Oakes Park, Sheffield

In 1681 John Morewood sold the house to his wife’s brother Henry Gill for £1,240, whose eldest daughter Elizabeth married Richard Bagshawe in 1699.

He also embarked on large-scale modifications to the parkland around the house using Napoleonic War prisoners to dig out a lake, construct a walled garden and enclose over 100 acres.

[5] The tenth owner of The Oakes was the rather eccentric Mrs. Isherwood Bagshawe who did not believe in progressive development and had no modern amenities in the house, she closed all the rooms and covered the art treasures with sacking and old newspaper.

The downfall of Oakes Park as a stately home began in the early 1980s with the construction of the A6102 (Bochum Parkway) as part of the Sheffield Outer Ring Road which cut the estate into two, demolishing many old buildings and two cruck barns.

[7] Although not on the original Oakes Park estate, the Bagshawe Arms stands adjacent to it on the north side of Norton Avenue.

It was originally a farmhouse belonging to the Bagshawes built with stone from the local Mawfa Lane quarries, it was enlarged and renovated in 1829 and has served as an inn since at least 1844.

[8] The main house in the park is Grade II listed, as are the adjoining terrace walls, steps and gateway.