Sheffield - Bishop's House
Bishops' House
Bishops' House is a half-timbered house in the Norton Lees district of the City of Sheffield, England. It was built c. 1500[1] and is located on the southern tip of Meersbrook Park. It is one of the three surviving timber-framed houses in the city (the others being the Old Queen's Head and Broom Hall).
It is known as Bishops' House because it was said to have been built for two brothers, John and Geoffrey Blythe, both of whom became Bishops. There is, however, no evidence that they ever lived in this house—the first known resident is William Blythe, a farmer and scythe manufacturer, who was living here in 1627.
Samuel Blyth was the last of the family to live in the house, dying in 1753, after which his sons sold the house to a William Shore. The Blyth family subsequently moved to Birmingham. Notable descendants were Benjamin Blyth, Sir Arthur Blyth and Benjamin Blyth II. The house was subsequently let to a tenant farmer and his labourer, at which point the house was sub-divided into two dwellings.
In 1886 ownership passed to the Corporation (Sheffield City Council) and various recreation department employees lived in the house until 1974.
It is a Grade II* listed building and has been open as a museum since 1976, following a renovation funded by English Heritage and Sheffield City Council. The Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust managed the building for some years until April 2011, when management of public opening, on behalf of the building's owner Sheffield City Council, was conferred to the Friends of Bishops' House. The building is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 4pm. In April 2012 Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust stopped providing educational visits and the Friends of Bishops' House began opening the house to schools also. The displays in the house have had some recent small changes but are still curated by Museums Sheffield. The Friends of Bishops' House is a registered charity and limited company, run entirely by volunteers. The house contains exhibitions on life in the 16th and 17th centuries with two rooms decorated in Jacobean style.
The building is featured on the cover of local band Monkey Swallows the Universe's second album The Casket Letters.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishops%27_House
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Bishops House, Norton. Lees Land, Sheffield
Heritage Category: Listed Building
Grade: II*
List Entry Number: 1271162
Date first listed: 01-May-1952
List Entry Name: BISHOPS HOUSE
Statutory Address 1: BISHOPS HOUSE, NORTON LEES LANE
Details
SHEFFIELD
SK38SE NORTON LEES LANE 784-1/10/558 (North side) 01/05/52 Bishop's House
II*
Farmhouse, now museum. c1500, the west wing rebuilt c1550; floor inserted into open hall c1627; west wing extended and stone plinth inserted c1650. Altered c1753, restored c1886, restored and converted 1974-76. Timber-framing with rendered nogging, coursed rubble, squared dressed stone, with stone slate roof. Single side wall and gable stacks with double lozenge shaped flues, and single ridge stack, all C19. L-plan.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; 3 window range. South front, with herringbone framing, has to left a projecting gabled wing with coved eaves and C19 patterned bargeboard and finial. 6-light coved oriel window with wooden mullions and leaded glazing, and below it, a similar 6-light cross mullioned window. Hall range, to right, 6 bays, has 2 coved oriel windows, 3 and 2 lights. Below, 2 wood mullioned windows, 4 and 3 lights, flanked by single doors. Left return, to west, has to right 2 bays of close studding with diagonal braces. Single 3-light casement to left. Below, 2 mullioned windows, 2 and 3 lights, with drip moulds. To left, single bay stone addition has a 3-light stone mullioned window and below, a 2-light casement with drip mould and a C20 door. North side has projecting stone right wing with a single window to left between floors, and above, to left, a 2-light mullioned window and a single window. On the ground floor, a 2-light mullioned window. Left return has, to left, a single window. Range to left has herringbone framing and to left, a single window with wooden mullions and to right, a 3-light leaded window. Below, a blocked doorway flanked to left by a 2-light cross casement and to right by a plank door. East gable has herringbone framing and coved eaves, and a coved oriel window, 5 lights.
INTERIOR retains most of the timber framing. King post truss roof with single purlins, wind braces, and struts to the ridge. Stud partitions, one with arch braces, and wattle and daub infill to gable. Late C17 oak dogleg stair with splat balusters. Parlour has cross beam plaster ceiling and plain chamfered fireplace, c1627. Lower hall has moulded beams and joists and a panelled wall dated 1627. Plain stone fireplace, early C17. Chamber over parlour has cleft floorboards and moulded plaster frieze over fireplace, c1627. North chamber of west wing has fireplace with plaster overmantel c1650. Five fielded 6-panel doors and 3 plank doors.
HISTORICAL NOTE: from c1627 to 1753, the house belonged to the Blythe family, notable as large scale scythe manufacturers, and from the late C17 as Nonconformist ministers. The alterations between 1627 and c1650 were carried out by William Blythe and his son of the same name. This house is one of the 3 surviving timber-framed structures in Sheffield. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Yorkshire: The West Riding: London: 1967-: 474; Bishop's House: Beswick Pauline: Sheffield: 1981-).
Listing NGR: SK3535683957
Sources
Books and journals
Beswick, P, Bishops House, (1981)
Pevsner, N, Radcliffe, E, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire: The West Riding, (1967), 474
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/127116...
britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101271162-bishops-house-glea...
www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/content/attractions/bishops-...
www.ourfaveplaces.co.uk/where-to-go/bishops-house/
fusioncity.org.uk/sheffield-cultural-heritage/historic-bu...
www.examinerlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/gallery/ins...
