The History
Once the home of a Baronet, now a Common Beer House ..

We're part of the Lower Don Valley History Trails
Carbrook Hall is an imposing structure, with Tudor-style chimneys such as one sees on the old Manor Lodge, and it was here that Thomas Bright of Broadway, Lord of the Manor of Ecclesall, came to live, long ago.

 Carbrook Hall Drawing by Edward Blore, originally published in 1819.
(Above, right - Carbrook Hall: drawing by Edward Blore - originally published in 1819 - Shows the original timber-framed house & Stephen Bright's new stone wing of 1623.
The Hall we are told, goes back to 1176, and rebuilt in 1462, although this date may refer to the ancient timbered structure which stood a little further from the roadway than does the existing building, and a little to the rear of it, and which was pulled down between 1777 and 1819. We can be sure, however, that the present building is many years old, going back to the days of the first Queen Elizabeth at least, although it may have been slightly altered during the reign of James I.
It is rather a pity that today there are only two rooms open to the public of historic interest in carbrook Hall, one the ground floor Oak Room the other the Brew House and Kitchen.
Carbrook Hall's Oak Room

Also on display is an old horseshoe, which was discovered buried 14ft. deep - this is an interesting reminder of times past, when the Hall was in use as an old Coaching Inn. There were stables to the rear of the Hall, but over the years these have gradually disappeared. Outwardly there has been little change however, although chickens were once kept on the piece of ground now occupied by the front car park!

There are old bread ovens to be found in the Brew House and Kitchen from the times when loaves, after leaving the oven were dusted with goose feathers. This practice was still carried out, even after the turn of this century!

< Carbrook Hall's Oak Room - in it's full original glory .. you can now enjoy a drink or a meal inside this very comfortable and atmospheric room.
The ornate carvings around the fireplace in the Oak Room (above) are works of art, and the whole room is oak-panelled, with a ceiling of very old plaster - possibly Italian - displaying a typically Elizabethan pattern. Flowers are the dominant theme - and particularly the emblem of the thistle. In this room (which still has the original door) the walls are two feet in thickness - a sturdy reminder of olden times.   Carving over fireplace in the Oak Room   < The carving over the fireplace shows a nun who has fallen into disgrace. She has grown a tail because of her transgression, and is being condemned by the Church, symbolised by the form of a Bishop who stands over her. The motto here is "Wisdom trampling upon Ignorance". Around the fireplace are two fine, rounded pillars, carved with one or two shields and interwoven with flowers.
As in most Elizabethan houses, the servants lived separately from the household and what is left of the servants quarters are at the top of the house (not open to the public), with thick walls and large timber beams. Non of the wattle and daub walls are visible through many years of plastering over, but the heavy, crude timber beams run right through into the bedrooms below.
The Black Oak Room (not open to the public) is Oak Panelled like the one downstairs and a carving on the fireplace represents a bird hunting a worm. There are also one or two small heads carved after the Elizabethan style. A door leading off from here, which now conceals a small cloakroom, once gave way to the staircase leading down to the Oak Room and Cellars. We wonder if Dick Turpin ever used this staircase as an escape hatch! There was once a small window at the gable end, but when the light tax came into force, this was filled in and panelled.

Many names noted in history have been connected with this house, particularly during and prior to, the English Civil War.
The Bright family's link with the Hall began in the days of Queen Elizabeth I, when the Thomas Bright already referred to first came to live here.
Colonel John Bright, of Cromwell's army, was a most distinguished soldier, and when Sheffield Castle was about to be taken by Royalist troups, he rode to York for help from the artillery. He retired from service in 1650, and became Sir John Bright, Baronet. He died in 1688.
The Carbrook estate passed through the Thompson and Whetham families, until it came to an Admiral Frank Sotheron, whose sister sold more than half of it in 1819 - the year of Queen Victoria's birth.
The Hall property in John Wetham's time was about 140 acres, with two Halls and 3 Cottages, which were separated by an orchard.

A building was recorded on the site as far back as 1176, however the building as it exists today dates back to at least 1462, although there is enough evidence in the style of its interior to place it in the early years of the first Elizabethan era.

From a private dwelling the Hall eventually became, of course, a Public House.
The green fields of Carbrook have vanished forever, but it is pleasant to think that a strong link with our past history is still maintained, through the presence of Carbrook Hall.
Here it stands today, as it has stood through many turbulent centuries; the scene in which it was first set has changed beyond all recognition, but the Hall remains - treasuring within it's walls the craftsmanship of a more leisured age, and bringing the lives of the men and women who once knew it closer to our own.

 From past to present ... Carbrook Hall
Top two images Taken from "Forging the Valley" Hey, Olive & Liddament - ISBN 1 85075 647 3
Site best viewed in 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600 screen res. Copyright © CARBROOK HALL 2000