Thundercliffe Grange. Another fantastic, romantic name I was raised with. Thundercliffe's land history goes back to when deBusli and de Lovetot were lords of the manors of Ecclesfield, circa 1160. The hermit (ancient form of pastor) Robert le Cras died and the Hermitage of St John was granted to the monks of Kirkstead Abbey in nearby Lincolnshire, the area becomes an important metal working site.

In 1536, Thundercliffe was purchased by Thomas Rokeby, his daughter married Henry Wombwell, their descendant, Thomas, is buried at St thunder's. The Shiercliffe's owned Thundercliffe briefly, Robert Green of Cawthorne purchased the manor after the civil war, Anne Shiercliffe would marry Robert's son, James, leaving her beloved Whitley Hall to find a comfort of sorts at Thundercliffe. Anne's grandson, William, sells Thundercliffe to Hugh Mellor. Actually, the story goes that he lost the grange through "his indulgence in the senseless passion for 'high play' which disgraced the 'society' in his day." It ends up with the Right Honourable Thomas, the third Earl of Effingham, relatives of the Howards. Thomas takes down the old Grange, what a loss, and builds the new one, the foundations started in 1777. The cellar was dug in Sept of 1778, the architect, John Platt, agrees to build the east wing for £905, Platt dined with the Earl in Oct of 1783, surely the manor was complete by then.

Thomas dies without issue whereas the Earldom ceases, but his relatives inherit the manor as Barons, then abandon the estate in 1860. Dr James Atkinson rents the manor as a mental hospital for women, then as a residential home for mentally handicapped children from 1947 to 1978, again abandoned. Insert ghost stories here.

A group of families bought the grange for a relatively small amount, repaired the manor and turned it into separate flats. Twelve families now live there cooperatively, with the first floor as common ground, including a music room, and the kitchen with its original hearth. There are twenty one acres of the original land, two ancient woodlands, and the original stream, an original well and Georgian plunge bath. These wonderful people are restoring the building to its original grandeur, and have a home that is priceless in value and in heart. The original Thundercliffe has been excavated by the Rotherham Archaeological Society, and the foundations remain, a monument to an echo in time.