. A strong scent of lavender sometimes materialized in the area between the entrance hallway often between the doorway that led to the cellars and the upstairs room (that presumably would be a servants room) and the entrance to the newer purpose built part of the college building. This would have been the back entrance to the house. I have experienced this scent myself. An ex head of the art college, who used often to go in at week-ends just to look around at the work in the studios, catch up on paperwork etc. told me that on one occasion when he was there he experienced a sudden drop in temperature and the scent . Though he wasn’t the type normally to be bothered by anything paranormal he admitted that he felt the urge to leave the building – and did so quite quickly.

    By Trevor Ellis (09/04/2013)
  • Tracing back the history of Ashfield House I discovered that the main occupants were the Parson family. I’m not sure when the house was actually built, but it appears in the census of 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911. The Parson’s resided during this period. In 1881 the head of the family was Richard Parsons who was born about 1824 in Mansfield. He was a solicitor by profession. His wife Dorothy was born in 1829. They had six children, Ann, Richard, Dorothy, Margaret, Lawrence and Agnes. Richard Parsons junior and Lawrence followed their father’s footsteps and became solicitors. By the 1911 census Ashfield House was occupied by Richard Parsons junior and his siblings Margaret, Dorothy, Lawrence and Agnes. Agnes being the youngest aged 30, and Richard the eldest aged 45, none of them had married. There were 14 rooms in Ashfield House and one servant girl. I was also a student of Art in 1968 and have experienced similar, unexplainable things as Trevor did. I dont remember the perfume, but do remember the drop in temperature in a certain part of the building.

    By Angela Roche (09/04/2013)
  • Indeed a nice postcard picture, however, as with many views from the period, the tram lines and overhead wires/supports have been removed from the image. This junction was a cross-over on the system with a line coming down Leeming Street from Woodhouse and another line going down Church Street to Crown Farm. A tramcar is still visible near the town hall.

    By Berisford Jones (03/05/2012)
  • In 1922 Ashfield House was purchased and used as a temporary technical school. Six years later the new technical college fronting Chesterfield Road was opened. And in 1930 the School of Art moved from Carr Bank to Ashfield House, with Albert Sorby Buxton as headmaster. I dont know prior to 1922 the history of Ashfield House, but would love to find out. I was an art student there in the late 60’s, and found it to be a beautiful building.

    By Angela Roche (20/02/2012)
  • Thanks Darren, Do you have any idea what Ashfield House was used for in 1900? Did you post the picture? Great pic – the Clays were actually there before Market Place was expanded too. Cheers Darrell

    By Darrell (17/02/2012)
  • Ashfield House is now part of West Nott’s College’s Chesterfield Road campus and can be seen on Google Street View, about halfway up Paulson’s Drive

    By Darren Turner (15/02/2012)

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