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Tales from the River-Porter-bank


ScottRustsRussell

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Hello everyone, nice to meet you.  I'm new around here, and I hope you don't mind if I put an open call out on this forum?

I moved to Sheffield just over a year ago, and became fascinated with the history of it's Rivers - it was after a magical walk along the Rivelin one day, it just really caught my imagination.  Well, as I'm a musician, I inevitably thought "There must be a song in this" and here I am, several songs later and a 'concept album' and tour (of the rivers) in the pipeline!

Anyway, enough back story.  I'm hoping I might get some input from people on here about some specific areas which I'm researching, and perhaps any direct stories and links you may have to the following areas:

Old forge Dam - in particular the period when it was owned by a Herbert Maxfield, and run as a Tea Gardens and boating pond.

Wire Mill dam - anything related to the dam or the cottages by the side of it.

Leather Wheel - there's very little trace of it left, so does anyone know how and when it was demolished and filled in?

finally, Shepherd Wheel - are there any links to people who may have worked there?

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I've done a fair bit of research already - the 'Water Powered Sheffield' and the excellent River Sheaf blog, as well as lots of work with local newpapers. I suppose I'm trying to find more secret stories, people and incidents that might not have been recorded.

I'm planning a walking tour with music which will tell some stories and interpret the places about, some time in June.  Maybe see some of you there!

 

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As a teenager in the late 1950's Forge Dam was the evening location for those of us attending Nether Green secondary school. There were tub boats to hire to row around and also fishing there. A school pal got me into fishing so I drowned quite a few maggots there. Inside the hut where you paid your money there was a record of some 200 fish caught in one day. I was told that a couple of years before the pond had been drained and cleaned then restocked with fish, immediately after that this record was set. I never caught a fish there. The boats to hire were rather strange as the prow tapered down to a flat board about half the width of the stern. It was almost as if someone had cut off the pointed end and inserted this board. The Shepherd Wheel was derelict but you could climb in through a window. One of the lads had a trick of standing up on one of the grinding wheels and getting it to turn faster and faster until he was running on it. The stupid things you do when you are young. Wire mill dam was used by a group of men to sail electrically powered scale model boats.

I was really shocked to see how Forge Dam has become silted up to the extent of having an island in the middle with trees growing on it!

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I know that Shepherd Wheel actually is mentioned in a question in parliament. The Health and Safety officer wanted to close it down because there was no glass in the windows. A grinder argued that the ventilation due to no glass made it healthier as allowed dust to escape & fresh air to come in. He actually won his case and they kept grinding. If you look on Ebay sometimes you will see the postcards they made in the early 20th century of visitors standing leaning on a rail watching a grinder working so obviously quite a tourist attraction. 

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Hello everyone, nice to meet you.  I'm new around here, and I hope you don't mind if I put an open call out on this forum?

I moved to Sheffield just over a year ago, and became fascinated with the history of it's Rivers - it was after a magical walk along the Rivelin one day, it just really caught my imagination.  Well, as I'm a musician, I inevitably thought "There must be a song in this" and here I am, several songs later and a 'concept album' and tour (of the rivers) in the pipeline!

Anyway, enough back story.  I'm hoping I might get some input from people on here about some specific areas which I'm researching, and perhaps any direct stories and links you may have to the following areas:

Old forge Dam - in particular the period when it was owned by a Herbert Maxfield, and run as a Tea Gardens and boating pond.

Wire Mill dam - anything related to the dam or the cottages by the side of it.

Leather Wheel - there's very little trace of it left, so does anyone know how and when it was demolished and filled in?

finally, Shepherd Wheel - are there any links to people who may have worked there?

-----------

I've done a fair bit of research already - the 'Water Powered Sheffield' and the excellent River Sheaf blog, as well as lots of work with local newpapers. I suppose I'm trying to find more secret stories, people and incidents that might not have been recorded.

I'm planning a walking tour with music which will tell some stories and interpret the places about, some time in June.  Maybe see some of you there!

 

​Just a thought for you there is a book on sale at Kelham Island Museum called "Water Wheels of Sheffield" with articles that will tell you about all the water wheel driven industry on the local rivers. Who owned them and how they passed from one owner to another.

