A rather unexpected pleasure to be found in the Derbyshire countryside is the grand ruinous structure of Wingfield Manor. From its commanding position at the top of a hill, spectacular views of the surrounding landscape can be had, and this is why the site was originally chosen by the Normans to build a castle. Little is known of the history of the castle, but archaeological evidence suggests that a relatively modest castle, comprising a group of stone buildings enclosed within a courtyard wall, had stood there since the 12th century.

However, when the site was acquired by Lord Cromwell, then Chancellor of England - and one of the richest men at that time - he planned to build a veritable 'palace' on the site. Despite several deviations from his initial ideas for the house, Cromwell successfully completed one of the largest, most lavish residences in England, with the help of more than 75 masons. Wingfield Manor was believed to have accommodated more than 200 people in his household, 100 of these being servants and attendants. This was definitely a case of 'building to impress' - everything was on such a grand scale, there could be no doubting the wealth and power of the man who owned this property.

It was essentially a manor house, arranged around two courtyards, with a huge undercrofted Great Hall and a defensible Tower climbing to some 72ft (22m) high. Wingfield Manor was all but complete when Cromwell died in 1456, and the 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury (who was already living there) purchased the property. During the Civil War, Wingfield's fortunes see-sawed between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists but, at the end of the conflict, the house was ordered to be partially demolished.

When Immanuel Halton, an astronomer and scientist, bought Wingfield Manor some years later, he and his descendants were responsible for repairing the main buildings around the Great Hall. With new floors, and windows inserted, they remained comfortably accommodated in these areas while the rest of the palatial structure gradually became ruinous. During the latter half of the 18th century, the Haltons themselves exacerbated the situation when they used much of the crumbling stone from Wingfield Manor to build their own Wingfield Hall in the valley below. From that time, only the south wing of the original Manor remained occupied by farmers.

Even today, a working farm operates at the centre of the complex, but Wingfield Manor is publicly accessible and under the care of English Heritage. It is a fabulous ruined shell, with so much evidence of the opulence created by Cromwell that you can easily imagine large parties of visiting dignitaries enjoying their palatial environment. The highlight of the house has to be the undercroft to the Great Hall. It remains almost intact and is a magnificent example of a vaulted medieval storehouse - possibly one of very few now in existence.