Brightholmlee is a small rural

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

situated within the City of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

in England. The hamlet falls within the Stannington Ward of the City. It is located 6.2 miles (10 km) north-west of the city centre and west of

Wharncliffe Side Wharncliffe Side is a village in South Yorkshire, England, northwest of Sheffield and within the city borough. Wharcliffe Side is located on the west bank of the River Don, approximately northwest of Sheffield city centre, and northwest of ...

within Bradfield Parish. Previously a

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

community, it consist of four farmsteads, Manor Farm, Old Hall Farm, High Lea Farm and Lee Farm. It is now almost entirely residential with the last working farm being sold for development in 2013.

History

The name Brightholmlee originates from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

language, ''“Bright”'' is probably a modern derivation of an

Anglo Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

personal name, such as Brihtric or Beorhtweald, ''“holm”'' indicates land surrounded partly by streams, while ''“lee”'' means woodland glade. The earliest recorded reference to the hamlet were documented in 1309 and 1314 when Ralph de Brightomlee witnessed deeds at Westmondhalgh and Wigtwizzle. Ralph died in 1335 and his son John inherited lands in Westmondhalgh and Onesacre, after 1345 nothing more is heard of this family. Other documents indicate that Brightholmlee originated at the beginning of the 13th century.''"Historic Hallamshire"'',

David Hey David G. Hey (18 July 1938 – 14 February 2016) was an English historian, and was an authority on surnames and the local history of Yorkshire. Hey was the president of the British Association for Local History, and was a published author of seve ...

, Landmark Collectors Library, , page 72, Gives historical details. The hamlet is split into two by an old

packhorse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

route called Townfield Road which comes up from the south and continues onto

Bolsterstone Bolsterstone is a village in South Yorkshire, England, south of Stocksbridge, and 8.5 miles to the northwest of the City of Sheffield and within the city borough. It lies on the border of the Peak District national park. Bolsterstone had a pop ...

, it is generally accepted that the houses on the uphill side of the track are several hundred years older than those below. The two oldest buildings in the hamlet are High Lea Farm and Old Hall Farm, both of which date from the 17th century and with the exception of one modern house (Lea Croft) all present day buildings in the hamlet were shown on the 1851 OS map.''"Wharncliffe & Oughtibridge Past"'', Andrew Crofts, DS Publishing, , pages 81 - 83, Gives historical and architectural details.

Buildings and features

High Lea farmhouse is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, it is a long single storied building with a gabled attic. It is unusual in that it is a rare example of a

cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and ...

house as most cruck buildings are

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. ...

s. It dates from the 17th century, although the core may be earlier, there were originally three dwellings within the building, this was later reduced to two, with a cottage at the uphill end and a farmhouse at the downhill end, today one dwelling takes up the whole of the inside. British Listed Buildings
Details of High Lea Farm Old Hall Farm is also Grade II listed, local historian Joseph Kenworthy thought Old Hall dated back to the

Tudor period The Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603 in History of England, England and Wales and includes the Elizabethan period during the reign of Elizabeth I until 1603. The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in Englan ...

because of the design of the fireplace. It is another timber framed dwelling, with two pairs of crucks. Two wings were later added on either side of the original building, these date from 1620 and 1711 respectively. The farm was the property of the Appleyard family from the 18th century until recent times. British Listed Buildings
Details of Old Hall Farm Several ancient farm workers cottages at the junction of Townfield Road and Brightholmlee Lane were demolished in the hamlet in the mid-1970s. The present day Swinnock Hall which stands 0.5 km south of the main hamlet was built on the site of the original building which dated from 1416. The first hall was part of the estate of John Swinnock, later residents included the Waterhouse and Bradshaw families.''"Around Bradfield, Loxley and Hillsborough"'', Malcolm Nunn, Chalford, , page 121, Gives details of Swinnock Hall. Manor Farm is another noteworthy building, it is rated as a Building of Townscape Merit, the name suggest that the building is of

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

origins. Other buildings in the hamlet include Rose Cottage and Lee Farm. The hamlet also has ancient water troughs and a milestone inscribed with the Ordnance Survey benchmark and a date of 1860.

Brightholmlee Conservation Area

Brightholmlee was designated as a

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

on 5 January 1977. Outstanding features of the hamlet which contribute to the designation are: *Exceptional group value as an attractive group of farmhouses, barns, stables and cottages, of which almost all are at least 150 years old and some dating from the 17th century. *A number of fine traditional buildings that remain in their original form as a reminder of pre-industrial Sheffield. *Visual continuity with the surrounding area from the use of gritstone rubble as a building material on the barns, walls and field boundaries. *Wide views in every direction. *Rural tranquillity. Sheffield City Council - Brightholmlee Conservation Area
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References

{{Coord, 53.452075, N, 1.563218, W, scale:5000_region:GB, display=title Villages of the metropolitan borough of Sheffield