Osborne House - Minto Road

Bit of a random question, but does anyone know of any history of the building Osborne House on Minto Rod in Hillsborough? Trying to find information on the internet is proving to impossible so I wonder if it used to called something else?? I understand it was a children's home ran by nuns back in the day. Any info gratefully received.

Bit of a random question, but does anyone know of any history of the building Osborne House on Minto Rod in Hillsborough? Trying to find information on the internet is proving to impossible so I wonder if it used to called something else?? I understand it was a children's home ran by nuns back in the day. Any info gratefully received.

 

Do you know the number of the house on Minto Road ?

Street directories at the local studies library within Central library on Surrey Street will be your best bet.

Regards.

Try looking on 'Sheffield History' website - there is a thread on there about this building. sheffield history.co.uk

Edited November 13, 2013 by Daven

Hi claireod - from 1952 to 1978 I lived at No 20 Dykes Hall Road, and our garden backed on to the grounds of the children's home in Minto Road which was run by the Sacred Heart Convent. Sometimes on summer evenings we would climb over the wall and play with the children there, and we would often see the nuns in Hillsborough. On Sundays they would all go with the children to the Sacred Heart Church on Forbes Road. The children lived, with some of their carers, mostly in the large house at the bottom of Minto Road (marked with a blue arrow on this Google Earth aerial view) and also at 42 & 44 Dykes Hall Road (shown in directories as "New Cottage Homes") while the nuns lived mainly in the building a little higher up Minto Road which is Osborne House (red arrow). One of the nuns was French, and another was from Latvia. The Latvian nun's ordination name was Sister Mary Philip and she was a lovely person; she would tell us about how she left Latvia as a refugee during the war and travelled across Poland and Germany. Directories from the 1930s and 1940s show Dr Francis Birks at Osborne House; the convent and children's home would have been established in the post-war period - it is shown in a 1954 directory that I have. I don't know when it closed - I guess it would have been in the 1980s. Osborne House itself was built in the 19th century; the 1911 census shows William Swift, a "Steel Rolling Mill Manager" living there with his large family. Perhaps he was the proprietor of Swift's rolling mill at Owlerton.

Edited November 14, 2013 by hillsbro

Yes my mum used to live with the nuns there. Belonged to the sacred heart terrible place. Will ask her and write again

Hi I used to run the 228th scouts on catch bar lane,we were the only group in the area not connected to a church, so the boys from osborne house were allowed to join, and very likeable rogues they were.Happy memories

Hi I used to run the 228th scouts on catch bar lane,we were the only group in the area not connected to a church, so the boys from osborne house were allowed to join, and very likeable rogues they were.Happy memories

Hi tinytingle - that's interesting. In the 1950s I was in the 238th cubs; we were at that time the only cub pack in the area not connected to a church. When the lease expired on our Avondale Road HQ in 1958 (it's now a garage) we began to use one of the cellars at Owlerton Church vicarage, but we were still a "free" pack and not formally connected to the church. I proudly wore my uniform (with "sixer" stripes) at the Sutton Coldfield Jubilee Jamboree in 1957, and in the City Hall the same year when the Chief Scout Lord Rowallan visited. As you say, Happy memories!

Thanks everyone, really appreciate all of your help. I am ideally looking for old photographs of Osborne House and find out when it was built etc but like I said before, really struggling to find much on the internet. I am going to try the library and see if I can find anything out. I understand from a previous thread that Minto Road was once known as Milner Road so I am wondering if this might be a reason I am struggling to find info?

... I am ideally looking for old photographs of Osborne House and find out when it was built etc.

