Evolution of Wheathills Farm
Our company is located at Wheathills Farm in Derbyshire, a fine Regency building with a rich and varied history.
It was built by the Bennett family in 1763 on the site of an older building, of which only vaulted cellars remain. The original farm was grand and the beating heart was its kitchen and cellars which boasted an ice house, brewery, salt stalls and an abattoir. It was progressive for its day, with running water to the interior, fed from a freshwater stream less than half a mile away. The stream still has the oyster beds, plentiful trout fry and water cress that would have been present during the Bennetts’ day.
In 1805 Wheathills was purchased as a retirement home by Lord of the Manor Francis Mundy and re-named Wheathills House. Lord Mundy spent a significant sum improving and upgrading the building, over a four year period, employing the services of Derby architect Samuel Brown. The grand house contained a library and a small ball room with a quartet alcove. It featured local alabaster stone fireplaces, delicate hand-drawn plaster work, walnut-panelled rooms, stone carved features, polished wooden floors and decorative railings. Surviving documents also list generous use of handmade wallpapers.
After the death of Lord Mundy the house again became a working farm and some interior features were removed. During the 1960s Wheathills Farm was converted into flats, largely destroying the last vestiges of plasterwork and panelling.
The Heldreich family purchased the property in 2001 and began the painstaking task of restoring both the house and its gardens to create a fine business location, where Wheathills’s clients can meet the skilled team members who form the extraordinary creative hub at the heart of the company.
Our clients are always welcome to come and experience the great atmosphere at Wheathills. They can take tea in the spacious and comfortable morning room or library – where ideas are expressed, shared, nurtured and take root, and where research and design work takes place.
With a short walk down a corridor clients arrive at the marquetry and art studios, the cabinet making and French polishing workshops and our vast collection of rare and unusual wood veeners.
Our gardens are thoughtfully planted with symbolic flowers, trees and shrubs, which assist our craftsmen in their portrayals of flora in fine carvings or exquisite marquetry.
We trust you will find that Wheathills is an inspirational destination: a harbour where imagination and artistry combine to create magnificent and original pieces of work.
