Brightholmlee is a small rural

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

within the

City of Sheffield The City of Sheffield is a metropolitan borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in South Yorkshire, England. The metropolitan borough includes the administrative centre of Sheffield, the town of Stocksbridge and the larger ...

in England. The hamlet falls within the Stannington Ward of the City. It is 6.2 miles (10 km) north-west of the city centre and west of

Wharncliffe Side Wharncliffe Side is a village in South Yorkshire, England, northwest of Sheffield and within the city borough. Wharcliffe Side is located on the west bank of the River Don, approximately northwest of Sheffield city centre, and northwest of ...

within Bradfield parish. Previously a farming community, it consist of four farmsteads, Manor Farm, Old Hall Farm, High Lea Farm and Lee Farm. It is now almost entirely residential with the last working farm being sold for development in 2013.

History

The name Brightholmlee originates from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

language: ''Bright'' is probably a modern derivation of an

Anglo Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to Ge ...

personal name, such as Brihtric or Beorhtweald, ''holm'' indicates land surrounded partly by streams, while ''lee'' means a woodland glade. The earliest documented reference to the hamlet were in 1309 and 1314 when Ralph de Brightomlee witnessed deeds at Westmondhalgh and Wigtwizzle. Ralph died in 1335 and his son John inherited lands in Westmondhalgh and Onesacre; after 1345 nothing more is heard of this family. Other documents indicate that Brightholmlee originated at the beginning of the 13th century. Gives historical details. The hamlet is split into two by an old

packhorse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...

route called Townfield Road which comes up from the south and continues onto

Bolsterstone Bolsterstone is a village in South Yorkshire, England, south of Stocksbridge, and 8.5 miles to the northwest of the City of Sheffield and within the city borough. It lies on the border of the Peak District national park. Bolsterstone had a pop ...

. It is generally accepted that the houses on the uphill side of the track are several hundred years older than those below. The two oldest buildings in the hamlet are High Lea Farm and Old Hall Farm, both of which date from the 17th century, and with the exception of one modern house (Lea Croft) all surviving buildings in the hamlet were shown on the 1851 OS map. Gives historical and architectural details.

Buildings and features

Old Hall Farm is Grade II* listed. Local historian Joseph Kenworthy believed that Old Hall dated back to the

Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

because of the design of the fireplace. It is another timber-framed dwelling, with two pairs of crucks. Two wings were later added on either side of the original building; these date from 1620 and 1711 respectively. The farm was the property of the Appleyard family from the 18th century until recent times. Details of Old Hall Farm. High Lea Farmhouse is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. It is a long single-storey building with a gabled attic. It is unusual in that it is a rare example of a

cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and ...

house, as most cruck buildings are

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

s. It dates from the 17th century, although the core may be earlier. There were originally three dwellings within the building; this was later reduced to two, with a cottage at the uphill end and a farmhouse at the downhill end. Today one dwelling takes up the whole of the inside. Details of High Lea Farm. Several ancient farm-workers' cottages at the junction of Townfield Road and Brightholmlee Lane were demolished in the mid-1970s. The present-day Swinnock Hall, which stands 0.5 km south of the main hamlet, was built on the site of the original building which dated from 1416. The first hall was part of the estate of John Swinnock; later residents included the Waterhouse and Bradshaw families. Gives details of Swinnock Hall. It is Grade II listed. Manor Farm is another noteworthy building, rated as a Building of Townscape Merit. The name suggests that the building is of medieval origins. Other buildings in the hamlet include Rose Cottage and Lee Farm. The hamlet also has ancient water troughs and a grade II listed milestone inscribed with the Ordnance Survey benchmark and a date of 1860.

Brightholmlee Conservation Area

Brightholmlee was designated as a

Conservation Area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

on 5 January 1977. Outstanding features of the hamlet which contribute to the designation are: *Exceptional group value as an attractive group of farmhouses, barns, stables and cottages, of which almost all are at least 150 years old and some dating from the 17th century. *A number of fine traditional buildings that remain in their original form as a reminder of pre-industrial Sheffield. *Visual continuity with the surrounding area from the use of gritstone rubble as a building material on the barns, walls and field boundaries. *Wide views in every direction. *Rural tranquillity.

References

{{Coord, 53.452075, N, 1.563218, W, scale:5000_region:GB, display=title Villages of the metropolitan borough of Sheffield