Klondyke in Sheffield

[Guest akademik]

Along Middlewood Road, close to the P+R terminus of Supertram, there is a terrace of six houses, numbers 511-521, with on the elevation (at number 517) "KLONDYKE VILLAS 1902". Note the spelling, with–Y-; the Klondike in Canada, of the famous goldrush (1896 and after), is spelled with –i-. Still, the Villas on Middlewood Road presumably do owe their name to Klondike.

There was around there a 'Klondyke Brickworks' as well. The earliest proprietors would seem to have been 'Klondyke Brick Co.'; who deposited plans to build an office May 20, 1898. I do not know exactly how long the Klondyke company continued to own the Klondyke works; apparently at least until 1905.

In any case, by 1912 the Klondyke site was where W.J. Patchett had his brickworks (and Patchett built the terrace 523-531 Middlewood Road there); until 1915. Next, the proprietor was G. Beaumont. And finally, by 1919, the owners are the famous Daniel Doncaster & Sons; it was them who seem to have wound up the enterprise in 1936. It would appear as if the last three owners, Patchett – Beaumont – Doncaster, all continued to have one John William Wiggins manage the Klondyke brickworks for them; at least, during their successive reigns, Wiggins lived at 531 Middlewood Road, and was a brickworks manager. Wiggins was indeed already a manager (of brickworks?) in 1902. at 36 Bellhouse Road; but if that is an error for Bellhagg Road, perhaps that is nearby enough for Wiggins to even have already managed the Klondyke works by then?.

Curiously, there seems to have been a Klondike Brickworks along the Basingstoke Canal, near Slade's Bridge, as well; this time, with the 'proper' –i-. However that may be, otherwise, I know nothing about Klondyke Brickworks in Sheffield. Anyone? Has anyone ever seen an actual brick marked "Klondyke"?

[RichardB]

Pitiful contribution :

Daniel Doncaster (& Sons Ltd.), brick manufacturers, Klondyke Brick Works, Middleword Road, Hillsborough (Kelly's 1925)

and Fred Lamb Joiner, builder & contractor, Klondyke Joinery Works, Middlewood Road, Hillsborough; h. 46 Portsea Road (Kelly's 1925)

http://www.sheffieldrecordsonline.org.uk/

[SteveHB]

Circa 1905.

Link to Flash Earth

[lysander]

Could the popularity of the word "Klondike" be similar to that of "spion kop", of a similar vintage and used at football grounds?

[Guest MarkM]

Why is the assumption of a link there?

Is it just that dates that are making you connect the two?

[vox]

There was around there a 'Klondyke Brickworks' as well. The earliest proprietors would seem to have been 'Klondyke Brick Co.'; who deposited plans to build an office May 20, 1898.

Gold Rush to the Yukon started in 1896 so Klondike would have been a name very much in the news at the time.

Perhaps the founders of the brickworks named it, hoping to make their fortune from mining as well (albeit from brick clay rather than gold)

Maybe the area became known locally as The Klondike because it was perhapse a muddy wasteland which would have resembled photos of the way the Klondike looked.

- The Ponderosa, for instance, was originally just a name given by local kids because it was a big open area where they played, and Bonanza was "the big thing" on telly at the time. When it eventually became a Designated Open Space, they kept the name.

Just my thoughts, but who knows - yet -