As well as being a great base from which to explore the historic homes of Derbyshire and the Peak District, Yeldersley Hall has a fascinating history of its own.

Yeldersley Hall was built on its present site in about 1800 for Edmund Evans, whose family made their money from a mill at Darley Abbey, Derby. The hall has had many owners since Edmund Evans, but had a long spell within the ownership of Francis Wright and his descendants. Francis Wright was a director of the Butterley Ironworks Company whose projects included St. Pancras Railway Station. He also owned Osmaston Manor, a nearby estate and he has a memorial in his honour in the market place, Ashbourne.

Royal connection

Yeldersley Hall can claim a royal connection, albeit fairly remote! The Duchess of York's great grandfather, FitzHerbert Wright, owned Yeldersley Hall and her grandfather, Henry FitzHerbert Wright was born here. Her mother, Susan Barrantes, was born a FitzHerbert Wright.

Ian Fleming connection

Ian Fleming created James Bond in 1953 with the novel Casino Royale. He visited Yeldersley Hall on several occasions, primarily to see Muriel Wright with whom he had a passionate, but doomed wartime affair. Muriel Wright was the daughter of Henry FitzHerbert Wright. Apparently of great beauty, and a skier and polo player of some repute, it has been suggested that she could have stepped straight into the pages of a James Bond novel.