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Help! - I Need A Map


Guest Falls2

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Guest Falls2

Hello,

There used to be a coking battery (25 ovens in the first phase) on the Handsworth side of the Rother Valley, close to the Parkway: before it joins the M1. It was located alongside the old LNER main line from Darnall as it leaves the cut (at what used to be Oliver's Mount) and curves to the right heading for Woodhouse. I cant find a map that shows the plant although I can give its approx. Latitude/ Longitude (53.38 deg.N: 1.38 deg.W - Revised 13/4/2010). Our wonderful set of "Jewel (1950) OS maps would be an ideal source, unfortuately we don't have a sheet for that location. The latest Google shows it as a 'Green Field' site.

It was part of the Handsworth Nunnery Colliery operations but was somewhat remote from Handsworth Colliery site (over on Finchwell Road). I never knew its real name but most people used to call it "The Becker". It was built by Woodhall - Duckham in 1928 and the first in Britain to the patented design of the German/ American Joseph Becker. That's probably where the name came from. It must have gone out of operation when Handsworth Colliery closed, perhaps even earlier.

Very few people seem to know "The Becker" ever existed and often confuse it with United Coke and Chemical's huge by-product plant at Orgreave. The Orgreave operation was some distance away from 'The Becker' and on the other side of the railway tracks. They were owned but totally different companies.

Any offerings

Regards

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Sorry but I'm a little lost with the directions Falls,

are you able to throw a + hair link to the location useing Flash Earth

The LNER line Falls mentions is the existing railway from Darnall, travels west to east through Darnall/Handsworth, crosses the Parkway, then turns south east and leave the map centre bottom. clearly marked on Flash Earth.

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The LNER line Falls mentions is the existing railway from Darnall, travels west to east through Darnall/Handsworth, crosses the Parkway, then turns south east and leave the map centre bottom. clearly marked on Flash Earth.

Looking at Flash Earth, I would suspect we are talking the triangle of land boarded by the railway, Highgate Ln and Handsworth Rd. n other words the industrial estate where the Old Asda was.

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Looking at Flash Earth, I would suspect we are talking the triangle of land boarded by the railway, Highgate Ln and Handsworth Rd. n other words the industrial estate where the Old Asda was.

Dore House, Dore House farm?

Flash Earth

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Guest Falls2

Dore House, Dore House farm?

Flash Earth

Hi,

Sorry to mislead anybody but the Dore House Farm area is at the opposite end of Handsworth to where the coking plant was located.

If you are taking the Parkway to the M1, soon after it crosses the junction with Handsworth Road, you used to see a set of stone-built houses on the right hand side. They may still be there and were called Waveley Cottages. They are/were situated on Waveley Lane and the Parkway was built along side the lane. My recollection is that the Becker coking plant was situated somewhere at the far end of Waveley Lane (away from Handsworth Road).

In my childhood, the lane started at the end of Halesworth Road and first went in the direction of the Triangle Housing Estate (before the Parkway was built) before turning to run down the hill towards the railway (along side the Parkway).

Just one other point. The approx. latitude/longitude. I quoted in my original post didn't copy correctly. This has now been revised.

My estimate of the coking plants location should have read: 53.38 deg. North and 1.38 deg. West. Sorry about that.

I took the lat./long. information from Flash Earth, unfortuately my computer skills don't run to providing "air links"

Now I'm sure you see why I need a Map.

Best Regards

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Waverley Cottages

Waverley Ln, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S13 9AE, UK

Waverley Cottages are on Waverly Lane but Google shows it as Quarry Road

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Hello,

There used to be a coking battery (25 ovens in the first phase) on the Handsworth side of the Rother Valley, close to the Parkway: before it joins the M1. It was located alongside the old LNER main line from Darnall as it leaves the cut (at what used to be Oliver's Mount) and curves to the right heading for Woodhouse. I cant find a map that shows the plant although I can give its approx. Latitude/ Longitude (53.38 deg.N: 1.38 deg.W - Revised 13/4/2010). Our wonderful set of "Jewel (1950) OS maps would be an ideal source, unfortuately we don't have a sheet for that location. The latest Google shows it as a 'Green Field' site.

It was part of the Handsworth Nunnery Colliery operations but was somewhat remote from Handsworth Colliery site (over on Finchwell Road). I never knew its real name but most people used to call it "The Becker". It was built by Woodhall - Duckham in 1928 and the first in Britain to the patented design of the German/ American Joseph Becker. That's probably where the name came from. It must have gone out of operation when Handsworth Colliery closed, perhaps even earlier.

Very few people seem to know "The Becker" ever existed and often confuse it with United Coke and Chemical's huge by-product plant at Orgreave. The Orgreave operation was some distance away from 'The Becker' and on the other side of the railway tracks. They were owned but totally different companies.

Any offerings

Regards

A little late to add to the conversation maybe (4.1/2 years), but these links should show the location you are looking for and photos of the plant itself:

http://maps.nls.uk/view/100950113 (about bang on your original co-ords!)

http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw038996 (this and the associated group show the coking plant, the adjacent colliery and surrounding area)

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=53.38465&lon=-1.38277&layers=171 (use the slider on the left sidebar to reveal the modern landscape over the old map)

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I have been looking at the attached maps closely, and it is amazing as to just how much this landscape has changed in the last 40 years or so.

I must admit that I am struggling a little bit to completely orientate myself between the old and the new, but I think that the area that you have circled, was once upon a time, the approximate location of Wilf Jays' scrapyard, as I remember going there for all sorts of bits and pieces for various Ford Zephyr's, Anglia's, Cortina's and the like, that is, before Jays relocated into Treeton proper. Certainly the scrapyard used to sit within the triangle formed between the two minor roads.

I also seem to recall, although it is not clearly shown on any map, that there was a partially, unmetalled, unmade road, (we called it the Catcliffe backroad) that allowed you to travel directly between Handsworth and Catcliffe.

The road used to come out on Quarry Road at Handsworth, by the stone built terraced cottages. Looking at the maps more closely, I think that the unmetalled section of that road might well have followed the alignment of the tramways that are clearly shown.

Does anyone else remember using this shortcut?

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