Firbeck Hospital

Firbeck Hospital (formerly Firbeck Hall) is a country house, probably of late 16th-century core, remodelled in the mid 18th century with substantial early 19th-century additions. The whole was given shaped gables probably in the mid 19th century, and the interior was remodelled in 1935. The original house was built for William West, a lawyer of Moorgate Hall, Rotherham and Steward to the 5th Earl of Shrewsbury. The major 19th-century work was carried out for Henry Gally of Langold. The 1935 interior was designed by Robert Cawkwell of Sheffield.

The building is constructed of ashlar limestone with graduated slate roofs. The 18th-century block forms the core: two storeys with attics, arranged as 3:2:3 bays by 2:3:2 bays. An early 19th-century addition is set back on the right, with a 1/2-bay link leading to 2:3:2 bays; the central bays are canted. A 1-storey canted-bay projection on the far right connects to a 3-storey, 2-bay block set well back, with the front angle infilled by a flat-roofed addition. Nineteenth-century ranges enclose a courtyard to the rear, accessed via an archway on the right return.

The 18th-century block has a moulded plinth. The central recess contains an entrance with a 20th-century double door and fanlight set within a 19th-century Doric portico with double keystone to the round arch and narrow flanking sashes with entablature above. All other bays on the ground and first floors have unequally-hung 15-pane sashes in architraves with moulded sills and small keystones. A deep eaves band sits beneath three shaped gables; the outer gables feature cavetto-moulded 2-light mullioned windows beneath arrow slits, while the smaller central gable has a single-light window and flagpole.

The early 19th-century bays on the right have a chamfered plinth and rougher stonework. Sashes with glazing bars sit in raised ashlar surrounds, with 6-pane sashes to the second floor. The canted-bay projection features pyramidal corbelling supporting a flat-fronted, shaped gable with arrowslit; flanking bays each have a smaller matching gable, as does the front panel of the 1-storey canted-bay projection opposite. A stepped gable rises over two bays set back on the right. Several ridge stacks with moulded plinths run along the whole range.

The rear elevation has a chamfered plinth and large quoins to older walling, now partly rendered. Unequally-hung 28-pane sashes with architraves match those on the front. On the left are old cavetto-moulded cross-windows on two floors beneath dripstones. The left return has projecting outer bays incorporating large quoins to older walling rising two storeys, with a central recess containing a scrolled architrave to a segmentally-pedimented doorway. Bays on the right are marred by a 20th-century addition and fire escape. The first-floor bays (1, 2, and 6) have 24-pane sashes. The right return features a square turret with four shaped gables forming the right flank of the courtyard archway; the archway has a keyed archivolt surmounted by a draped cartouche beneath what may be a phoenix.

The interior retains an early 19th-century service stair with square balusters and turned newels, with a lantern over featuring radial glazing bars. Otherwise, the interior dates from the 1935 remodelling, including a period staircase.

The Firbeck estate was purchased in the late 16th century by William West, who was Steward to the 5th Earl of Shrewsbury and to the Manor of Sheffield at the time of Mary Queen of Scots' imprisonment. The property changed hands several times during the 18th century before being acquired in the early 19th century by Henry Gally of Langold. Gally had initially commissioned Sir Jeffry Wyatt to build a house at nearby Langold but turned his efforts to Firbeck instead, carrying out major additions and modifications before his death in 1846. The house was converted to a country club in 1935 but has served as a hospital from around 1940 to the present day. Twentieth-century additions are not of special interest.