Wheatley Hall
The Lords of the Manor resided in Sandall until 1683, by which time the powerful Cooke family had inherited the manor and a magnificent family seat was built midway between the two townships by Sir Henry Cooke.
Named Wheatley Hall, the stone-built building boasted a proliferation of windows and had four storeys, one of which was underground. Unfortunately, due to the proximity of the River Don which frequently burst its banks, the basement suffered a great deal of flooding, as did the surrounding 103 acres of grounds.
The contemporary view held that the site was by no means the best that could have been chosen, which leads to the obvious conclusion that Sir Henry chose it merely for its geographical location.
The building remained the seat of the Cooke family until around 1914 when the latest lord, Sir William Cooke, moved out to be nearer the colliery he owned in neighbouring Bentley. The Hall was leased to Wheatley Golf Club, which used the ground floor as a club house and sub-let the upper two storeys as flats.
By 1933, upkeep of the deteriorating building had become too much for the golfers, who moved to their current home on Armthorpe Road. The estate, much of which had been converted into a golf course, was purchased by Doncaster Corporation for housing, whilst the crumbling Jacobean Hall itself was demolished in 1938.
Today, the site of the Hall is occupied by McCormick International Tractors' factory complex, whilst the estate has long vanished beneath the Wheatley Park housing estate. |
