Endcliffe Hall is a 19th-century, 36-room mansion situated on Endcliffe Vale Road in the City of

Sheffield Sheffield is a 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 historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

in the suburb of Endcliffe. The hall is situated just over west of the city centre and 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 ...

. The present hall was built between the years of 1863 and 1865 by the Sheffield architects Flockton & Abbot for the Sheffield industrialist John Brown. Brown had acquired considerable wealth and prestige from the manufacture of

armour plate Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fight ...

from Bessemer steel at his Atlas Works in the city and wanted to build a private residence to reflect his position as one of the

Nouveau riche ''Nouveau riche'' (; ) is a term used, usually in a derogatory way, to describe those whose wealth has been acquired within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance. The equivalent English term is the "new rich" or "new money" ( ...

industrialist of the

Victorian Age In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...

. It is the largest private residence ever to have been built in Sheffield.

History

The Endcliffe estate can be traced back to 1333 when John de Elcliffe was awarded a financial grant, at that time the estate extended considerably and took in land between the

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

and

Sheaf Sheaf may refer to: * Sheaf (agriculture), a bundle of harvested cereal stems * Sheaf (mathematics), a mathematical tool * Sheaf toss, a Scottish sport * River Sheaf, a tributary of River Don in England * ''The Sheaf'', a student-run newspaper se ...

valleys. It is believed that the first Endcliffe Hall was built in the reign of

George II George II or 2 may refer to: People * George II of Antioch (seventh century AD) * George II of Armenia (late ninth century) * George II of Abkhazia (916–960) * Patriarch George II of Alexandria (1021–1051) * George II of Georgia (1072–1089) ...

(1727 - 1760) although Sheffield historian J. Edward Vickers says there may have been an earlier building on the site. The hall was owned from 1818 by the merchant William Hodgson and included of land and cost £6,700. The hall later passed to Henry Wilkinson, a Sheffield silversmith before being bought by John Brown in August 1860. Brown had previously lived at the large seven bedroomed house of Shirle Hill in Cherry Tree Road,

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. However Brown was looking for a more impressive structure to entertain his visitors and wanted a building that was ''“…. specially adapted for dispensing hospitalities on a scale worthy of such distinguished visitors".'' Brown's first action on acquiring the building was to pull the old hall down and replace it with the current building which cost £100,000 to build with a further £60,000 spent on the furnishings. Brown was determined to use Sheffield craftsmen during the work on the hall and in addition to the architects Flockton & Abbot he employed local firms such as John Jebson Smith (staircases), Longden & Co. (kitchen stoves), Messrs Craven (ornamental plasterwork), William Gibson (carpentry), Mr Pitt (plumbing and glazing) and John and Joseph Rogers (decorating).''"A Popular History of Sheffield"'', J. Edward Vickers, , Pages 90-91 Gives historical details. Such was the rarity of such a fine building being erected in Sheffield at that time, that when the hall was finished it was opened to the public for three days attracting huge crowds and much praise with the

Sheffield Telegraph The ''Sheffield Telegraph'' is a weekly newspaper published in Sheffield, England. Founded in 1855 as the ''Sheffield Daily Telegraph'', it became known as the ''Sheffield Telegraph'' in 1938. History The ''Sheffield Telegraph'' was founded i ...

calling it, ''"the public advantage of personal munificence"'' in its edition of 24 May 1865. After the death of his wife in 1881, Brown gradually withdrew from public life, his health deteriorated and he spent increasing amounts of time in southern England. John Brown left Endcliffe Hall for the last time in 1892 and sold Endcliffe Hall for £26,000 in 1895 (a year before his death) to Barber Brothers and Wortley for building development. The development never took place and various plans were proposed for the future of the hall. In 1913 the hall was in danger of demolition, then Colonel George Ernest Branson of the 4th

Hallamshire Battalion The Hallamshire Battalion was an infantry battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment, part of the British Army in existence from 1859. History Formation and early history Formed in 1859 as The Hallamshire Volunteer Rifle Corps with its headquart ...

suggested that the hall could replace the Hyde Park Barracks as the headquarters of the Battalion. The plan was endorsed by the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

in January 1914 and the house was sold to the

Reserve Forces and Cadets Association Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations (RFCAs) are Crown bodies in the United Kingdom which give advice and assistance to the Defence Council, and to the Army, Royal Navy and RAF, on matters that concern reserves and cadets. They are contracted ...

for use by the Territorial Army and became the Hallamshire's headquarters. Before the Battalion moved in, a number of alterations were needed these included converting the stables and coach house into a

drill hall A drill hall is a place such as a building or a hangar where soldiers practise and perform military drills. Description In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, the term was used for the whole headquarters building of a military reserve unit, ...

.''"From Bailey To Bailey: A Short History of Military Buildings in Sheffield"'', Stephen Johnson, , Pages 44 & 45, Gives military history of Hall. Endcliffe Hall remained the HQ of the Hallamshires until 1968 when the battalion was disbanded. Today the hall and grounds are still owned by the RFCA and is the Regimental Headquarters of

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

unit 212 (Yorkshire) Field Hospital. Access to the grounds is limited for the general public as the military are on a constant terrorist security alert.''"Old Sheffield Town"'', J. Edward Vickers, , Pages 39-41, Gives historical details.

Architecture

Endcliffe Hall is built in the

Italianate style The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

from ashlar stonework and has a hipped slate roof. There are two storeys with plain sash windows, the main front of the building, which faces west, has a three-storey square

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tower. The hall was designed to be fireproof with concrete floors and iron joists with a large cistern in the tower for domestic use and fire fighting. The ground floor windows were made burglar proof with the use of retractable Belgian made louvred iron shutters. Large mirrors masked the shutters on the interior when closed and threw light back into the room.''"Pevsner Architectural Guides"'', Ruth Harman & John Minnis, , Pages 265-266, Gives details of architecture and interior decoration. The architectural sculpture was executed by Mawer and Ingle.''Sheffield Independent'', Saturday 27 May 1865 p6 col.4: "The new hall at Endcliffe"
/ref> The former entrance and lodge stand at the south east corner of the grounds; they have been converted into a private house and named 61 Endcliffe Vale Road.

Interior

The interior has preserved much of its abundant decorations over the years. The largest room in the house is the by saloon which housed John Brown's art collection and also had an organ at one end. The most important rooms at Endcliffe face south and west to take advantage of the view and the sun. Upstairs there are nine bedrooms including the by State bedroom with a walnut and gilt four poster bed.''"Aspects of Sheffield 1"'', Melvyn Jones (Editor), , Chapter "Endcliffe Hall: A Gentleman Industrialist Residence" by Julie Goddard Gives details of history, architecture and furnishings.

References

{{SheffieldStructures Houses in Sheffield History of Sheffield Houses completed in 1865 Grade II* listed buildings in Sheffield Yorkshire Regiment 1865 establishments in England