History of the Mount

History of the Mount


The Mount is estimated to have been built around 1830 although the exact details are not known. The architect who designed the building was named William Flockton. Flockton also designed several other landmarks within Sheffield between the years of 1830 and 1858, many of which are churches now protected from demolition.



The first residents of the Mount include James Montgomery, who was a successful British editor and poet. His works were widely read throughout both America and Britain and he held a close friendship with William Wordsworth. On July 4th 1794 he launched and edited the Sheffield Iris, which was one of the first newspapers to be published in the Sheffield area. He was twice imprisoned (in 1795, and again in 1796) for political articles for which he was held responsible. Montgomery was prosecuted for sedition in 1795 for publishing a poem on a handbill which celebrated the fall of the Bastille, and was sentenced to three months in prison. On his release, he negotiated Naylor's withdrawal and became sole proprietor. In August, he wrote a report offering mild criticism of an incident in Norfolk Street, where a popular protest was attacked by a militia, resulting in two deaths. He was again prosecuted, this time for malicious libel, and was imprisoned for six months. While he was in prison, John Pye-Smith took over as editor, and kept the paper running. He championed Anti-Slavery and social reform throughout his lifetime.

Among his major, longer poems, 'The Wanderer of Switzerland', 'The West Indies' & the visionary 'Pelican Island' went into several editions towards the end of the nineteenth century and many of his shorter poems were regarded as the some of the best that were written at that time.

Montgomery was a good and charitable man, the opponent of every form of injustice and oppression, and the friend of every movement for the welfare of the race.

Statue of James Montgomery