Bingham Park
Bingham Park is owned by Sheffield City Council and is a grassy and wooded area just west of Endcliffe Park. The higher parts have views across the valley to Ranmoor. The Park is next door to Whitley Woods where Shepherd Wheel can be found. The park also has tennis courts, a bowling green, plus an Astroturf court commonly used by local footballers.
Original Owners
In the mid 19th century, the land we now know as Bingham Park was owned by Robert Younge of Greystones Hall who bequeathed it in his will of 1875 to his nephew, Francis Otter of Ranby Hall, Wragby.
Sir John Bingham and his wife, Maria, had a good view of the wooded hillside from their home across the valley, next to Ranmoor Church. One day, whilst looking out of their window, Sir John said to his wife, “Would you like a very fine set of jewels or would you prefer to give that beautiful gem over there to the children of Sheffield?” Lady Bingham answered that she would rather Sheffield had the jewel and so Sir John bought the 11 acres of land and in September 1911, at the opening ceremony of the park, he handed over the deeds to Sheffield’s Lord Mayor.
Sports
Whiteley Wood Bowling Club was formed in 1910 and had one small flat green down at the bottom of the hill. The 2 greens you can see today half way up the hill were laid out in 1914 and 1915 which was when the old pavilion was built and opened by the then president, Sir john Bingham.
The current pavilion was opened on April 22nd 1972 by the then Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Alderman Hebblethwaite.
The land at the top of the hill was bought by the Council in 1912 to link Whiteley Woods with Bingham Park. The golf course is marked on the 1935 map and it is still possible to see where the greens were.
Photos of the area in 1950 also show allotment plots here and very few trees.
Remains
Further down in what is now a wooded area below Bingham Park Road is an octagonal concrete base above the path. This was the base for a shelter, a simple wooden structure, like a summer house, painted royal blue. It was built when the land in front of it was open and before the trees blocked the view of John Bingham’s house, next door to Ranmoor Church.
The allotments behind the houses on Rustlings Road have been here since 1905 when the previous site, between Hunters Bar and Psalter Lane, was needed for building. On the southern side of the allotments lies an area of ancient oak woodland. Over 400 years old, this is an important wildlife habitat where it is possible to hear woodpeckers and enjoy swathes of bluebells and wood anemones.
Restoration Works
The Bingham Park Community Group was set up in November 2016 to encourage the community to take an active part in the redevelopment of facilities in the Park.
The area had declined and needed major work to improve the facilities. With help from FoPV, funds were raised to repair walls and resurface one of the old tennis courts.
Sheffield City Council in conjunction with the Lawn Tennis Association provided a couple of pay to play tennis courts which are very popular.
The AstroTurf court has been repaired and some of the old tennis court areas have been landscaped, and new benches installed around the park.
Work continues to develop the remaining tennis courts and a netball and basketball court are being considered.
If you would like to help the Bingham Park Community Group please let us know.
Bingham Park Community Group (BPCG)
Sadly parts of Bingham Park have seen better days and we are supporting a small group of enthusiastic residents of this area with plans to renovate and upgrade parts of the Park.
Bingham Park Community Group wants to raise funds to improve the facilities in Bingham Park (including the football and tennis courts, bowling green, golf course and surrounding green areas).
Two tennis courts have already been upgraded and there are plans to turn another old court into a netball/basketball court. The group is also working on plans for a small skatepark. One old court has been resurfaced and can be used for a range of activities, e.g. for children learning to ride scooters/bikes, frisby, tai-chi etc.
If you would like to get involved in helping with these renovations please let us know via the Contact us link below. The group also has an active Facebook page - search for ‘Bingham Park Community Group’.
Update from Bingham Park Community Group
If you would like to make a donation towards the work of the Bingham park Community Group and the improvements to the sporting facilities please click the button here.
Good news for Bingham Park in 2019 and plans for 2020:
Court 1 is now resurfaced and can be used for bike riding, skateboarding etc.
Courts 4 and 5 have been completely refurbished - The Lawn Tennis Association provided funds for the upgrade of these two tennis courts. They are managed as pay-to-play courts which you can book online. This system is already running successfully at Hillsborough, Weston Park and Millhouses.For more info see: https://parkstennis.co.uk/sheffield
The remaining area (old courts 6-9) have been landscaped and seeded with wild flowers.
The astroturf has also been repaired this year. There are new goal posts and holes in the astroturf have been patched. The wall has been repaired.We want to keep improving things through 2020.
The plan is to turn the old court 3 into a netball/basketball court and the group is also now looking at designs for a small skatepark, possibly alongside the wildflower area between the new tennis courts and the astroturf.
We are keen to do more for local teenagers - encouraging them to make more use of the facilities.Bingham Park Community Group will continue to improve the attractiveness of this piece of land after years of neglect.
We meet every three months and are always on the look out for new members/volunteers.
Find us on Facebook (search ‘Bingham Park Community Group’) and get updates about meetings and events.