Sheffcession: Family feuds, waste barons and crumbling heritage buildings

On November 18 2024, The Tribune ran an unusual property for its “Home of the Week” section. Containing 28 bedrooms, and just one bathroom, the Carmelite monastery in High Bradfield was going on the market for £3 million. 

Despite our coveted endorsement, it took another year for the property to sell. When it did, it was bought for £2.75m by Distinfields Properties Limited. 

This came as no surprise to those with an interest in Sheffield’s heritage. Distinfields belongs to Martin Hague and his family, and this was far from the first heritage property bought up by their operation. The western fringe of the city is dotted with historic halls that the Hagues have acquired — then left to go to ruin. We wanted to know: why?

But as we started to dig into the Hagues, the details became stranger and stranger. We occasionally call on an anonymous sleuth to help with our pieces. “It’s like a cross between Succession and The Archers,” was his verdict. A paper trail of court cases revealed just how spectacularly things fell apart between members of one of the city’s richest families. 

That extraordinary story — including illegal waste tipping in Burngreave, six rounds of litigation and secretive landowners — is just for our members. If you haven’t signed up yet, now really is the time; this is not a story you want to miss.

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Our very first tip was a scorcher, and one we’ve been trying to get to the bottom of ever since: why is Sheffield Forgemasters, the city’s most important steel company, mentioned in the Epstein files?