25/05/2025
Last week we talked about the Old Queens Head, a building that survives today that has connections to Sheffield Castle
Now we talk about Sheffield Manor Lodge. Originally built as a modestly sized medieval hunting lodge in the 15th century in what was one of countries largest medieval deer parks. At over 2.462 acres the lodge, castle and indeed Sheffield town was totally surrounded by woodlands and countyside!
The earliest date we have of the lodge is 1479, surviving documents state repairs were being carried out to the roof at the lodge. Around 1516-1520 the lodge was extended, the Long Gallery wall and it’s adjoining octangular tower still survives from this period!
In 1570 the site was being extended again, the old hunting lodge was demolished to make way for a more grandeur and luxurious home for the Shrewsburys with the additions of a great hall, kitchen tower, guest apartments, porters lodge and stables amongst the new constructions on site
A grand entrance was built in between the Long Gallery and Great Hall in the form of a twin towered entrance that was built to impress visitors to the site
The two octangular brick built towers totally dominated the building At the entrance to the estate was built a separate tower structure that was know as Turret House, because of the small turret on the rooftop.
This served as the gatehouse onto the site, from Sheffield town and through the deer park a walnut tree lined avenue led from the town up to the lodge and it’s entrance gates besides Turret House. Manor Lodge served as a second and more luxurious home to the castle for the Shrewsbury family in Sheffield, especially at times when the castle rooms were being cleaned and aired.
Two important visitors stayed at Manor Lodge the first was Cardinal Wolsey in 1530 on his journey from York to London. As a guest of the Shrewsburys he had his own private apartment in the tower next to the Long Gallery known now as Wolseys Tower
The second and most commonly known visitor to the Lodge is someone who stayed on and off at the lodge and castle for 14 years! Mary Queen of Scots arrived in Sheffield in 1570 she was put in custodial care of the Shrewsburys by Elizabeth I It was at this time the lodge was being extended, probably to accommodate her!
After 14 long and financially draining years, Mary left the Shrewsbury households to be later executed in Forheringhay castle in 1587.
When the last Shrewsbury male heir died in 1616, the estate passed onto the Duke of Norfolks via the earls daughters marriage into the family. The family preferred a house in the town centre and so the manor lodge started its slow decline and its ultimate fate, demolition! In the 1700s there was a new lease of life found for the site and much of the building was let out to tenants forming a small community on the site.
In the late 1890s the then Duke of Norfolk had the site demolished of all later additions but this action destroyed much of the original structure too, especially on the long gallery and the guest house apartment where original timber frameworks still survived Sadly this was all cleared to what we see of the site today, even the old medieval park was also lost as it's land was sold off From the 1950s much of the park was redeveloped and built on with the modern manor estate we see today.
Now the historical buildings on site have been transformed again into a visitor's site with landscape gardens and areas for the public to enjoy and learn of its history via tours of the site in the summer months
Many events take place on the site now which are accessible for all to see! Why not check out the events this year and see the old lodge ruins and go inside the only roofed building left on site the Turret House!
