Meersbrook Park 3.77

Meersbrook Park is set on a steep hillside in Meersbrook, Sheffield, United Kingdom, and offers a stunning panoramic view over central Sheffield to the north. Within the park are two historic buildings: Bishops' House (c1500) is one of the oldest buildings in Sheffield and is open as a museum, and Meersbrook House.Meersbrook House was built in 1780 by Benjamin Roebuck. The property included a walled kitchen garden and house's estate extended to Meers Brook. The house was the home of the Ruskin Museum until 1950. John Ruskin originally set up his museum as the Museum of St. George in 1871 at a small cottage in Walkley, but it was renamed and moved to Meersbrook House in 1890. The Ruskin collection can now be seen in Sheffield's Millennium Galleries.Although the area was still in Derbyshire the councillors in Sheffield were already looking over the border for amenity facilities for their citizens. In January 1885, Sheffield City Council bought both the house and the land as a public park or pleasure ground. The house is now a Grade II listed building.