Bishops' House is the best surviving and most charming example of a timber framed house in the City of Sheffield, England. It is open to the public each Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 4pm, so please come and visit! Located at the top of Meersbrook Park, it was once a farm surrounded by fields. The House was built at the end of the Fifteenth Century, around the time two members of the Blythe family became Bishops, hence the name, but their historical connection with the House is unconfirmed. In 1886 ownership passed to the Sheffield City Council and various recreation department employees lived in the house until 1974. It is a Grade II* listed building and has been open as a museum since 1976.
In April 2011 a voluntary organisation, Friends of Bishops' House, took over management of public opening of the house on behalf of Sheffield City Council who have continued to maintain the building. Since then the house has benefited from a new lease of life with a wide range of events and activities taking place. The Friends are committed to:
- Maintaining and developing public access to the house,
- Protecting and conserving the building for future generations to enjoy.
- Developing Bishops' House as a museum where the community can learn about the history of the house, the locality and its connection with the wider history of Sheffield.
Bishops' House is gaining a reputation as a venue for arts events, it is a licensed wedding venue and the Friends are working on developing other uses of the house too - as a meeting place for community groups for example. The Friends of Bishops' House are now opening the house for school visits, following a recent funding blow to Museums Sheffield which saw them exit from schools visits provision. Museums Sheffield remain curators of exhibits in the house and Sheffield City Council continue to meet running costs and, as owners of the house, assume responsibility for conservation and maintenance.
