Silver Hill House, Ecclesall

[Richard Vessey]

Built just before the 1st World War by Frederick Seaman and his wife who was from the steel making Tozer family (Steel, Peech & Tozer), was sold following Frederick's death in 1924. Almost certainly later demolished, as seems to have been on a one acre plot with tennis and croquet lawns. Does anyone have any information on this property? Particularly where it was actually located, as viewing 1920s OS maps around Ecclesall and Silver Hill Road, I haven't found it.

Thanks Richard

[SteveHB]

https://maps.nls.uk/view/125651284

[SteveHB]

Kelly's directory, published 1925

Ecclesall Road South

[Edmund]

The house was still there in 1958 - in March that year the occupant,  80 year old Sir Ashley Skelton Ward, president of Thomas W Ward Ltd, married Lady Dunbar (64), the widow of Sir Alexander Dunbar, former head of the English Steel Corporation. They returned to Sheffield after the London register office wedding. Sir Ashley died a year later.

[Ponytail]

SK 3284 SW  surveyed and published 1951.

Silver Hill  No. 270 (underneath the "d") 

 

[Heartshome]

In 1939, Charles P Roberts, Letcher M Roberts, ( think their spelling might be wrong)

Sheila Roberts and Annie Cunningham ( Roberts)   were there.

[tozzin]

 I don't know if the tale about the Silver Hill name is just a tale, I think it is, reportedly a hoard of silver was found in the early 1800s but S.O. Addy thought it was just poetic way of describing it's sunny prospect.

[ewanarm]

The house is still there. It is set back from the road and hidden by trees. The front lawn is what used to be the tennis court. I used to live on Ecclesall Road South and remember this house because of the tower like bay windows. 

[SteveHB]

27 minutes ago, ewanarm said:

The house is still there. It is set back from the road and hidden by trees. The front lawn is what used to be the tennis court. I used to live on Ecclesall Road South and remember this house because of the tower like bay windows. 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.3523568,-1.5167538,62a,35y,325.79h,60.65t/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[Ponytail]

Wow what a dwelling, love the chimneys, wouldn't like to pay the fuel bills though. 

[tozzin]

I find it sad that houses are now built bereft of chimneys, open fires were the centre of family life, I do understand the problem of greenhouse gases but our contribution to the problem is like throwing a grain of sand into the Pacific Ocean, when you consider the couldn't care less attitude of the other far east and European country's.

[MartinR]

@tozzin Open fires are simply the best way to enjoy toast, and particularly crumpets.  When I lived in the Black Country we had coal.  It was such a disappointment when we moved back to Sheffield and had to put up with coke.  But it got worse: then downhill to gas and now it's just the electric toaster. ☹️

[Richard Vessey]

Thank you all, I was looking on the wrong side of Ecclesall Road where the Silver Hill roads are.....   very exciting that the house is still there (my gt grandparents built it) and will have a look next time I pass that way. Attached here are the pages of the 1925 sale brochure - whoever wrote the script reckoned the place was "very compact and easily worked"!

[Viners]

It is a splendid and imposing house and good to see that this thread identified that it still exists.

However, for something built in the early 20th century it is very 'mock Tudor' with the fake beams on the outside and the pseudo-Tudor chimneys, decorative crenellations and suggestion of a tower. The auctioneer's description says it is 'Modern'. I know that style was quite the fashion at the time but the architect has squeezed so many 16th century palatial references into what is, after all, a suburban house....