Hellaby
Hellaby is situated to the east of Rotherham, situated close to the M18 motorway. Hellaby is Old Norse for the village or 'by' of Hella, a proper name. I have been able to find little about the history of Hellaby which seems to have been a sleepy little rural hamlet from the Dark Ages up to the 20th Century.
I understand that the housing at Hellaby dates mainly from the 1930s. It has an absolutely massive trading estate (very convenient for the motorway network) which developed after the M18 was completed in the 1970s. The only other notable feature is the East of the Pennines Assembly Hall which is an huge Jehovah's Witnesses church.
Hellaby Hall
The hall was built in the late 17th century, about 1672 by Ralph Fretwell who made his money as the owner of sugar plantations in Barbados. The parish registers for Braithwell record that his daughter Morafe was baptised on 14th February 1690 at the house of Mr. Eyre in Bramley as Hellaby Hall was not yet finished.
The hall has an unusual Dutch Colonial gable frontage reminiscent of the eastern counties. Fretwell died in 1701. Samuel Clarke farmed at Hellaby Hall in 1807 and was still there in 1824, John Clarke farmed at Hellaby Hall in 1840, until at least 1848. Hellaby Hall was empty and derelict for many years. I used to pass it regularly on my way to and from work on the Maltby buses and often thought what a terrible shame. It is however very conveniently situated quite close to the M18 and was eventually bought and converted into a hotel which opened in 1995.
I passed by a few weeks ago and had a nosy; only from the main road, but it looks as if there have been a great many more modern additions.