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@callycatus I'm delighted that you have enjoyed the resources on our RUclips channel. May I ask whether you searched for the Sand House or did you just happen upon it, please?

Very many thanks for your comment. I do hope that you enjoy the audio drama itself. I'd be delighted if you could add a comment to that podcast when you've listened to it, letting us know what you thought to it.

Indeed, it is sad to see any headstone lying on the ground, but I am curious as to which one you are referring to in particular. The double plot that contains the remains of Henry Senior and 13 other members of his family has never had a headstone. It is a square, raised plot bounded by substantial stone kerbs carrying no inscriptions. There is a headstone of an unrelated family laying face-down immediately in front of the Senior vault.

Many thanks for those kind words, but also for supporting the project directly.

Thank you so much for both listening to our audio drama and taking the time to comment. I'm delighted that you enjoyed it so much. There seems little doubt that Henry Senior was a driven individual and probably difficult to live with! Just for the record, however, his wife died from complications following a stroke. You can find out much more about the Sand House at <www.thesandhouse.org.uk> and on our Facebook page <facebook.com/@DoncasterSandHouse>. There's a book, too! Best wishes, Richard.

Thank you so much for your lovely comment. May I please ask whether you had any prior knowledge of the Sand House, or did you just happen upon this podcast?

@@doncastersandhouse How nice to hear from you! I was most fortunate to just happen upon the production, and I had zero zero knowledge of the Sand House. It popped up on my feed, perhaps because I have been listening to audio dramas for the past few months (to assist with drifting off to sleep.) I noticed you have a website which I plan to check out in order to delve deeper. Please let me know if there is any way that I might be able to support your work or the channel. All the best, Steve

@@coolfreshair1200 Thank you for getting back to me, Steve. I'm especially interested in feedback on our audio drama as it's a departure from our previous activities (although we did produce a stage version of the play in 2018). It's also our first time creating a podcast: we've placed it on several of the biggest podcast platforms. We certainly hoped that this project would allow us to share the Sand House story with a different demographic and, if your situation is typical, it looks as though we might be doing that. Yes, please visit <www.thesandhouse.org.uk>. You'll find links at the bottom of the homepage to our Facebook and X feeds (we have a lot of content on Facebook), and we're on Instagram, too. Also, the Projects webpage and subpages highlight our biggest projects. Thanks again for taking the time to comment. Best wishes, Richard

Many thanks. You're quite right about how sandstone deteriorates, especially the soft Sherwood Sandstone that the Sand House was carved from. Had the house not been destroyed, however, I'm sure that it's 3-feet thick walls would have ensured that it stood well beyond the present day. Thank you again. I'm pleased that you enjoyed listening.

Many thanks. I'm delighted that you liked it. The entire team consisted of theatre professionals, other than the two child actors and the production assistant.

Thanks very much indeed for your comment. I'm pleased that you enjoyed the video.

Thank you for your comments. There's a common misconception that the Sand House was destroyed in order to allow the re-development of the area to go ahead. In fact, the house was lost in around 1938 and it was another 3 decades before re-development began at that location (the construction of Silverwood House started in 1967). The fact is that, in the 1930s, the value of unique places such as the Sand House just wasn't understood or appreciated and, combined with the geo-political situation at that time, many historic houses were destroyed with little concern shown by the general population.

@doncastersandhouse it's a shame so many beautiful buildings were lost like the sand house and Wheatley hall . I'm quite interested in the history of Doncaster so coming across this was a real find . I just wonder what the planners were thinking building the eye sores we see today compared to how it looked in the past

@@Steven-f281 Indeed. I guess it has a lot to do with styles and tastes changing over time, including trends in architecture. I've heard people who first moved into the flats on the Balby Bridge Estate, in the 1960s, say that they thought they were wonderful.

​@doncastersandhouse I remember the days of just a outside toilet no heating etc so a nice new flat bathroom and mod cons must of been lovely to them so I understand that . I guess we are nostalgic now for how things were but don't seem to remember how bad things were then

​@@Steven-f281Yes, indeed.

Thanks very much. That's much appreciated.

Thank you very much, Andy.

