Ravenfield Hall
Estate deeds for Ravenfield Hall date back to 1435. Until 1749 Ravenfield was owned by the Westby family but the family died out in the male line and the estate was sold to Elizabeth Parkin. Now I have come across Elizabeth Parkin several times in my reading and know that she was a wealthy businesswoman with many interests in the Rotherham area but know little else about her. A new church and a new Georgian Ravenfield Hall were built. Between 1749 and 1820 the ownership of the park changed hands several times before being bought by Walter Osborne.
Between 1766 and 1778 a new system of watercourses and ponds was built and the Hall was enlarged and its surroundings remodelled. The estate was sold in 1920. In the Second World War the Hall and park were used as a training area and then as a prisoner of war camp. There was much damage caused by explosives at this time. The Hall was burned in 1961 and the remains were demolished in 1962. The stables block and outbuildings have been converted into homes. The remains of the estate now form Ravenfield Country Park.