Here is a photo dating from the early 1900s (the postcard has a 1907 postmark). The Swifts who are shown as occupying Osborne House in the 1911 census had been there for at least 20 years to judge from earlier census returns. I would guess that Osborne House was built in the latter part of the 19th century - it does not feature in the 1862 directory. Milner Road was renamed Minto Road in 1903, apparently in honour of the 4th Earl of Minto who was Governor-General of Canada at the time. Edited November 14, 2013 by hillsbro

Hi tinytingle - that's interesting. In the 1950s I was in the 238th cubs; we were at that time the only cub pack in the area not connected to a church. When the lease expired on our Avondale Road HQ in 1958 (it's now a garage) we began to use one of the cellars at Owlerton Church vicarage, but we were still a "free" pack and not formally connected to the church. I proudly wore my uniform (with "sixer" stripes) at the Sutton Coldfield Jubilee Jamboree in 1957, and in the City Hall the same year when the Chief Scout Lord Rowallan visited. As you say, Happy memories!

Hi Hillsbro,we do seem to have a lot in common,I started my cub days at the HQ behind the kinema sorry cant remember the group no. I then moved to 228th I also went to the jamboree at Sutton Coldfield in 57 we camped at a satellite camp , We became very friendly with some scouts from Nyasaland,they taught us a song and game called VAK-O-MANA which became popular around the campfires at Hesley Wood . Imust be a bit older than you ,in 57 i had just become a Senior scout. sorry to ramble on. Happy days

Here is a photo dating from the early 1900s (the postcard has a 1907 postmark). The Swifts who are shown as occupying Osborne House in the 1911 census had been there for at least 20 years to judge from earlier census returns. I would guess that Osborne House was built in the latter part of the 19th century - it does not feature in the 1862 directory. Milner Road was renamed Minto Road in 1903, apparently in honour of the 4th Earl of Minto who was Governor-General of Canada at the time.

 

Thank you so much for that hillsbro, that is brilliant - just what I was after! Where on earth did you find that photo, are there any more do you know? Planning to visit the library this weekend so hopefully will find more info there. Thanks again!

Thank you so much for that hillsbro, that is brilliant - just what I was after! Where on earth did you find that photo, are there any more do you know? Planning to visit the library this weekend so hopefully will find more info there. Thanks again!

Hello again - the postcard turned up on eBay a few months ago. I have quite a few similar cards showing Hillsborough in the early 1900s, but that view is the only one I have of Minto Road (PM me an email address if you'd like a high-resolution JPEG scan). Such real-photo postcards are keenly collected nowadays and I had to pay £28 (!) for it but it's an excellent card. They may well have this and other photos at the Local Studies Library - many of their photos can be seen on the http://www.picturesheffield.com site but they have some more that are not visible online, and you can order prints..

 

---------- Post added 15-11-2013 at 16:15 ----------

 

...I started my cub days at the HQ behind the kinema ... I also went to the jamboree at Sutton Coldfield in 57 we camped at a satellite camp , We became very friendly with some scouts from Nyasaland... Happy days

Happy days indeed - the HQ behind the kinema on Proctor Place was in the hut belonging to Hillsborough Tabernacle church; I also can't remember the group number. I still have the bronze commemorative woggle that my grandma bought me at Sutton Coldfield, and my autograph book with the names of scouts from all over the word (from Cape Town to Helsinki, New York to New Guinea)..

Here is a photo dating from the early 1900s (the postcard has a 1907 postmark). The Swifts who are shown as occupying Osborne House in the 1911 census had been there for at least 20 years to judge from earlier census returns. I would guess that Osborne House was built in the latter part of the 19th century - it does not feature in the 1862 directory. Milner Road was renamed Minto Road in 1903, apparently in honour of the 4th Earl of Minto who was Governor-General of Canada at the time.

 

Morning, so interesting reading what you know about Minto rd and Osborne House. I was brought up at No 7 Minto road from 1991-2012 until I moved out. Im now 22. My dad always told me about Osborne house and how it was a nunnery. He also told me it was owned maybe built by a doctor called Dr Swift and he used the outer building at the back that was been re-built in 2005 due to it catching fire as his stables. He used to visit people in crooks etc by horse and cart. I duno much about Dr Swift. I remember as a kid playing in Osborne house as I came friends with the new owners son there when it became a Nursey/summer school. The place is huge inside.

 

Thanks

Jonathan