View source for Ilam Park

{{Short description|National Trust property in Ilam, Staffordshire}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Ilham_Hall_in_1807_(Seat_of_John_Port).png|thumb|The old Ilam Hall in 1807]]
[[File:Ilamhall.jpg|thumb|Ilam Hall circa 1880]]
'''Ilam Park''' is a {{convert|158|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[country park]] situated in [[Ilam, Staffordshire|Ilam]], on both banks of the [[River Manifold]] five miles (8&nbsp;km) north west of [[Ashbourne, Derbyshire|Ashbourne]], [[England]], and in the ownership of the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]]. The property is managed as part of the Trust's [[White Peak|White Peak Estate]].
(Ashbourne, the '[[post town]]', is in [[Derbyshire]] and thus so is Ilam's postal address, but the Park and Ilam are in [[Staffordshire]]. Staffordshire can be used for postal purposes. The county boundary is the [[River Dove, Derbyshire|River Dove]].)
The property consists of Ilam Hall and remnants of its gardens, an ancient semi-natural [[woodland]] &mdash; Hinkley Wood &mdash; designated as a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]] (SSSI), noted for its small-leaved and large-leaved [[lime (tree)|limes]] and their hybrids.
==Ilam Hall==
[[File:Ilam Hall 01.jpg|thumb|left|Ilam Hall in 2007]]
The estate was owned from the 16th century, for over 250 years, by the Port family. After the death of John Port, son of Burslem Sparrow and Frances Newell (daughter and heiress of George Newell and Prudence Port) it was sold to David Pike Watts in 1809. On his death in 1816, the old hall was inherited by his daughter who had married Jesse Russell. Russell (as [[Jesse Watts-Russell]], [[High Sheriff of Staffordshire]] in 1819 and Conservative MP for the [[rotten borough]] of [[Gatton (UK Parliament constituency)|Gatton]]<ref>[http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/watts-russell-jesse-1786-1875 History of Parliament online]</ref>) commissioned [[James Trubshaw]] to build a new Hall to  designs by [[John Shaw Sr.|John Shaw]]; the Hall, now a [[Grade II* listed building]], was built between 1821 and 1826.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1188713 |desc=Ilam Hall and Gardener's Cottage|access-date= 17 October 2007}}</ref> The reverend Bernard Port, son of John & Mary Port, continued to live in Ilam vicarage until his death in 1854.
By the early 1930s it had been sold for demolition. The demolition was well advanced when Sir [[Robert McDougal]] bought it for the Trust, on the understanding that the remaining parts (the entrance porch and hall, the Great Hall and the service wing) be used as an [[Hostel|International Youth Hostel]]. Today Ilam Hall is leased to the [[Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)]] (YHA).<ref>[https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/yha-ilam-hall YHA Ilam Hall]</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
* Michael Raven, ''A Guide to Staffordshire and the Black Country'' (2004), p.&nbsp;182 (Google Books)
==External links==
{{commons category|Ilam Hall}}
* [https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ilam-park-dovedale-and-the-white-peak Ilam Park information at the National Trust]
{{coord|53.055|-1.807|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}
{{Derbyshire Places of interest}}
{{Hostels}}
[[Category:Country parks in Staffordshire]]
[[Category:National Trust properties in Derbyshire]]
[[Category:National Trust properties in Staffordshire]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions of the Peak District]]