It's About Lincoln and Lincolnshire: The Lost Houses of Lincoln

Monk's Manor was built in 1877* for Joseph Ruston of Ruston, Proctor & Co. It was a design similar to Queen Victoria's house on the Isle of Wight, Osbourne House. I can find no record of the architect but some sources suggest it was designed by Major F H Goddard of Goddard and Son, Lincoln; Goddard designed a picture gallery for Joseph Ruston's growing art collection in 1883, he also designed the Drill Hall which was paid for by Ruston.

Map of Monk's Manor house and grounds in 1905
Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

The house stood in approximately 25 acres between Greetwell Road and Wragby Road, the largest grounds of any of the uphill entrepreneur's houses.

Following Joseph Ruston's death in 1897 Jane, his widow moved to Stonefield House on Church Lane. His son Joseph Seward Ruston moved into Monk's Manor.

Joseph Seward Ruston moved to Lindum House, Sewells Road in 1912 and Charles Pratt, the wine and spirit merchant, lived at Monk's Manor from then until his death in 1932.

It was announced in August 1933 that the Monk's Manor site was to be redeveloped for new housing,

Dowse & Quincey, the Lincoln builders, would demolish the house and build a new house, called The Manor House, for the current owner, Mrs F E Pratt, to the east of Monk's Manor. The architect for the new house was Henry Gilbert Gamble, former partner of William Scorer.

Dowse & Quincey built private houses on the the site on Ancaster Avenue.

The wrought-iron entrance gates of Monks Manor were moved to the Boultham Park Road entrance to Boultham Park in 1934.