Loxley Estate
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The Loxley Estate is composed of several residences and lands. These include Loxley Manor and Hunting House located in Nottingham’s wealthy Inner Circle, and Huntingdon Hall, seat of the Loxley family since YE 238. Huntingdon Hall is located on three thousand acres of land, which includes the Sherwood Forest burial grounds at the edge of Loxton, capital of the Marcdom of Huntingdon.
There had been a Loxley resident on the estate from YE 238 to 877. This changed with the death of Eleanor Loxley and the disappearance of her daughter Robyn, the 11th Margrave of Huntingdon in YE 877, during the Promised Land Campaign. The farmlands have been managed by the Little family since YE 683. The current estate manager is Nick Little. During the Great Torrent, 60% of the farmlands were flooded and although the seawater receded quickly, it left 15% of the lands lost forever.
Robyn’s half-sister Philippa Murdoch, Sheriff of Nottingham is currently in the process of breaking up the estate. Though she has kept the residences and Sherwood, she has signed the farmlands over to King John.
Residencies
Huntingdon Hall
See also: Huntingdon Hall
Built in YE 165 as a hunting lodge for Empress Ivette II, Huntingdon Hall was gifted by Queen Mary-Anne to the Loxley family in YE 238, along with the Marcdom of Huntingdon, as a reward for the Loxleys’ long-term loyalty to the Fitzwalter family, and for Margaret Adelaide Loxley’s assistance to Queen Mary-Anne during the Sacking of the Vatican. Initially, known as Loxley Lodge, it gained its current title after extensive renovations in YE 257.
The original lodge still stands and forms the centrepiece of the existing building, which has been extended and renovated several times over the centuries.
Loxley Manor
The Manor is the Loxley family’s primary residence within the city of Nottingham.
Construction began in YE 556, on the orders of Queen Eleanor, as she wanted a residence close to her son following his ascension to the throne as King Richard I. The manor was located only a mile from Nottingham Castle.
Eleanor took up residence at the Manor following completion of the first section three years later, in YE 559, even though building work was still continuing on the two wings. The elaborate west and more modest east wing were finally completed in YE 567.
In YE 703 Catherine Loxley, 7th Margrave of Huntingdon, established the Loxley Foundation after her husband died of cancer, bestowing the central building and the west wing to the charity. These have been used as a research centre and hospice ever since.
During the Great Torrent in YE 781, a large part of the east wing was destroyed by tidal waves. The decision was taken to rebuild in a modern style, rather than try to match the 5th-century original. As a result, the east wing of the Manor was rebuilt using glass and steel, and a third floor was added. Although the east wing is still attached to the rest of the Manor, the difference in styles gives it the appearance of two buildings.
The east wing of Loxley Manor is currently the residence of Philippa Murdoch.
Hunting House
Hunting House is one of the Loxley family’s city residences. Built in YE 6 by Margaret Loxley, Raeswa of Huntingdon, as a country house for herself and her partner Gabriella Fitzwalter, the first Margrave of Nottingham, it was originally located ten miles outside of Nottingham. However, as Nottingham grew over the centuries, it eventually became a part of the city and today forms part of the wealthy Inner Circle.
Although originally conceived as a modest holiday home, generations of Loxleys developed and extended the structure until, by the time the final additions were completed in YE 692, it had become an elaborate three-story mansion and the second biggest residence in the Loxley Estate portfolio. The only part of the original 1st-century structure which remains is the foundation walls, which now form part of the wine cellars.
The current resident of Hunting House is Robyn’s second cousin and heir Thomas Henry Loxley.
Sherwood
Sherwood is the burial forest of the Loxley family, situated in the grounds of Huntingdon Hall. As per the custom in East Mercia, the dead are returned to the earth beneath trees. As the Loxleys have resided on the estate since the late 2nd century, Sherwood has grown to be an extensive forest, covering over seven hundred acres of land.
Margaret Loxley was the first person to be buried in Sherwood, in YE 23, and her tree was the first to be planted. It still stands today and now forms the centre-point of the forest. In the early days, the trees weren’t planted according to any specific structure. This means that, nowadays, the centre of the forest is very dense and difficult to manoeuvre. As it is forbidden to clear or damage these trees, beyond essential pruning and maintenance, the forest centre is rarely entered any more.
After the death of Eleanor Loxley, the first and only Loxley queen, in YE 599, a more structured approach for planting the trees came into practice.
