Description: One of the oldest foxhunts, the Meynell is by far the largest of the local hunts in the Midlands. It was set up by Hugo Meynell, who also established the Quorndon Hunt in the 1770s. Osmaston Hall was once a splendid mock tudor manor house in a superb setting within the large park. It was designed by Derby architect Henry Stevens and built between 1846 and 1849 with no expense spared. This building was remarkable for incorporating many novel features, including a subterranean tramway, hot-air central heating, and a method of drawing smoke from all the fireplaces downwards into a main horizontal flue before ejecting it into a communal chimney in a 150 ft high tower standing in the kitchen garden. It was demolished in 1964 when the owner at the time, Sir John Walker, moved to Okeover near Mappleton and took the Okeover family name.