Explored with Rott3nW00d & Raz;
So the last report was killing me as there wasn't one single decent photo out of the lot... So we went for a revisit
History;
Firbeck Hall was formerly the home of 19th-century architect and writer Henry Gally Knight who is assumed to have been a principal information source for Walter Scott during the writing of Ivanhoe. Firbeck Hall was built in 1594 by William West, who made a fortune practising law and serving as an associate to Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury from 1580 to 1594. West was the author of a legal textbook called Symbolaeographia. In his will of 1598, West stipulated that "a grave stone be set for me and my said wife in Firbeck Church, and ingraven with our arms and names and some posy."
Country Club
In 1935 a Sheffield stockbroker, Cyril Nicholson, opened the hall as a country club, investing £80,000 in its renovation. The interior was dramatically modernised and featured a mirror-walled ballroom and an elaborate and versatile state-of-the-art lighting system. There was also a heated outdoor swimming pool. Membership fees ranged from three to seven guineas, and the club was patronised by the likes of Amy Johnson and the then Prince of Wales. Such was the reputation of the club, that the BBC transmitted its weekly Saturday show "Late Night Dance Music" with Henry Hall, Carroll Gibbons and Charlie Kunz from Firbeck.
Second World War – present day
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the hall was used by Sheffield Royal Infirmary and the Royal Air Force, with the adjacent aerodrome becoming RAF Firbeck. After the War, the building was bought by the Miners Welfare Commission for use as a rehabilitation centre for injured miners. This centre closed in 1984. It was purchased by Cambridge Construction. From then the Hall fell into a state of disrepair.
The Explore;
As mentioned above i have recently posted a report on this location but the photos and quality were dire. So off we went for another look.
1 year had passed since our last visit and if the place was knackered before its even worse now!! floors that were safe last time have collapsed, some of the doors were bearing the full weight of the wall/house above them and if you tried to move quickly anywhere you were pretty likely to be seriously injured if not worse. All the upstairs in now pretty much unaccessable unless you have a death wish so we missed out on one of the best stair cases i've seen :sad:
All in all this place will soon not need to be knocked down as it will have fallen down of its own accord and if you do go, the swimming pool is the best bit by far
Photos;
Wrote my page name on this plate on my last visit
Spent about 45 mins playing with long exposure at the end - brilliant fun
If you got this far, thanks for looking
So the last report was killing me as there wasn't one single decent photo out of the lot... So we went for a revisit
History;
Firbeck Hall was formerly the home of 19th-century architect and writer Henry Gally Knight who is assumed to have been a principal information source for Walter Scott during the writing of Ivanhoe. Firbeck Hall was built in 1594 by William West, who made a fortune practising law and serving as an associate to Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury from 1580 to 1594. West was the author of a legal textbook called Symbolaeographia. In his will of 1598, West stipulated that "a grave stone be set for me and my said wife in Firbeck Church, and ingraven with our arms and names and some posy."
Country Club
In 1935 a Sheffield stockbroker, Cyril Nicholson, opened the hall as a country club, investing £80,000 in its renovation. The interior was dramatically modernised and featured a mirror-walled ballroom and an elaborate and versatile state-of-the-art lighting system. There was also a heated outdoor swimming pool. Membership fees ranged from three to seven guineas, and the club was patronised by the likes of Amy Johnson and the then Prince of Wales. Such was the reputation of the club, that the BBC transmitted its weekly Saturday show "Late Night Dance Music" with Henry Hall, Carroll Gibbons and Charlie Kunz from Firbeck.
Second World War – present day
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the hall was used by Sheffield Royal Infirmary and the Royal Air Force, with the adjacent aerodrome becoming RAF Firbeck. After the War, the building was bought by the Miners Welfare Commission for use as a rehabilitation centre for injured miners. This centre closed in 1984. It was purchased by Cambridge Construction. From then the Hall fell into a state of disrepair.
The Explore;
As mentioned above i have recently posted a report on this location but the photos and quality were dire. So off we went for another look.
1 year had passed since our last visit and if the place was knackered before its even worse now!! floors that were safe last time have collapsed, some of the doors were bearing the full weight of the wall/house above them and if you tried to move quickly anywhere you were pretty likely to be seriously injured if not worse. All the upstairs in now pretty much unaccessable unless you have a death wish so we missed out on one of the best stair cases i've seen :sad:
All in all this place will soon not need to be knocked down as it will have fallen down of its own accord and if you do go, the swimming pool is the best bit by far
Photos;
Wrote my page name on this plate on my last visit
Spent about 45 mins playing with long exposure at the end - brilliant fun
If you got this far, thanks for looking
