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Abbeydale Grange


Guest RevNick

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Guest RevNick

I wonder if anyone can help? I have been tracing my family tree and have found that my great-grandfather was Robert Newbold (of Joseph Rodgers and Sons Ltd Cutlers). I have traced most details, but his last known place of residence in the latter part of the C19th was Abbeydale Grange, before he retired to Surrey. Has anyone out there any knowledge of Abbeydale Grange or even better a photo, as I can find nothing about the place? In the early 1850's he lived at Abbeydale House, of which a photo exists. Thanks to anyone who can help!

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Robert Newbold Merchant & manufacturer (Joseph Rodgers & Sons) h. Wilkinson Street White's 1849

Robert Newbold Merchant and manufacturer (Joseph Rodgers & Sons) h. Beauchief Villa White's 1852

Couple of leads to chase, hope it helps.

http://www.sheffieldrecordsonline.org.uk/

Welcome, Good Luck, Bon Voyage etc etc lol

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Hi and welcome to the forum. To anyone in Sheffield (I'm assuming you're not?) the name means Abbeydale Grange Comprehensive School.

This is an amalgamation of three previous schools on adjacent sites, Abbeydale Boys Grammar, Abbeydale Girls Grammar, and Grange Girls Grammar.

The last named was partly based in an old house. Perhaps this could have been the Abbeydale Grange you refer to? Unfortunately it was demolished some years ago, but I wonder if the present school might have some historical information that might help?

If its any help the school has a website with a 'contact us' facility at

http://www.abbeydalegrange.co.uk/

Good luck with your search, if I turn up anything else I'll post again .(I have a relative who was at Grange Grammar School so I'll pick her brains next time I see her!)

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Guest RevNick

Thanks to you both, I'll follow up your suggestions and a most grateful for any further help to find out more about the house that was Abbeydale Grange. Thanks again!

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Guest plain talker

When I went to Abbeydale grange School in the mid Seventies, we "lowlies" had some lessons in the Grange. it was a MASSIVE old house, which, at the time was used as the Sixth form centre.

There was also a second, grand house, to the rear of the Grange, called Holt House, where the sixth formers also had their lessons. Holt House was separated from the Grange by a 1950's Gymnasium, and some rows of 1940's-type prefab classrooms (not the terrapin mobile classrooms familiar from the 1960's 70's and on) where we had needlework and cookery lessons.

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Guest Noise Heat Power

I'll agree with Plain Talker - Abbeydale Grange (the house) was used as the sixth form centre for Abbeydale Grange Comprehensive School at least until the late eighties. It was a fine old building, and as I wandered through it I often used to wish I could somehow have seen what it once looked like as a family home.

However, some time after I left, the school was completely reorganised and most of the site became part of the city's further education offering (I think). The school is now just the portion that I knew as lower school. What became of the house after that, I don't know. I suspect it may have been demolished, though can't confirm that.

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I'll agree with Plain Talker - Abbeydale Grange (the house) was used as the sixth form centre for Abbeydale Grange Comprehensive School at least until the late eighties. It was a fine old building, and as I wandered through it I often used to wish I could somehow have seen what it once looked like as a family home.

However, some time after I left, the school was completely reorganised and most of the site became part of the city's further education offering (I think). The school is now just the portion that I knew as lower school. What became of the house after that, I don't know. I suspect it may have been demolished, though can't confirm that.

I can. The house was demolished several years ago and is now just an open site. On Abbeydale Road about opposite the Tesco filling station there's the old gatekeeper's lodge and the drive up to what was the house.

The open space in the Google Earth picture below is where the house was I think. The lodge is visible just along form the petrol station and on the other side of the road.

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Thanks to you all, I'm very grateful for this new info. You're right, I don't know tha area as I live in Staffordshire, but to know where the house was that my great-grandfather lived is really helpful. If only someone could come up with a photo, that would be great. I'll contact the school, as suggested, there might just be an old photo about somewhere. Thanks again folks!

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Guest Noise Heat Power

If you find any photos, it would be great if you could maybe post it/them on here. I have a few photos I took around sixth form in 1984 but none of them show the house itself - they were mostly taken in the (rather prehistoric) prefabs at the back of the building.

Best of luck!

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Guest Noise Heat Power

The open space in the Google Earth picture below is where the house was I think. The lodge is visible just along form the petrol station and on the other side of the road.

Yep, I think that's right. The housing development at the top of that image is built on the site of Holt House, which was the other grand old house that used to be part of the comprehensive school - as mentioned by Plain Talker above. I used to go for violin lessons in there - it was a right trek up from lower school down by Hastings Road.

