Thundercliffe Grange
Kimberworth
Thundercliffe Grange is situated in the extreme west of Kimberworth where the old manor abuts part of Sheffield. A house or grange has existed close to the site of the present house since the Middle Ages. The monks of Kirkstead Abbey built a residence (just outside the boundary of the Manor of Kimberworth) together with fish ponds, stables and dovecot for the use of the granger or farm manager of the lands they leased for the exploitation and smelting of iron ore. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 Thundercliffe Grange was bought by the Rokeby family. Various families lived there until it was purchased by the Earl of Effingham in 1771. The old grange was demolished and the new Thundercliffe Grange was built on a slightly different site within the Rotherham boundary.
The present Thundercliffe Grange is an 18th Century house which was owned by the Earl of Effingham. It was built by John Platt between 1776-1785 to replace the earlier property. It is set in 22 acres of grounds on a hillside in the valley of the Blackburn Brook. These days the M1 runs mighty close to the property but I rather fancy that it got its name in earlier centuries from the noise of the wind howling along the valley and not the roar of traffic. Alternatively since iron was mined and smelted around here from Medieval times you may have another source for the name Thundercliffe. John Speed's map of 1610 calls the area Thornerclyff so we have yet another possibility. And, yes, I've come across yet more - possibilities also include the meaning of 'the under cliff' or a derivation from the Latin 'tundere' to beat repeatedly. The place also seems to have been called Cindercliffe, Senecliffe and Senocliffe.
The house and grounds are not open to the public so I was unable to consider inclusion in the Things to See and Do in Rotherham. Tony advises me that:–
"Your remarks concerning accessibility of the site are not quite accurate as a public footpath runs through the grounds. Other parts of the grounds and part of the main building are available from time to time by arrangement with the Company Directors."
Contact Tony Wilson 44 (0)114 2452037 for more information (2002).
However the house is remarkable in another way. The Grange was a private mental home for ladies about 1900 and later used it was used a residential home for mentally handicapped children up to the end of the 1970s. When it became redundant as a home it was put on the market for £65,000 - a bargain in 1980 even bearing in mind the amount of work that needed to be done. It was empty for two years before being purchased by what I think of as a workers co-operative, a group of friends who got together. The Grange was altered to provide twelve self-contained apartments with each leaseholder paying monthly maintenance costs towards the upkeep of the building in general. The property now is owned and run as a co-housing project. The freehold is owned by the Thundercliffe Grange Company Ltd. and all the leaseholders are directors of the company. Truly a great idea to preserve such a nice old house.
I must admit that I know none of the Thundercliffe residents but about thirty years ago I knew three couples who did something very similar with a smaller property and it worked very well for them. It's not my sort of thing but it might be yours.