The convent was built in 1871 by Charles Hadfield and was a replica of the mother house of the 'Sisters of Charity' in Paris. Originally intended as an orphanage for catholic children, it was used to provide holidays for children from Sheffield's slums in the late 19th century. In 1908 the house was gifted to Carmelite nuns, who still occupy it. Although the grounds contain the remains of some small scale gravel pits, the previous historic character of the area was unenclosed moorland. This is no longer legible. The date of origin of the moorland is uncertain but it had probably developed in this area by the Roman period (see Bevan 2003 for discussion of environmental evidence in the area).