12th Century
The land at Blatherwycke was mentioned in the Doomsday Book and there have been several settlements on the land in medieval times. There is still evidence of a sunken medieval village adjacent to the main lake.
18th Century
There have been several large houses built on the site, however in the 18th century the Stafford O’Brien family built Blatherwycke Hall and the walled gardens near the church that dates to the 12th century.
19th Century
The 58 acre lake was dug out by hand in the mid 19th century by Irish labourers who were brought over during the potato famine in Ireland and were camped on the north side of the lake whilst the excavations took place.
1940
The old water mill was turbine driven with water from the lake and was used until the 1940’s it has been restored by the present owners and the grinding stones and driving mechanism still remain in situ.
The dam on the north east end of the lake was further enlarged and strengthened to enable a pumping station to be built near the old water mill and a pipeline was laid to the Corby Steelworks in the early 1950’s to provide a supply of water for the manufacture of steel.
World War 2
Blatherwycke Hall was occupied during World War 2 and after the end of the war was found to be in a state of disrepair and was demolished. The remains of the fountain and several of the large trees still remain in the grounds of the old hall. The old stable block still stands and has been partially restored. Part of the old bridge that originally crossed the lake that was part of the main driveway to the hall can still be seen from the road.
Statue of Apollo
To the south east of the hall grounds are the remains of a deer park that is now arable fields and a statue of Apollo remains on the hill where it was placed at an unknown time many years ago.
Cottages
Most of the cottages in the village were built in the time of the Stafford O’Brien family’s occupation of the Estate and their coat of arms can be seen on many of the walls of the cottages. The Old School House still remains together with the Gatehouse Lodge and the Old Rectory which stands on the side of the Willow Brook adjacent to the medieval bridge at the head of the lake. Estate cottages are occasionally available for long term rental, please contact the Savills Lincoln office.