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There are a couple of photographs of the two buildings in question on the following site with a bit of information on their origins.

http://www.chrishobbs.com/abgs5.htm

When I passed the site last weekend it seems as though Sheffield City Coucil are selling the land for private development. No doubt the Council will be re-investing the money gained from the sale, in worthwhile community projects that benefit us all

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There are a couple of photographs of the two buildings in question on the following site with a bit of information on their origins.

http://www.chrishobbs.com/abgs5.htm

When I passed the site last weekend it seems as though Sheffield City Coucil are selling the land for private development. No doubt the Council will be re-investing the money gained from the sale, in worthwhile community projects that benefit us all

They're not having much luck, it's been up for sale for months. There was a proposal for a new fire station there, but that seems to have been dropped.

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There are a couple of photographs of the two buildings in question on the following site with a bit of information on their origins.

When I passed the site last weekend it seems as though Sheffield City Coucil are selling the land for private development. No doubt the Council will be re-investing the money gained from the sale, in worthwhile community projects that benefit us all

Thank you so very much. At last a photograph of my great-grandfather Robert Newbold's last home in Sheffield and the childhood home of my grandfather. I never knew my grandfather, he died in 1924 in Sussex. Neither did I inherit any of the family fortune! However, I am interested in their roots and this photo puts another piece into the family 'jigsaw'. Thanks again for all your help.

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Guest plain talker

They're not having much luck, it's been up for sale for months. There was a proposal for a new fire station there, but that seems to have been dropped.

And of course, it's not like we don't have a perfectly fine fire station on Ringinglow Road...

Oh, wait...

We don't any more, do we?

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The development that was quite rightly rejected is further up Abbeydale Road South near to the railway station at Dore. The grounds that the Council are trying to sell off are to the right of the photo. They are more or less opposite the Tesco Petrol Station at Millhouses

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Guest Gramps

Peter Harvey has published two volumes of photographs of 'Abbeydale and Millhouses' and there is a good photo of Abbeydale Grange in each of them. The one in volume 2 is probably the better one.

Available at your local or the central library.

Ooh - I seem to have cast off my Newbie cloak lol

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Guest RevNick

Quote Re: "Peter Harvey has published two volumes of photographs of 'Abbeydale and Millhouses' and there is a good photo of Abbeydale Grange in each of them. The one in volume 2 is probably the better one. Available at your local or the central library"

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I live hundreds of miles from Sheffield so have no way of getting to see the photo's at the local library. Perhaps one day I'll be able to get up there and see them. You've really whetted my appetite, but sadly I won't be able to see the pictures of Abbeydale Grange for some time to come. Thanks again though.

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Quote Re: "Peter Harvey has published two volumes of photographs of 'Abbeydale and Millhouses' and there is a good photo of Abbeydale Grange in each of them. The one in volume 2 is probably the better one. Available at your local or the central library"

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I live hundreds of miles from Sheffield so have no way of getting to see the photo's at the local library. Perhaps one day I'll be able to get up there and see them. You've really whetted my appetite, but sadly I won't be able to see the pictures of Abbeydale Grange for some time to come. Thanks again though.

Hi my Grandfather lived at Abbeydale Grange circa 1915-1917.

The photos in the Peter Harvey books are the same as those posted on the earlier link re: Abbeydale Grange

. My GGrandfather in the Billiard Room at Abbeydale Grange. Postcard sent to my Uncle 1915

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HI ALL , I FOUND THE LINK ABBEYDALE GRANGE ,VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE , AND ALSO GIVING A TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF MANY FINE BUILDINGS THAT GOT IN WAY THE OF SOME TOWN PLANNER'S DAYDREAMS BY LEAVING IT OPEN TO VANDALISM TO A DEGREE WHERE THEY HAD AN EXCUSE FOR DEMOLISHING . SKEETS.

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Guest RevNick

Thanks Huthwaite, it's great to see the Billiard Room in C1915, and to know that your grandfather lived there, just as my grandfather and great-grandfather did in the C19th.

My Great-grandfather Robert Newbold lived at Abbeydale Grange from 1861, the house being built by his uncle John Rodgers. My grandfather Arthur Newbold was born at Abbeydale House and moved to Abbeydale Grange at the age of 7. It is interesting to consider, that if the Billiard room was unchanged between then and the time of your photo, both our grandfathers may well have played in the same room, only many years apart.

Thanks so much for putting a piece from your family history into mine. I'm very grateful.

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http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42876713.html Some external and internal photos of the Lodge. The property has either been sold or removed from the market, so unfortunately the photos are slightly "greyed out", but still viewable. My first post - I'm assuming it's ok to provide that link?

Hi steve1963, we have no problem with members providing photo links, images look clear to me, just click on 'Enlarge', and thank you for posting.

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Lovely old house there may be a picture on Picture Sheffield a libraries site that you can access for nfree. Try it on a search engine there are also photos od Abbeydale house . Pete,

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