Oakes Park, Sheffield facts for kids
<mapframe latitude="53.3345" longitude="-1.4538" zoom="15" width="400" height="300" align="right"> { "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": {}, "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [ [ [ -1.4550554752349856, 53.33505026385852 ], [ -1.454991102218628, 53.33571654076401 ], [ -1.454991102218628, 53.33571654076401 ], [ -1.4561283588409426, 53.335588411398184 ], [ -1.4561283588409426, 53.335588411398184 ], [ -1.4563858509063723, 53.335883108364115 ], [ -1.4563858509063723, 53.335883108364115 ], [ -1.4559352397918701, 53.33692093798815 ], [ -1.4559352397918701, 53.33692093798815 ], [ -1.4555490016937258, 53.33735656265106 ], [ -1.4555490016937258, 53.33735656265106 ], [ -1.4547765254974367, 53.33772812134741 ], [ -1.4547765254974367, 53.33772812134741 ], [ -1.4538538455963137, 53.337984366838164 ], [ -1.4538538455963137, 53.337984366838164 ], [ -1.4529311656951907, 53.33806124018517 ], [ -1.4529311656951907, 53.33806124018517 ], [ -1.4516222476959229, 53.338150925581544 ], [ -1.4516222476959229, 53.338150925581544 ], [ -1.4509570598602295, 53.338189362122264 ], [ -1.4509570598602295, 53.338189362122264 ], [ -1.4481461048126223, 53.33740781231887 ], [ -1.4481461048126223, 53.33740781231887 ], [ -1.4498412609100344, 53.336767187044785 ], [ -1.4498412609100344, 53.336767187044785 ], [ -1.4506351947784424, 53.33581904397951 ], [ -1.4506351947784424, 53.33581904397951 ], [ -1.4508068561553957, 53.33494775879542 ], [ -1.4508068561553957, 53.33494775879542 ], [ -1.4508283138275149, 53.334409603172524 ], [ -1.4508283138275149, 53.334409603172524 ], [ -1.4508068561553957, 53.33362798410418 ], [ -1.4508068561553957, 53.33362798410418 ], [ -1.4485323429107668, 53.33367923825241 ], [ -1.4485323429107668, 53.33367923825241 ], [ -1.450098752975464, 53.33247474948728 ], [ -1.450098752975464, 53.33247474948728 ], [ -1.4520514011383059, 53.33162902428559 ], [ -1.4520514011383059, 53.33162902428559 ], [ -1.4537680149078371, 53.331218969667255 ], [ -1.4537680149078371, 53.331218969667255 ], [ -1.4548408985137942, 53.33105238385262 ], [ -1.4548408985137942, 53.33105238385262 ], [ -1.4553987979888918, 53.332410679983255 ], [ -1.4553987979888918, 53.332410679983255 ], [ -1.4550554752349856, 53.33505026385852 ] ] ] } } ] } </mapframe>
Oakes Park is a historic area of land in south Sheffield, England. It's a private estate with 15 homes and a large house built in the 1600s. This old house is now called The Oakes Holiday Centre. It's a Christian activity center for young people aged 8 to 18.
The park has huge grounds, so it's hard for people outside to see it. It's located on Norton Lane in the Norton area of Sheffield. The main house and other parts of the estate are special historic buildings. This means they are protected because of their importance.
You can also find the Norton Oakes Cricket Club here. It's right at the corner of Norton Lane and Norton Avenue.
Contents
History of Oakes Park
The first building on this land was mentioned way back in 1590. John Parker was the owner at that time. Later, in 1624, Henry Wigfall bought the houses for £450.
The current main house was built around 1668. John Lee built it for his new wife, Barbara. He bought the "newly built house" for £1,600. Sadly, Barbara passed away the same year. The house was then sold to Francis Barker in 1672.
The Bagshawe Family's Long Ownership
The Bagshawe family became the owners of Oakes Park in 1699. They kept the estate for a very long time, almost 300 years, until 1987!
In 1801, a distant cousin named William Chambers Darling inherited the house. He was a doctor from Hull. Darling changed his last name to Bagshawe. He was also made a knight in 1806.
Sir William Chambers Bagshawe made big changes to the house. He hired an architect named Joseph Badger. Badger completely updated the front of the house. Sir William also improved the parkland around the house. He even used prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars to help dig a lake! They also built a walled garden and fenced off over 100 acres of land.
The beautiful terrace in front of the house was designed by a famous artist, Francis Leggatt Chantrey. The garden might have been planned by John Nash, another well-known architect. Sir William also filled the house with amazing furniture and art. This included paintings by famous artists like George Frederic Watts and George Stubbs.
An Eccentric Owner and New Beginnings
The tenth owner of Oakes Park was Mrs. Isherwood Bagshawe. She was quite unusual! She didn't like modern things. She closed many rooms in the house. She even covered the valuable art with old sacks and newspapers!
In 1963, Major Thornber Bagshawe inherited the house. He found it had no telephone or electricity! He and his wife, Hilary, spent a lot of money fixing it up. They then opened it for people to visit.
The estate changed when a new road, the A6102, was built in the early 1980s. This road cut the estate in half. Many old buildings were lost.
Oakes Park Today: A Holiday Centre
The Bagshawe family left Oakes Park in 1987. A property company bought it. In 1997, the Sheffield City Council allowed the house to become a holiday activity center.
In 1998, a Christian charity called The Oakes Trust (Sheffield) bought the property. They did a lot of work to fix it up. They turned it into The Oakes Holiday Centre. This center opened on July 1, 2000. It offers residential holidays where young people can learn about the Christian message.
The Bagshawe Arms Pub
The Bagshawe Arms is a pub located next to Oakes Park. It wasn't part of the original estate. It used to be a farmhouse owned by the Bagshawe family. It was built with stone from local quarries.
The building was made bigger and updated in 1829. It has been a pub since at least 1844. You can see a stone on the building with the initials "F.W.B." (Francis Westby Bagshawe) and the date 1859.
Architecture of the Main House
The main house at Oakes Park is a special historic building. Its walls, steps, and gateway are also protected. The gateway at the garden entrance was recently fixed up with help from English Heritage.
The Oakes house is made of rough stone with smooth stone details. It has a sloped slate roof. The front of the house faces south and has three floors. The first two floors have nine windows each. These are 12-pane sash windows. The third floor has seven smaller, six-pane windows. The main entrance has a grand porch with Doric columns.
