One of Sheffield’s earliest and little known buildings may be found on Brighthomlee Lane on the outskirts of north Sheffield. Old Hall Farm dates back to 1484 and the reason for this accuracy is that the timbers have been tested and this was the result. Its importance may be assessed by the fact that in 2014 it was upgraded to Grade II* which puts it in the top 7% of buildings in the country and as such is of great national importance.
It was sold by auction last year and fetched way beyond its estimate which is hardly surprising as such properties don’t come onto the market very often. There is no gas or electricity to the site and previous tenants have relied on oil lamps. Hard to believe in the 21st century!
One such previous tenant wore Plus 4s and rumour has it that he used to put bread on the floor when he was eating so the rats wouldn’t jump up onto the dining table. This may or may not be true but it’s a nice bit of folklore anyway.
The new owner has certainly got her work cut out and as such has employed a conservation architect. The building contains a cruck inside which will obviously be retained and Historic England don’t have a problem with the conversion scheme which is to create 6 housing units. The main building originally housed 3 units so it’s not massive overdevelopment.
There will be a garden or allotment plot allocated for each unit on a site immediately across the road, but with severe restrictions on what is and isn’t allowed. Children’s climbing frames are definitely out but the odd garden shed will be acceptable. However, the land can’t be used for car-parking which would have made this important site car-free. There are good points for and against this argument but that is what has been decided. We may well end up with the country lanes clogged up with cars if the tenants have a sudden glut of visitors, but so be it. I would imagine that once this scheme is finished and if the new owner has not got the new units earmarked for her family, then they will be immediately snapped up. Properties as early as this rarely come on the market in our neck of the woods so you’d better join the queue !
Hello, as of August 2019, as I write this, this amazing building, and barns, are still derelict. Main beams in the barn are rotting away as water drips onto them from gaps in the roof.
I walk past regularly and its heartbreaking to see.
Are the plans on hold, or is there something else going on? The for sale sign was taken down recently.