The 300-acre Locko Park estate, situated a mile north of Spondon, has been home to the area's landowners since the 11th Century.
Ownership of the estate and surrounding area is recorded back as early as the Doomsday book of 1086, when the land is recorded as belonging to a Saxon called Stori. Following the Norman Conquest, the Manor of Locko with Spondon was one of 210 manors awarded to Baron Henri de Ferriers, a Norman companion of William the Conqueror, for his bravery and support during the Battle of Hastings.
In 1180, descendant William de Ferriers gave the land, including the Locko estate and Spondon church, to the Burton Lazars of Leicestershire, an order of St. Lazarus monks dedicated to the care and nursing of lepers. The monks founded a leper hospital on the Locko Estate to the rear of the existing Locko Hall building. Indeed, the name Locko derives from the hospital, coming from the old French word 'loques', meaning rags.
The Manor was forfeited in the reign of Henry III (1216-1272) because the Ferriers supported a rebellion against him, and it was then granted to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster. Much of the local area, including the Locko estate and hospital, was destroyed by the Great Spondon Fire of 1340. Later, in the reign of Henry IV (1399-1413), the village came into the possession of the Byrde family. Redistributions of royal lands during the Tudor era allowed William Gilbert of Barrow to acquire Locko manor with Spondon from William Byrde in 1563, and several generations of Gilberts afterwards maintained ownership.
The Locko Hall and Park estate as we know it today began to take shape in the early 18th century. The main hall itself was built in 1720 by Francis Smith of Warwick. The landscaping of the park and lake was the work of William Emes and John Webb in the late 1700s, the commission having previously been turned down by Capability Brown.
The final descendant of the Gilbert family, John Gilbert Cooper, sold the estate to John Lowe in 1747. The last of the Lowes willed the Manor to a relation, William Drury, in 1790 who assumed the name Drury-Lowe. It was William who commissioned the landscaping of the grounds and other development work on the estate. Much of the interior of the hall was decorated by local architect Henry Stevens in the 1850s, inspired by Drury-Lowe's passion for Italian artwork and architecture.
Today, the Hall and estate is still owned by descendants of the Drury-Lowe family and remains predominantly a private estate, although a number of open days have been held in recent years and the park grounds are used for a number of fairs and other events each year. The grounds are also now used as a popular wedding and corporate events venue.
Read more about the history of Spondon:
A brief history of Spondon
The Homestead
Spondon War Heroes
Spondon World War II Stories
The Story of Enoch Stone
Local History Web Links
And also at Ken Porter's excellent and highly recommended "A Village Remembered" website and also the Spondon Historical Society website.
