History of the Bentley Brook Inn (as far as we know it)

This fine old building with its great charm, character and atmosphere was originally a medieval farmhouse. It’s near neighbour was a fortified manor house, with five square towers and curtain walls. In the late fourteenth and early fifteenth century this was the home of a yeoman farmer and Lord of the Manor, one Thomas Beresford and his wife Agnes. The one remaining tower can still be seen from our car park as part of Cherry Orchard Farm, just across the road from St Edmunds Church where for centuries the premier line of the Beresford family were buried.

Thomas took several of his sons and with his retainers formed a full troop of 40 horses to fight with King Henry V at Agincourt. He was obviously a character of great strength as was his wife Agnes. She bore him sixteen sons and five daughters. He died in 1473 in his nineties and she died six years earlier also at a great age. There is a fine if macabre monument to them in the church.

Sometime about 1805 the mainly wattle and daub farm building that is now the Bentley Brook was improved by he addition of the main half timbered gable end.

By 1852 the building, still thatched was one of two farms that belonged to the same estate that had manorial rights. It was known as Bank Top and the other was and is the present Alders farm. Together they measured about 250 acres.

They were sold separately, at auction, on Friday 13 August 1852 at the Green Man Inn, Ashbourne. The notice of sale suggested "To any gentleman desirous of establishing a genteel residence in the vicinity of the celebrated Watering Places of Derbyshire, the property offers a most desirable opportunity for investment". This was indeed what happened a further extension was added, the thatch removed and the present slate roof built over the existing frames. Regrettably Alders Farm was the one that kept the Lordship of the Manor.

Between the two World Wars, a widow, relict of the Vicar of Bloor, Mrs Howell together with her Sister in Law companion Miss Young lived here in considerable style. They had 5 indoor servants, a gardener, an under gardener and a coachman. At that time the estate had been reduced to 13 acres of land but still supported a home cow and an acetylene gas producing plant to light the house. The wealthy owners’ main residence was a town house in Ashbourne and therefore this property was then known as Bentley Cottage.

In 1954 the property was sold for £3,000 with only 8 acres of land. It was at this time that it first became a restaurant and was run by Major and Mrs. Wright, although a full on-licence was not granted until the early 1970’s when the property had been bought by the Tom Rainbird and George Fisher . They sold on to Mr and Mrs Sergeant in 1975 Mr Sergeant had been an Engineer working with Mullard and only had the inn for two years..

When the Allingham family bought the property in 1977, from the Sergeants, there were only three acres of land left. The story goes that the adjacent five-acre field had been lost on the turn of a card. Jeanne Allingham became the fourth licensee but the property was in a poor state of repair. A policy of restoration and refurbishment is constantly being followed.