Stonyhurst, The College 1899

Photo ref: 43489

More about this scene

There are two of these large man-made ponds at the front of the college. This, the left-hand one, is always full of ducks and other wild fowl. The house, which was at one time the largest building in the north of England, was built by Sir Nicolas Sherburn (Shirburn) around 1690. His son and heir died in 1702 aged 9 from eating yew berries, and the family died out. The estate was left to a cousin (named Weld) who gave it to the Jesuits in 1794 - they needed a new home after being thrown out of Belgium. The estate is over 2,000 acres, much of which is farmed. The church of St Peter can be seen to the right of the picture. The college is open to visitors during the summer holidays, and is well worth visiting. It has a library that contains mementoes of many famous people, including Bonnie Prince Charlie and Mary Queen of Scots.

An extract from Heart of Lancashire Photographic Memories.