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Lovetot Road


Guest leksand

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Guest leksand

This question arose from consideration of another recently bumped topic, in which the former terrace on Lovetot Road, behind the Woodbourne Hotel, came up. Why is it that there are two substantially detatched, but aligned, parts of Lovetot Road? I don't think there is any indication that the road can have existed prior to the canal, in which case the two parts can never have been connected. However, was there ever an intention to connect them? It seems from mapping of the 1890's that there was an extension of the road to the canal edge on the northern side in that era and perhaps some provisional work on the gap on the south side too. Were there ever plans for a bridge? The Bacon Lane bridge is very narrow, but were there perhaps plans for a significant new route in this area?

Interestingly current aerial photography appears to show two long buildings aligned with or on part of the "missing road". The southern one (right of photo) is part of Special Steels Limited. I have no real idea what this sort of premises would be used for - would this be the kind of place used for wire drawing?

(1890s map with possible intended route outlined)

lovetotroad(n)1890.jpg.192e88384a22480d920df60e6a83bde7.jpg

(Modern aerial photography with extant parts of Lovetot Road blocked in green)

lovetotroad-modern.jpg.933c671c730d81e4168f2e485ced6fba.jpg

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I am rather out of touch these days but Special Steels Ltd were involved in the heat treatment of customers steels on a hire work basis I do know that "Dougie Beardshaw's"  company has expanded their activities in recent times...but hadn't heard of their moving into wire drawing.

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Diverging from the topic somewhat. The red blob on the map marks the approximate location of the workplace of Darwin and Bean. At one time Mr Bean's lad worked here before moving on to become an actor.

Yes, it was Sean Bean.

lovetot.jpg

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Guest leksand
3 hours ago, SteveHB said:

Looking at this map, it appears that some sort of crossing was suggested or planned, (marked out by the dotted lines),  either to go over or under the canal?

Based on a 1850 OS map, revisions to 1863 - https://www.picturesheffield.com/maps.php?file=031

picsheff2.jpg

picsheff.jpg

What a fantastic map - looks like they had a lot of fun colouring it in.

So the plans were ante diluvium and must have been washed away somewhat.

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2 hours ago, leksand said:

What a fantastic map - looks like they had a lot of fun colouring it in.

So the plans were ante diluvium and must have been washed away somewhat.

Maybe Sean Bean had something to do with it 😁 

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I agree what a fantastic set of maps I believe the canal near Bacon Lane bridge received a direct hit on the night of (I think) the first Blitz.

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The Nunnery (1868 commencement), Manor and Manor Wood pits were owned by the Duke of Norfolk, as was the “occupation” or private road called Lovetot road, or Bacon lane. The Duke’s office possibly had a plan to run a spur off the existing coal tramway, along Lovetot road and over the canal to serve the Baltic, Fitzalan and Effingham steel works, and the Attercliffe Steam Corn Mill (though that burned down in 1863).

The stillborn plan was probably nailed in its coffin when in 1878 the Midland Railway gained permission for changes to improve their network – this included:

“stop up so much of a public foot-path and occupation road called Bacon-lane or Lovetot-road, in the township of Attercliffe-cum-Darnall, in the parish of Sheffield, in the West Riding of the county of York, leading from Blast-lane to Cricket Inn-road as lies between a point distant 4 ½ chains [about 100 yards, Woodbourne Farm] or thereabouts measured in a northerly direction along the said footpath or road intended to be stopped up from the centre of the bridge carrying the railway of the Company over that footpath or road, and a point distant 5 ½ chains [110 yards] or thereabouts in a southerly direction from the centre of the said bridge, and in lieu thereof to make a new road commencing by a junction with the said lane called Bacon-lane at the said first mentioned point, and terminating by a junction with a certain road or highway called Woodburn-road, at a point on that road distant 2 ½ chains [55 yards] or thereabouts measured along that road in a northerly direction from the centre of the bridge carrying that road over the railway of the Company.”

With this huge expansion of the network of siding lines there, it would be uneconomic to run a coal tramway across them all, then over the canal, even with the Nunnery colliery volume to move.

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