Whitley Hall
Encyclopedia
Whitley Hall is a 16th century mansion
which since 1969 has been converted into a restaurant and then a hotel. It is situated in the northern rural district of the City of Sheffield
in South Yorkshire
, England. The small hamlet of Whitley lies in the countryside between the suburbs of Grenoside
, Chapeltown
and Ecclesfield
some 7.5 km (4.7 mi) north of the city centre. The hall is a Grade II* listed building.
from the Lord of the Manor
of Sheffield in return for ploughing and harvesting the land. The arrival of the Parkers at Launder House signalled the start of a 135 year association with the site over six generations.
It was the grandson of Thomas Parker, also known as Thomas who commenced the extensive rebuilding in the mid part of the 16th century which turned Launder House into Whitley Hall. Thomas’ son William is believed to have finished the rebuilding as a carving over one of the new doors reads,”Willm Parker : Made this Worke 1584”. In 1622 Thomas Shiercliffe became the owner of the Whitley Hall estate which beside the Hall also included a corn mill, dovecote, smelting house, eight fields, two acres of woodland and four cottages. The Hall remained the property of the Shiercliffe family until the early part of the 19th century.
. This rumour was first reported by Jonathan Eastwood
in his History of Ecclesfield of 1862. However there is no documentary evidence to back up the claim.
to attend between 1826 and 1833. Fowler noted of his time at Whitley Hall later in life:
“I was fairly quick in elementary scholarship, and in mental arithmetic was decidedly beyond the average of boys and men a gift which was of great convenience and value in after life.”
The exact time that the Hall remained a school is not known but by 1841 it was lived in by William Charlesworth who leased it from the Bingley family who had become the owners in 1816. The Bingleys family eventually moved into the Hall and lived there until 1939 when it was taken over by the military at the start of World War II
with the officers and their servants being billeted in the Hall and the other ranks using the stable block and Nissen hut
s in the grounds.
and the Hall was let out to tenants. In 1962 the Hall was bought by John I. Fearn, the head of a local firm of agricultural engineers
. Mr. Fearn carried out considerable renovation and refurbishment over a period of seven year and Whitley Hall was opened as a restaurant in July 1969.
In the late 1970s the Hall became a hotel, initially with just three bedrooms, however considerable extension work has been carried out over the years and the hotel now has 31 en-suite bedrooms. The extensive gardens have two small lakes. In May 1995 Whitley Hall was granted a licence carry out civil wedding services, the first location in South Yorkshire to become licensed. The Hotel also offers six conference and meeting rooms. The restaurant which is open to non-residents is still an important part of the business.
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
which since 1969 has been converted into a restaurant and then a hotel. It is situated in the northern rural district of the City of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England. The small hamlet of Whitley lies in the countryside between the suburbs of Grenoside
Grenoside
Grenoside is a suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.-History:The name Grenoside is derived from the language of the Anglo-Saxons. The name Grenoside, which was first recorded in the thirteenth century as Gravenhou, is made up of the different elements. Gren from the Old English graefan...
, Chapeltown
Chapeltown, South Yorkshire
Chapeltown is in northern Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Ecclesfield civil parish. There is a wide variety of shops, pubs and restaurants as well as a supermarket...
and Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield
Ecclesfield is a suburb and civil parish in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, about north of Sheffield City Centre. At the 2001 census the civil parish— which also includes the Sheffield suburbs of Chapeltown, Grenoside, High Green, and formerly Thorpe Hesley —had a population...
some 7.5 km (4.7 mi) north of the city centre. The hall is a Grade II* listed building.
History
Present day Whitley Hall dates from the 1580s, however a dwelling was present on the site prior to this. This dwelling, known as Launder House was first recorded in a deed of 1406 when it was transferred from John Cartwright to William Robinson. Launder House was also known as Launderhouse, Lownderhouse and Loundhouse over the years, in 1487 it passed into the hands of Thomas Parker who held the property in CopyholdCopyhold
At its origin in medieval England, copyhold tenure was tenure of land according to the custom of the manor, the "title deeds" being a copy of the record of the manorial court....
from the Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Sheffield in return for ploughing and harvesting the land. The arrival of the Parkers at Launder House signalled the start of a 135 year association with the site over six generations.
It was the grandson of Thomas Parker, also known as Thomas who commenced the extensive rebuilding in the mid part of the 16th century which turned Launder House into Whitley Hall. Thomas’ son William is believed to have finished the rebuilding as a carving over one of the new doors reads,”Willm Parker : Made this Worke 1584”. In 1622 Thomas Shiercliffe became the owner of the Whitley Hall estate which beside the Hall also included a corn mill, dovecote, smelting house, eight fields, two acres of woodland and four cottages. The Hall remained the property of the Shiercliffe family until the early part of the 19th century.
Mary, Queen of Scots connection
A local legend states that Mary, Queen of Scots, spent a night at Whitley Hall in the 1580s while in captivity at Sheffield CastleSheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been constructed on the site at some time in the century...
. This rumour was first reported by Jonathan Eastwood
Jonathan Eastwood
-Life:He studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, where, after obtaining both classical and mathematical honours, he took the two degrees in arts in 1846 and 1849 respectively. He entered holy orders in 1847, and was appointed curate of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire. He then exchanged his curacy for that...
in his History of Ecclesfield of 1862. However there is no documentary evidence to back up the claim.
Boys boarding school
Around the year 1790 the Hall was leased out by the Shiercliffes to John Rider who turned it into a boys boarding school. The school is thought to have housed approximately 45 pupils with the most famous pupil being the famous railway engineer John Fowler who travelled from nearby WadsleyWadsley
Wadsley is a suburb of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It stands five km NW of the city centre at an approximate grid reference of...
to attend between 1826 and 1833. Fowler noted of his time at Whitley Hall later in life:
“I was fairly quick in elementary scholarship, and in mental arithmetic was decidedly beyond the average of boys and men a gift which was of great convenience and value in after life.”
The exact time that the Hall remained a school is not known but by 1841 it was lived in by William Charlesworth who leased it from the Bingley family who had become the owners in 1816. The Bingleys family eventually moved into the Hall and lived there until 1939 when it was taken over by the military at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
with the officers and their servants being billeted in the Hall and the other ranks using the stable block and Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
s in the grounds.
Conversion to a restaurant and hotel
The Hall was owned by Hugh Bingley up until his death in 1962, although he never lived there after the war as he owned substantial properties in CambridgeshireCambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
and the Hall was let out to tenants. In 1962 the Hall was bought by John I. Fearn, the head of a local firm of agricultural engineers
Agricultural engineering
Agricultural engineering is the engineering discipline that applies engineering science and technology to agricultural production and processing...
. Mr. Fearn carried out considerable renovation and refurbishment over a period of seven year and Whitley Hall was opened as a restaurant in July 1969.
In the late 1970s the Hall became a hotel, initially with just three bedrooms, however considerable extension work has been carried out over the years and the hotel now has 31 en-suite bedrooms. The extensive gardens have two small lakes. In May 1995 Whitley Hall was granted a licence carry out civil wedding services, the first location in South Yorkshire to become licensed. The Hotel also offers six conference and meeting rooms. The restaurant which is open to non-residents is still an important part of the business.