While we have no documented evidence that Robert Smythson was the architect of Doddington, most experts agree that the house is a fine example of his later work. Burton Agnes, Hardwick Hall, Wollaton Hall and Worksop Manor are among his best houses.

His innovation was to abandon the internal courtyards of Tudor houses and create an outward looking house with big windows and a symmetrical layout.

Today Doddington is a remarkable building. In 1600 it must have been an astonishing sight. At a time when most people lived in mud and stud cottages, Doddington would have towered over the countryside.

Thomas Tailor died in 1606, only six years after the completion of the house. He was succeeded by his son, also named Thomas.

Their second son, John, was killed at the battle of Gainsborough close to Doddington. His armour, pierced by a musket ball is still at Doddington. The Husseys suffered from the heavy fines imposed on the families who supported the King.

However, Doddington, unlike many other Royalist homes was not burnt, possibly because the Hussey’s daughter-in-law had married a General in the Parliamentary Army (Ferdinando Fairfax) after the death of her first husband, Thomas Hussey. Ferdinando was the father of Thomas (Black Tom) Fairfax, who later became Commander in Chief of all Parliamentary forces.

Seaton Delaval, a prestigious and fashionable neoclassical house, was left to their eldest son, Francis Delaval. Their younger son John Hussey Delaval inherited Doddington.

The decision not to give Doddington to Francis was wise. Francis was a gambler obsessed with the theatre but very much a favourite of the era.

In contrast, John was a more conscientious man, loved Doddington and left his mark more indelibly on the house than any other owner. His simple and elegant 1760’s redecoration of the interior is unchanged to this day and many of the best paintings and furniture in the house are from his collection. He added the staircase and even put in double glazing on the east side of the Drawing Room.

When Sir Francis Delaval died suddenly at the age of 48, dissipated and penniless, John also inherited Seaton Delaval and its related estates. His mother had expressly stated that Doddington could not be owned by the same person as Seaton Delaval.

John fought a long legal battle with his younger brothers over this and in the end a compromise was reached and John inherited Doddington, paying his brother Edward a large annuity of £400 per year.

Despite their great impact on Georgian life the Delaval family had a tragic end. A great fire rendered Seaton Delaval a shell, and of the eight brothers only John had a son (also called John). Tragically he died while being treated for consumption just before his 21st birthday. Beer brewed for the birthday celebrations was never used and still lies sealed in the Doddington cellar today. The inside of St. Peter’s Church, just finished, was painted black throughout and remained so for a number of years afterwards.

When John Delaval died in 1808 Doddington was inherited by Edward Delaval, his younger brother, by then 79 years old and a distinguished scientist (he had designed a lightning conductor for the newly built St Paul’s Cathedral).

The Gunmans were a distinguished naval family and several of the pictures on the stairs celebrate the heroics of James’ great-grandfather, Admiral Christopher Gunman.

Sarah Gunman was twenty five years younger than her husband and became romantically involved with a dashing widowed soldier, Colonel George Ralph Payne Jarvis, who was then Commandant of Dover Castle. George Jarvis was the youngest of twenty one children born to Thomas Jarvis, Governor of Antigua. He had fought through the Napoleonic wars often at Wellington’s side.

When James Gunman died in 1824 it seemed likely that Sarah and George would marry and move together to Doddington.

Tragically Sarah died of consumption within the year, before they could get married. She bequeathed Doddington to George Jarvis, even though they never married.

Many of the guns in the cabinets belonged to George Jarvis. There have been soldiers or sailors in almost every generation of the families at Doddington. As a result we have weapons that date from the English Civil War to the present day.

George Jarvis was both a man of means and very happy to become a country squire. By the end of the 19th century Doddington was a thriving agricultural estate of some seven thousand acres with its own pack of fox hounds and an expensive steam yacht called Elspeth used on foreign cruises.

The 20th century war years and the introduction of ‘Death Duties’ weighed heavily on Doddington. Much of the land had to be sold but the Hall did avoid demolition, the fate of many country houses after World War II.

When Colonel Ralph Payne Jarvis inherited Doddington from his father in the 1950s the house was in a very poor state of repair. The lead roof leaked and baths and buckets stood in the Long Gallery to catch the rain water. Ralph Jarvis obtained substantial Government grants for a new copper roof and other crucial repairs. The house has been open to the public since 1954 under the terms of these grants.

From 1973 Antony and Victoria Jarvis pursued a programme of sympathetic restoration to the Hall, Gardens and Estate as well as broadening the appeal of Doddington to visitors through events such as concerts, exhibitions and school visits.

In 2006, their eldest daughter Claire Birch and her husband James took over the management of Doddington Hall.

One of Claire’s first priorities was to restore the Kitchen Garden to its former glory. This led to the creation of our award-winning Farm Shop and Farm Shop Café.

Over the last 20 years, the estate has continued to evolve and is now home to multiple shops, holiday cottages and the popular Grain Store café, bar and restaurant. Doddington Hall has also become a renowned wedding venue, offering couples the chance to celebrate their day in the historic Hall and the beautiful estate grounds.

In 2021, Claire launched Wilder Doddington, her most ambitious project to date. This ongoing work is returning the surrounding countryside to a more natural state after years of arable farming. By allowing nature to recover, the landscape is regenerating, increasing biodiversity and attracting some wonderful new wildlife.

Today, the house is in as fine an order as at any point in its history, the gardens are ever more glorious, and the future ever more exciting.