Hillsborough Park

[algy]

Hi algy - yes, it seems that it was the death of J.W. Dixon Jr. in 1890 that resulted in the family selling the Hall and surrounding land, and Sheffield Corporation bought one of the 14 lots, this being the Hall and what became the park. Wynyard Dixon became a land surveyor in the 1890s, and so in this regard they perhaps had a useful family member - or perhaps it was the disposal of the estate that encouraged him to enter this profession. The Wikipedia article indicates that Sheffield Wednesday Football Club bought the land for their Hillsborough stadium at this time.

 

Here is a rather nice photo of Lennox Burton Dixon, taken outside Hillsborough Hall at the time of his coming of age in 1889: http://www.picturesheffield.co.uk/cgi-bin/zoom.pl?picture=http://www.picturesheffield.com/jpgh/s02840.jpg

 

The lady in the middle is evidently a family servant, and the young lad at the right is perhaps Wynyard, who would have been 15 at the time. By the time of the 1901 census, Lennox Dixon had married Mary Frances Quin and was described as an "electro plate manufacturer" living at More Hall, while Wynyard had married Catherine Anna Burke and lived at Wadsley Bridge in a house calle "The Hagg" which was evidently near Claywheels Lane.

 

Actually the fresh-faced youth on the right is Lennox. The dapper individual on the left is a relative (cousin?) who was the son of the family who owned Whirlow Hall at the time. Somewhere on another forum there's a long discussion about the photo and the people, (and I'm d****d if I can find it!)

As far as I can remember, they came of age at about the same time, and large celebrations were held first at Hillsborough and then at Whirlow.