Dial House is a Grade II listed building located on Ben Lane in the Wisewood area of the City of Sheffield in England. The house was originally a private small country house, before becoming a working men's club and more recently part of a development of modern apartments.
The house was constructed in 1802. It consists of two storeys with a three window range and is built from squared stone with a stone slate roof. The house had various additions and alterations to it in the 19th and 20th centuries. The front door has a square panel above with a vertical sundial attached, this has the date 1802 and the name Coopland on it. [1] It is not known if Coopland were the first family to live in the house or were the makers of the sundial. There is also a verse on the sundial which reads:
- “Of shade and sunshine for each hour,
- See here a measure made,
- Then wonder not if life consists
- Of sunshine and of shade.”
The Ordnance Survey map of 1850 shows Dial House in a rural location well outside the town of Sheffield before its industrial expansion. It stood about one kilometre to the west of the village of Wadsley in an area that included the other country houses of Dykes Hall and Wadsley Hall. [2] The first known occupant of the hall was William Rotherham, a gentleman who lived in the house between 1841 and 1845.
In 1845 the house was occupied by Sidney Roberts (1804–1859), a silversmith and silver plater who lived there with his wife Sarah and their two sons John and Augustus. Sidney Roberts had been a partner in the silversmith business of Roberts, Smith & Co. of Park Grange, Sheffield between 1826 and 1836, however by the time he came to live at Dial House at the age of 41 he was listed as a retired silver plater and a gentleman of independent means. The family’s elder son John Shearwood Roberts, a GP and surgeon inherited the house in 1856 although it seems that he did not reside at Dial House as his mother lived there until 1868, just before her death. [3] Subsequent occupants included Captain Henry T. Holmes (1868–1871) who was followed by William Haden, Gentleman, who was a corn miller employing 8 men at the time of the 1881 census and sometime churchwarden to nearby Wadsley Parish Church. He died on 12 December 1887, by which point of time he had been received as a Gentleman, according to his Probate record. He was the nephew and one of the beneficiaries of the will of John Haden of Holywell House, Swinton, Yorkshire, Gentleman. [4] In 1910 Arthur James Blanchard owner of a well known local clothing and furniture department store on Infirmary Road moved into Dial House and lived there until 1919. Blanchard became Lord Mayor of Sheffield in 1923. [5] John Woodcock Hemmings was the final resident of Dial House as a private residence between 1919 and 1932. [6] [7]
In 1927 Dykes Hall, which stood 400 metres to the south of Dial House, was demolished and much of its land along with that of Wadsley Hall was used to construct a new housing estate known as the “Sutton Estate” built by the William Sutton Housing Trust. Dial House lost its rural tranquillity and was suddenly surrounded by the Sheffield housing suburbs of Wisewood and Wadsley. In 1932 Dial House was purchased by Charles Goodison and a group of 25 individuals and the Dial House Social Club and Institute was opened as a working men's club. In its early days the club was also known informally as the Sundial Club. [8] The club had a concert room, bowling green, billiard room, cricket pitch and a football team, in 1939 the club had 50 paying members and by 1964 it had 2,400 members including 800 ladies. [9] The club was very popular in the 1960s through to the 1980s and had a large financial turnover. During that time some of Sheffield’s best known entertainment talents played there, including: Tony Christie, Dave Berry, Joe Cocker, Marti Caine, Bobby Knutt and Def Leppard. The Dial House club went into decline and finally closed in 2005 due to financial difficulties. [10]
In 2013 Dial House and its surrounding land was purchased by the Sheffield construction company Campbell Homes Ltd and has been incorporated into a new housing development known as Dial House Court. The original house has been turned into three cottages while new building work has created 33 two bedroom apartments in total with communal gardens. [11]
Hillsborough is an electoral ward which includes the districts of Malin Bridge, Owlerton, Wadsley and Wisewood. It is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2. The population of this ward in 2011 was 18,605 people in 8,012 households.
Worrall is a small rural village in the civil parish of Bradfield, South Yorkshire, England, 4 miles (6.5 km) north west of Sheffield city centre. It has an area of 233 hectares, and population of 1,306 as of 2006, and borders the Sheffield suburbs of Wadsley, Middlewood and Loxley to the south and east and the adjoining village of Oughtibridge to the north; to the west is a rural area extending towards the village of High Bradfield.
Whirlow is a suburb of the City of Sheffield in England, it lies 3.7 miles (6 km) south-west of the city centre. The suburb falls within the Dore and Totley ward of the City. It is one of the most affluent areas of Sheffield, with much high class housing and several notable small country houses within it. During the Victorian era it was home to some of Sheffield's most influential citizens. Whirlow straddles the A625, the main Sheffield to Hathersage road. The suburb covers the area from Parkhead in the north to Whirlow Bridge in the south and from Ecclesall Woods in the east to Broad Elms Lane in the west. Whirlow had a population of 1,663 in 2011.
Wadsley Bridge is a suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the city centre. The area is a mixture of residential housing and small industrial and commercial premises. The suburb falls within the Hillsborough ward of the City.
