Definitely the smallest National Trust property I have visited thus far, Winster Market House is just one room at the top of some well-worn stone stairs.
In fact, it’s so small there wasn’t even anyone from the National Trust there to scan my card. So really, you don’t even need to be a member to visit this one.
There are no existing records to tell us how old Winster Market House is, but it’s estimated some time in the 1500s, making it around 500 years old. Originally it would have been open on the ground level for market stalls, and the top floor was used as a primitive courtroom.
However, the top floor isn’t the original, as that one had to be removed for safety in 1904. Thanks to the National Trust and a local architect, this level was reconstructed, and is the only room open to visitors today.
What’s special about Winster Market House, other than the fact that it’s really old, is that it was the first property in Derbyshire to be bought by the National Trust, and one of the earliest properties owned by the charity.
The National Trust was set up in 1895 (by a woman, Octavia Hill, just saying) and Winster Market House was purchased for just £50 in 1906. That was a momentous year for England: Edward VII was on the throne, the Liberal Party won the general election, Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines of the Underground were opened, free school meals for the poorest children were introduced, the suffragettes were in full swing, and Rolls Royce was invented. Busy year that.
Verdict: Little, but an important part of the National Trust’s history.
A Year of Trust 