Straight ahead are a pair of houses with patterned barge-boards on the roof gables. Venetian windows on the first and second floors with stone bays on the ground floor.

The land was part of a six-acre field called Hall Cross Close, bought by Henry Broadhead in 1738. Over the years the land changed hands many times, through sales and inheritances, until on 12 November 1857 the residue of the Hall Cross Field site (6238 square yards) was purchased for £1,000 by Samuel Hawksworth, a local builder. He then built a terrace of seven houses,  In the Doncaster Gazette on 25 March 1859, this terrace was advertised - 'to be let, four compact modern residences in Regent Square, 5 bedrooms, bath and we, spacious entrance, drawing room, dining room, kitchens on the ground floor, front and back gardens. Early application will ensure the choice of wallpaper hangings'. Interesting that it was already called Regent Square in 1859 and that there would be papered walls.

In a Deed of Exchange dated.1858 the Council made an agreement 'to enclose and layout an ornamental pleasure garden to be preserved forever, providing that the owners of the Close would build a uniformity of Villas which would add to the ornamentation and pleasant appearance of the same'. The nearby Waterhouse which stored the towns reservoir was demolished and the rubble used to fill the pond sited where the present-day Square is now, which had been fed from the overflow - or more probably leakage - from the Waterhouse. This enabled the building of the other existing houses on the northern side of Regent Square. So, Regent Square was laid out and remains largely unchanged to this day.

In the 1950s, Doncaster Civic Trust went to the Magistrates Court to prevent Regent Square from being turned into a Car Park.

 

Choose Your Media to Continue on the Trail

Make your way around Regent Square to head back to the main road.

Regent Square reminds one of a typical Victorian Square, compact housing around a grassed area.

The building work started in the early 1850s on land known as Hall Cross Close, an open area comprising of a pond and a water reservoir.

All the buildings in the corners of the square are set back to enable views into the central garden area. The town side are mainly three storey properties, with ground floor canted bays and Palladian windows to the upper floors. These are mainly ashlar with slate roofs, although two properties are of red brick.

The buildings are gabled on to the road, with decorative bargeboards. There are classical door surrounds and in one instance wrought iron railings leading to the doorway/

Moving around the square there is a block of three storey properties that mimic the style of those previously mentioned and act as a link to the remaining properties.

Past this building, the dwellings become two storeys, rendered and white painted. There are canted bay windows at ground floor with four pane Victorian windows above set slightly projecting out of the front elevation.

At the Regent hotel, turn right and return to the crossing. You will see Christ Church on your right, make your way to the Church.

Cross over the road and approach the railings and gates piers at the south end of the church, which date from 1844.

When you have arrived, click on the NEXT button at the foot of the page, to view more information about Christ Church.