Thanks for your enquiry. Not so far, but we haven't given up on the possibility. The only feature that we think we may have detected via the GPR survey in that area is the top of the staircase that once linked the Sand House's lower floor level to street level. We need to survey that area again to be certain, when we can exclude all parked vehicles from the area. One problem with detecting any remains of the house's sandstone walls comes from a combination of their potential depth below current ground surface (anything between about 3m and 8m). The other main problem is the fact that the intervening ground comprises a whole variety of mixed fill... just the sort of thing to distortos GPR signals. We hope to carry out further investigations as and when resources become available.

@@doncastersandhouse Thanks

Thank you. There is one known tunnel under the cemetery and it still remains void. It runs for about 80 metres directly under the path from the turnstile gate on Green Dyke Lane south-eastwards. Its crown is between 6m and 9m below the ground surface and it is not accessible.

Many thanks, Robert. I'm planning to add a new video for Heritage Open Days 2023, in September.

Thank you for your comment, Timothy. Sadly, the Sand House was the victim of a time (1930s) when heritage held little worth and the UK had huge problems following on from the Great War. Saving an old building wasn't seen as important by very many people. Fortunately, things are much better in the regard now.

Sorry I didn't pick up your comment when you submitted it. Almost all the known tunnels - and certainly the Cloisters tunnel that contained all the carvings - were grouted up with a fly ash and cement grout, in 1984. The only exception is an 80-metre length of plain, roughly dug tunnel under part of the cemetery. The chances of the grout ever being removed are negligible, I'm afraid.

But it's possible to do if the council actually wanted to do it?

@@chrisbilsland4138 On the basis that anything is theoretically possible, I guess so. However, even I, a descendant of the Sand House's creator who has been researching the subject for nearly 40 years, don't think it would be justifiable 🙂!

@@doncastersandhouse and why is that?

@@chrisbilsland4138 Nearly all the carvings had been badly damaged or completely obliterated before the Cloisters tunnel was filled in, so what remained had lost most of its interesting features by the time I visited, in 1984. If money were absolutely no object, then Yes, I would love to be able to visit again, because of my own particular connections with the place. However, I can't imagine there being a business case for opening up the Cloisters tunnel, based on what would remain to be seen by visitors. It's also in a residential area that would not seem to be well suited to having a visitor centre within it. I believe I am merely being realistic.

I'm really sorry that I didn't pick up your comment at the time to submitted it. Thanks for your memories. May I ask where you accessed the tunnels when you went down, please, and did you take any photos, by any chance? Thank you.

Did your Paul go with you?

@@petertownend7777 WOW blast from the past, No , Keep well old friend

@@stephenwhite1026 Do you recall whether your underground visits were during the period that the tunnels were being prepared for infilling, in February 1984, please? The access point at that time was in the car park of Silverwood House, just behind the west footway of St James Street.

@@stephenwhite1026 yes stephen hope you and paul are well,i spent most of my working life down the pit,some rough times years ago at thorp arch,so nice to hear from you Mucca 🙏

Sorry I didn't respond when you posted your comment. Regarding excavating the tunnels, I'm afraid that the likelihood is extremely small. That's partly because the tunnels were filled in due to being at risk of collapse and partly because many of the carvings were already badly damaged. There would also be an enormous cost involved.

Sorry I didn't pick up your comment at the time. I hope you have had chance now to see our Sand House display in the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.

Thank you very much for your kind comments. I'm sorry I didn't respond at the time.

Very many thanks for your feedback on the video. I'm delighted that you enjoyed watching it. You can keep up to date with the activities of The Sand House Charity by subscribing to our newsletters at www.thesandhouse.org.uk

Fantastic insight into Doncaster History. Really enjoyed this video. Thank you for posting it

@@BomBom1 Many thanks.

Thanks for your comment. The only section of tunnel that remains void is part of the original drainage tunnel, which pre-dated the Sand House. It is roughly excavated and not decorated, so of no real merit. There is no realistic chance of opening up the main tunnels, as they were unsafe when they were filled and many of the carvings had been vandalised. Having said that, we are aiming to create a virtual reality model of the tunnels, which will be the next best thing.

@@doncastersandhouse If your having a dedicated site for the Sand House i think the waterdale area would be the perfect location, not far from the original site and will be part of the cultural quarter area which would fit well and make an interesting visitor location

@@spiralcreation9697 We're going to have a significant display in the new Doncaster Culture & Learning Centre, currently being built on the corner of Waterdale & Chequer Road. The level of interest in that installation will determine our future moves towards a standalone attraction. But whatever happens, we shall have a presence in the Waterdale area via the DCLC.