Since 1984 Coxbench Hall has been providing care to the elderly as a Residential Care Home opened by Brian Ballin and ran by his 5 children. However, the beautiful Georgian building dates back to way before we inhabited it.
This is a brief history of Coxbench Hall
The earliest mention of Coxbench is in the Doomsday Book in 1042-1066. Coxbench was then known as Herdebi meaning village of the flock and was owned by Siward, The Earl of Northumbria.
The land was then registered to be owned by Henry De Ferrers in 1086 according to the Doomsday survey. From the De Ferrers Family, the Franceys Family then became owners of the land. The daughter and heiress of the estate then married William Brooks.
Their grandson William Johnson Brooks MD (1763-1830) replaced the old manor house that his family had resided in with the Georgian building that still stands today. The house was built by John Chambers of Horsley Woodhouse. If you look carefully at the exterior of the former stables you will find a stone inscribed with “William Brooks 1774”.
The current house is a Grade II listed building and boosts three storeys in the main house with a beautiful Tuscan style porch at the entrance. The former stables have been converted to become part of the residential home.
During the 19th Century, Coxbench Hall had numerous different occupants including the Meynell, Alleyne and Watts families.
When World War I broke out in August 1914 Edith Cammell was living here at Coxbench Hall with her servants. She was the widow of George Cammell, Justice of the Peace and of “Independent Means”. She had two daughters, both married to professional soldiers. The oldest, Edith, had married Godfrey Meynell in 1903 and the younger daughter, Iris, married John Arkwright Strickland in Bombay in September 1914.
At the outbreak of war, the Red Cross was practically the only organisation ready to collect and distribute clothes and other items for use by injured servicemen in hospital. Working parties were formed across the country in towns and villages. Mrs Cammell rallied to the war effort and offered Coxbench Hall as a work depot for the Red Cross.
From 1950 to 1981 Captain George E Watt and his wife Mrs Pat Watt lived here and were landlords for a small group of Rolls Royce apprentices. Many had a hobby of restoring cars in garage (formerly in the west wing) and Captain Watts also made his own beer which was reported to be quite strong. He was promoted to the Director of Rolls Royce in Australia and eventually they settled to retirement in Auckland.
Up until 1984 the house was owned by Dr and Dr Fowler who lived here with their adopted children. Dr Fowler was Head Psychiatrist at Pastures Hospital. Dr Fowler was a GP in Vernon Street, Derby.
On 31st July 1984 Coxbench Hall was purchased by Brian Ballin (and former Director) and converted into a Residential Home for the Elderly which, we are proud to say, continues to this day.
Since 1984 the house has been renovated and extended. During the renovation works many original features were found including servants’ stairs in the wall near the kitchen, although they have long since been removed. There is also the original water source to the home near the top patio of the gardens, which was fed from the water collected in a cistern up on the hill.
Other features such as cast-iron fencing and the “ha-ha” have also been found in the garden with a small cave in the woods which could have acted as a cold store and a buried stone trough which now houses flowers near the stone steps previously used to mount horses.
In 2000, the sheltered housing complex of Close Care Apartments was built in the grounds to allow for independent living with the support of the home when needed and the work on the workshop and office complex was completed in 2003.
