Talk Series: A mansion fit for demolition

Name: Talk Series: A mansion fit for demolition
Start: 2026-08-25T14:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-08-25T14:00:00+01:00
Location: The Armitt

About

Armitt Talk Series: A mansion fit for demolition with Suzanne Tiplady

The talk describes the development and land use of the hamlet of Grizedale during the period from the 13th to the 21st century, including the manorial system of governance, the road system, the creation of extensive landed estates, and the piecemeal tree planting that eventually created Grizedale Forest. However, the main focus of the presentation is on the construction, ownership and uses of each of the four different buildings that have been called Grizedale Hall, three of which would be classed as mansions, and the reasons given by the eventual owners of all three mansions for considering them 'only fit for demolition'.

About the speaker:
Suzanne Tiplady BSc PhD initially worked in the nuclear and defence industries in research and development, but is now a respected historical researcher and archivist, specialising in rural culture and industrial heritage. With her co-author and freelance cartographer, Kevin Baverstock, she has researched and compiled two extensive volumes of local history: The Parish of Satterthwaite - A Social History, which won The Striding Edge Productions Award for Guides and Places at the Lakeland Book of the Year Awards in 2015, and in 2025 published its companion, The Parish of Satterthwaite - A Landscape History. In addition, a walking guide, The High Road to Dalton, describes the centuries-old route (originally a 20-mile coffin road) taken by people traversing the moorland fells from Hawkshead to Dalton-in-Furness.