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As a teenager in the late 1950's Forge Dam was the evening location for those of us attending Nether Green secondary school. There were tub boats to hire to row around and also fishing there. A school pal got me into fishing so I drowned quite a few maggots there. Inside the hut where you paid your money there was a record of some 200 fish caught in one day. I was told that a couple of years before the pond had been drained and cleaned then restocked with fish, immediately after that this record was set. I never caught a fish there. The boats to hire were rather strange as the prow tapered down to a flat board about half the width of the stern. It was almost as if someone had cut off the pointed end and inserted this board. The Shepherd Wheel was derelict but you could climb in through a window. One of the lads had a trick of standing up on one of the grinding wheels and getting it to turn faster and faster until he was running on it. The stupid things you do when you are young. Wire mill dam was used by a group of men to sail electrically powered scale model boats.

I was really shocked to see how Forge Dam has become silted up to the extent of having an island in the middle with trees growing on it!

​Thanks for your post Old Rider.  I've heard a few people say they used to climb into Shepherd Wheel, but nothing quite like running atop grinding wheels!  Like you say, the things you used to do when young!  

It's funny how quickly nature springs up and takes over, especially when man has meddled with things a bit - I believe the Forge dam is so silted up because it's unusual in that it dams the river directly, so as soon as the water flows into the opening, it slows right down and drops off it's peaty baggage!

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I know that Shepherd Wheel actually is mentioned in a question in parliament. The Health and Safety officer wanted to close it down because there was no glass in the windows. A grinder argued that the ventilation due to no glass made it healthier as allowed dust to escape & fresh air to come in. He actually won his case and they kept grinding. If you look on Ebay sometimes you will see the postcards they made in the early 20th century of visitors standing leaning on a rail watching a grinder working so obviously quite a tourist attraction. 

​Hi Duckweed, thanks for your reply.  I believe in some ways, the 'open air, out in the country' approach to grinding was prefereable for some - I'm sure as soon as the industry all went to the city, all built up, surrounded by factories and smog, illness was more prevalent.  Although imagine trying to work in the winter, windows open, swarf flying up at you, bare-handedly trying to do really intricate work.  Cold, damp and dingie.

It's interesting you say about people watching the grinders at work, as I'd wondered if it might have enjoyed a bit of a period where it would be romanticised by the middle classes.

 

This picture by Godfrey Sykes certainly has a romanticised air to it!  

 

 I"ll look out for those postcards!

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​Just a thought for you there is a book on sale at Kelham Island Museum called "Water Wheels of Sheffield" with articles that will tell you about all the water wheel driven industry on the local rivers. Who owned them and how they passed from one owner to another.

​Thanks I'll look out for that - I've got a slowly growing local history and industrial history bookshelf!  

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If one of your walks takes you along the Porter, try a comparison with 1876 - better or worse?

 

​I'll have to try and find the original of that report Edmund.  "A repulsive and stagnant sewer" - it's been hard to find what it left of it in the area between hunters bar and the station - but it's got a secret magic about parts of it, when it peaks out at you!  I'm surprised to hear about flooding in the Neil road area - I'll think twice about looking for a picturesque house near a river now!

Thanks for sharing that resource!

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A quote from the book about the first 21 years of my cycling club.

The first Sheffield club was The Sheffield Bicycling Club formed in 1870. The Sheffield Bicycling Club had their headquarters at The Sheffield Bicycle grounds at Sharrow bottom, now built on and known as Sharrow Vale. The would be cyclist paid 6d and was entrusted with a machine without pedals and taken to the worn out grindstones that served as mounting blocks. Once in the saddle he was pushed around the ground by an attendant to learn how to steer and balance the machine. It is said that quite a few ended in a dowsing in the river Porter that flowed past their grounds. Once confidence was gained the would be cyclist was upgraded to a machine with pedals and when the rider could successfully  negotiate the wooden bridge leading to Ecclesall Road he was judged to be a cyclist.

The bikes in those days were the old big wheeled "Penny Farthings" and if the 1876 book mentioned above is correct the learners must have been a bit smelly after falling in the river!

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Have you discovered Picture Sheffield yet?

Some excellent photographic and map resources.

According to this from Picture Sheffield Leather Wheel, so named because the wheel caught water in leather buckets, was demolished in 1907.

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