Thousands back call to save Queen of Scots manor

Wingfield Manor has been closed to the public for a number of years

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition aimed at saving a landmark in Derbyshire which was once used to imprison Mary Queen of Scots.

Wingfield Manor near Alfreton is closed to the public and fears have been raised the site, which historians said was once a jewel in the county's crown, will never reopen.

Amber Valley MP Linsey Farnsworth and the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust started a parliamentary petition urging the government to take the necessary steps to save the monument.

Farnsworth is now working to secure a meeting with the culture secretary Lisa Nandy.

English Heritage has spent more than £100,000 on repairs and maintenance work at Wingfield Manor

Barry Joyce, vice chair of The Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, said the petition "shows the strength of local feeling and that the public are keen to regain access".

The retired conservation and design manager at Derbyshire County Council added that the manor is "deteriorating quickly" and that action is needed urgently.

Farnsworth said she was taken aback by the strength of feeling among people living close to the manor, with many attending a series of sessions to sign the petition.

"It's been phenomenal really," she said.

"We were hoping that we would see some support for the petition but we've got over 3,000 signatures, which is brilliant, and it's no mean feat as it's a paper petition with handwritten signatures."

Barry Joyce, from the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, said the manor is deteriorating quickly

The manor was built in the 1440s and Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned there in 1569, 1584 and 1585.

Efforts to improve the site have been hampered by a complex historic ownership arrangement which English Heritage is hoping to resolve.

The organisation said it had spent more than £100,000 on repairs and maintenance and it was developing a "full conservation project for those elements of the site in our care".

A spokesperson previously told the BBC: "It has long been largely ruined and roofless and modern agricultural use has concealed parts of the historic complex.

"The two edges of the site are in the guardianship of the state and managed by English Heritage while the central section remains in private ownership.

"With it being originally conceived and built as a whole, this makes it a relatively complicated site on a number of levels, not least in terms of maintenance and conservation.

"We have previously discussed options for reuniting the site as a whole with the owner, but unfortunately we were not able to arrive at a consensus as there are major challenges and costs involved with securing its future."