Sheffield - Bishop's House
Bishops' House
Bishops' House is a half-timbered house in the Norton Lees district of the City of Sheffield, England. It was built c. 1500[1] and is located on the southern tip of Meersbrook Park. It is one of the three surviving timber-framed houses in the city (the others being the Old Queen's Head and Broom Hall).
It is known as Bishops' House because it was said to have been built for two brothers, John and Geoffrey Blythe, both of whom became Bishops. There is, however, no evidence that they ever lived in this house—the first known resident is William Blythe, a farmer and scythe manufacturer, who was living here in 1627.
Samuel Blyth was the last of the family to live in the house, dying in 1753, after which his sons sold the house to a William Shore. The Blyth family subsequently moved to Birmingham. Notable descendants were Benjamin Blyth, Sir Arthur Blyth and Benjamin Blyth II. The house was subsequently let to a tenant farmer and his labourer, at which point the house was sub-divided into two dwellings.
In 1886 ownership passed to the Corporation (Sheffield City Council) and various recreation department employees lived in the house until 1974.
It is a Grade II* listed building and has been open as a museum since 1976, following a renovation funded by English Heritage and Sheffield City Council. The Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust managed the building for some years until April 2011, when management of public opening, on behalf of the building's owner Sheffield City Council, was conferred to the Friends of Bishops' House. The building is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 4pm. In April 2012 Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust stopped providing educational visits and the Friends of Bishops' House began opening the house to schools also. The displays in the house have had some recent small changes but are still curated by Museums Sheffield. The Friends of Bishops' House is a registered charity and limited company, run entirely by volunteers. The house contains exhibitions on life in the 16th and 17th centuries with two rooms decorated in Jacobean style.
The building is featured on the cover of local band Monkey Swallows the Universe's second album The Casket Letters.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishops%27_House
——————————————————————————————————
Bishops House, Norton. Lees Land, Sheffield
Heritage Category: Listed Building
Grade: II*
List Entry Number: 1271162
Date first listed: 01-May-1952
List Entry Name: BISHOPS HOUSE
Statutory Address 1: BISHOPS HOUSE, NORTON LEES LANE
Details
SHEFFIELD
SK38SE NORTON LEES LANE 784-1/10/558 (North side) 01/05/52 Bishop's House
II*
Farmhouse, now museum. c1500, the west wing rebuilt c1550; floor inserted into open hall c1627; west wing extended and stone plinth inserted c1650. Altered c1753, restored c1886, restored and converted 1974-76. Timber-framing with rendered nogging, coursed rubble, squared dressed stone, with stone slate roof. Single side wall and gable stacks with double lozenge shaped flues, and single ridge stack, all C19. L-plan.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys; 3 window range. South front, with herringbone framing, has to left a projecting gabled wing with coved eaves and C19 patterned bargeboard and finial. 6-light coved oriel window with wooden mullions and leaded glazing, and below it, a similar 6-light cross mullioned window. Hall range, to right, 6 bays, has 2 coved oriel windows, 3 and 2 lights. Below, 2 wood mullioned windows, 4 and 3 lights, flanked by single doors. Left return, to west, has to right 2 bays of close studding with diagonal braces. Single 3-light casement to left. Below, 2 mullioned windows, 2 and 3 lights, with drip moulds. To left, single bay stone addition has a 3-light stone mullioned window and below, a 2-light casement with drip mould and a C20 door. North side has projecting stone right wing with a single window to left between floors, and above, to left, a 2-light mullioned window and a single window. On the ground floor, a 2-light mullioned window. Left return has, to left, a single window. Range to left has herringbone framing and to left, a single window with wooden mullions and to right, a 3-light leaded window. Below, a blocked doorway flanked to left by a 2-light cross casement and to right by a plank door. East gable has herringbone framing and coved eaves, and a coved oriel window, 5 lights.
INTERIOR retains most of the timber framing. King post truss roof with single purlins, wind braces, and struts to the ridge. Stud partitions, one with arch braces, and wattle and daub infill to gable. Late C17 oak dogleg stair with splat balusters. Parlour has cross beam plaster ceiling and plain chamfered fireplace, c1627. Lower hall has moulded beams and joists and a panelled wall dated 1627. Plain stone fireplace, early C17. Chamber over parlour has cleft floorboards and moulded plaster frieze over fireplace, c1627. North chamber of west wing has fireplace with plaster overmantel c1650. Five fielded 6-panel doors and 3 plank doors.
HISTORICAL NOTE: from c1627 to 1753, the house belonged to the Blythe family, notable as large scale scythe manufacturers, and from the late C17 as Nonconformist ministers. The alterations between 1627 and c1650 were carried out by William Blythe and his son of the same name. This house is one of the 3 surviving timber-framed structures in Sheffield. (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Yorkshire: The West Riding: London: 1967-: 474; Bishop's House: Beswick Pauline: Sheffield: 1981-).
Listing NGR: SK3535683957
Sources
Books and journals
Beswick, P, Bishops House, (1981)
Pevsner, N, Radcliffe, E, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire: The West Riding, (1967), 474
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/127116...
britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101271162-bishops-house-glea...
www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/content/attractions/bishops-...
www.ourfaveplaces.co.uk/where-to-go/bishops-house/
fusioncity.org.uk/sheffield-cultural-heritage/historic-bu...
www.examinerlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/gallery/ins...