Woodland Hall Grounds/Highfields Country Park, Woodlands Historic Park & Garden

Location/Address

None recorded

Type

Park or garden

Coherent areas of land designed and/or managed for leisure purposes.

Description

The mansion of Woodlands was built at the end of the 18th century by Thomas Bradford. Bradford’s building was in 3 storeys, built of red brick, with a central range, pedimented front, and with two storey side wings (Magilton 1977) and is now a Grade II Listed building. It is on the Magnesian Limestone ridge. There is a carriage turning area to its northeast front, with approaches from the Great North Road through a dense and deep plantation. To the southeast is a lawned area, once used for croquet but now used as a bowling green, beyond which is a ha-ha separating it from the wider landscape. The hall has walled, formal and kitchen gardens to its south (Klemperer 2010). Beyond the ha-ha, the grounds are divided into parkland to the east, southwest and northwest, and with Hanging Wood defining the estate to the south. Separating the parkland to the east and Hanging Wood is a large ‘Fish Pond’, fed by Underhills drain in a serpentine shape with two weirs to affect some flow. Through the northern edge of Hanging Wood runs the winding course of the old railway which is now a footpath. In the later 19th and into the 20th century, the landscape to the north was extensively changed by the building of the Woodlands model (mining) village, for Brodsworth Colliery, and this now surrounds the area on three sides. More information about Woodland Hall Grounds/Highfields Country Park can be found on the Doncaster Council website: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/planning/local-parks-and-gardens

Map

Statement of Significance

None recorded

Images and Documents

Date Listed

n/a

Last Updated

13 May 2022

Find Out More

Find out more about this Asset in South Yorkshire Local Heritage List:
https://local-heritage-list.org.uk/south-yorkshire/asset/1217