Here is some information on what came to be known as The Guide House.
The first mention of a building on the site of the present Lodge Farm occurs in ,1597,when Edward
Stanhope ,the Lord of the Manor ,lease to Henry Gibson ; A cottage built upon the waste [Forest]and
never before rented ,which Henry Gibson had repaired and enlarged by the addition of 1bay ;.
By 1690 the cottage and two adjoining fields ,in all about 25 acres ,were owened by Lady Ann Markham ,who lived at Bestwood Lodge.
The property was in fact leased to Patrick Lambe ,although the building was a farmhouse it was used as an illicit public house,and between 1612 and 1620 Patrick Lamb was up before the quarter sessions no fewer the 14 times for brewing without a licence.
His business was obviously profitable for when he died in 1626 he left goods worth £112 ,a good amount in the 17th century.
The farm continued in the hands of his family and in 1665 the lease was held by ,Robert Lambe who in 1675 is described as a victualler. and this is the first time we hear of the building used as licensed premises.
In 1670 the Farm House was Taxed as having 3 hearths or Fireplaces but this is all we know of the timber framed building.
If Pevsner is correct in his dating ,the present building was erected in about 1700 ,and was still leased by another Robert Lambe as late as 1722.
In 1739 it is referred to as The House Of Lambe ,but it is believed locally to have been called The George the 2nd ,but this is undocumented.
Nothing further is known of the farm house in this century until 1778 the whole farm was sold by the Stanhope family to John and Thomas Wright ,Bankers of Nottingham ,who leased to John Cook ,who had previously been running The Green Dragon Inn ,later known as the The three Crowns which was just across the road .
The public house ,known at first as the Chesterfield Arms ,the Stanhopes were Earls of Chesterfield and later as the Castle and Lion ,remains in the hands of John Cook until 1803.
In this year the farm and lands were sold to ,William Rhodes for £2135.13.3d,Rhodes a farmer and miller left the running of the public house to his wife Sarah ,who after she was widowed in 1810 continued to run both of the buisnesses until 1823 when she allowed the alcohol license to lapse.After Sarahs death the farm passed to her son Thomas ,who continued to run it until his death in 1853.
This information was from a leaflet by Graham J Parks .
The Guide House was pulled down about 1978 ,there only remains a small part of the wall.