Wadsley is a suburb of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It stands 3 miles (5 km) north-west of the city centre at an approximate grid reference of SK321905. At the 2011 Census the suburb fell within the Hillsborough ward of the City. Wadsley was formerly a rural village which was engulfed by the expansion of Sheffield in the early part of the 20th century.
Loxley is a village and a suburb of the city of Sheffield, England. It is a long linear community which stretches by the side of the River Loxley and along the B6077 for almost 2.5 miles (4 km). Loxley extends from its borders with the suburbs of Malin Bridge and Wisewood westward to the hamlet of Stacey Bank near Damflask Reservoir. The centre of the suburb is situated at the junction of Rodney Hill and Loxley Road where the old village green stands and this is located 3 miles (5 km) north west of Sheffield city centre. The suburb falls within the Stannington ward of the City of Sheffield.
Oughtibridge is a residential village in the north of Sheffield within the bounds of Bradfield civil parish. The village stands 5 miles (8 km) north-west of the city centre in the valley of the River Don. The population of the village has increased significantly in recent years due to much private housing development and stood at 3,542 in 2006 over an area of 355 hectares. The population of Oughtibridge increased to 3,584 in 2011.
Firth Park ward—which includes the districts of Firth Park, Longley, Parson Cross and parts of Wincobank—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England located in the northern part of the city and covering an area of 1.66 square miles (4.3 km2). The population of this ward in 2011 was 21,141 people in 8,602 households.
Middlewood is a north western suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The suburb falls within the Stannington ward of the City.
Hillsborough is a suburb in north-west Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The centre of the district is popularly thought to be 'Hillsborough Corner' where Langsett Road, Middlewood Road, Holme Lane and Bradfield Road all meet. The Hillsborough ward population at the 2011 Census was 18,605.
Wadsley Parish Church is situated within the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is located on Worrall Road, 3 miles (5 km) north west of the city centre in the suburb of Wadsley, which was formerly a village outside the city boundary. The church is quite unusual in that it is not dedicated to a saint. It is a grade II listed building.
Arthur Edward Catlin was a footballer who played his entire professional career for Sheffield Wednesday. He was a strong tackling left back who made 230 appearances for Wednesday between 1931 and 1939. He also played for the England national football team on five occasions. Catlin never scored a goal in an official match in his 8+1⁄2-year career at Hillsborough although he did score in the wartime league game against Notts County in 1944 which Wednesday won 6–1.
Jack Whitham is an English former professional footballer who played for Sheffield Wednesday, Liverpool, Cardiff City and Reading. He was a centre forward who only started 111 league games in a nine-year career between 1967 and 1976, scoring 40 goals. He made one appearance for the England under 23 team against Wales in 1968.
Wisewood is a suburb of the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England and situated 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) north-west of the city centre. It is a residential suburb consisting almost exclusively of council housing, some of which has been bought by tenants under the right to buy scheme. It is bordered by the adjacent suburbs of Loxley, Wadsley, Malin Bridge and Hillsborough.
Whitley Hall is a 16th-century mansion which since 1969 has been converted into a restaurant and then a hotel. It is situated in the northern rural district of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The small hamlet of Whitley lies in the countryside between the suburbs of Grenoside, Chapeltown and Ecclesfield some 7.5 km (4.7 mi) north of the city centre. The hall is a Grade II* listed building.
Endcliffe Hall is a 19th-century, 36-room mansion situated on Endcliffe Vale Road in the City of Sheffield in the suburb of Endcliffe. The hall is situated just over three km west of the city centre and is a Grade II* Listed building.
Middlewood Hospital is a former psychiatric hospital situated between the suburbs of Middlewood and Wadsley in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It was also known as the South Yorkshire Asylum (1872–1888), the West Riding Asylum, Wadsley (1889–1929) and Wadsley Mental Hospital (1930–1948). It was one of four hospitals that made up The West Riding General Asylums Committee. It closed in 1996 and is now a private housing development called Wadsley Park Village.
Gleadless Valley is a housing estate and electoral ward of the City of Sheffield in England. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 21,089. It lies 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south-southeast of the city centre. Formerly a rural area, Gleadless Valley was developed as a large housing project with around 4000 dwellings by Sheffield City Council between 1955 and 1962. It is an area of undulating land drained by the Meers Brook, which has its source on the high ground in the woodland at Gleadless. Adjacent are Gleadless to the east, Norton to the south-west, Heeley to the west and Arbourthorne to the north.
Parkhead Hall, formerly Parkhead House and The Woodlands, is an English country house situated in the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire. The hall is a grade II listed building and is located in the suburb of Whirlow close to the junction of Ecclesall Road South and Abbey Lane. The hall is difficult to view for the general public, being surrounded by high walls and housing, although a glimpse of its northern side can be seen from Ecclesall Road South.
Leader House is a Georgian townhouse located on Surrey Street in the city centre of Sheffield, England. It overlooks the busy Arundel Gate dual carriageway and is a Grade II listed building.
Coordinates: 53°24′28″N1°30′45″W / 53.4077338°N 1.5124635°W