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Sheffields Rivers


Guest carlie167

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For the last twenty years I have been collecting mill/grinding stones from Cat Lane Woods. Someone else in the area has been doing the same but they have now moved house and taken the stones with them .I know of a couple more stones that are still there but can only be seen in a dry summer. Anyone any idea why so many grind stones are in the Meersbrook?

If you walk along the Porter above Endcliffe Park, there are many old grindstones , some broken in the river bed, and many built into retaining walls on the banks. From time to time after heavy rain parts of the walls will collapse, and if the river is flowing fast and full, the stones are swept along the bed. perhaps this might be the case in the Meersbrook?

Another feature of the walls on the Porter are re-used and cut-up gravestones. These appear as regular smooth slabs, but occasionally you can see a piece of ornamentation. like the millstones, some have been washed into the bed and you can see bits of inscriptions.

Here are a couple of examples from a report 'Archaeology along the Porter and Mayfield Brooks' published in 2002 by the Friends of the Porter Valley

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River Sheaf at Charlott Rd bridge, the Sheaf runs parallel to Queens Rd.

Downstream view from bridge

Upstream view, the building on the left is a KFC takeaway,

Proctors Removals & Storage once stood here

View looking downstream at Charlott Rd bridge, see the 'old wooden gates' still set into the bridge,

as I remember there were quite a few of these built in to walls overlooking our rivers,

these were once used to tip snow into the river,

not sure if they had any other uses?

Queens Rd on right, Priestley St in the background

Queens Rd on left

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The strangest tributary of the Don must be Bagley Dike. This stream which rises somewhere west of Moonshine lane, and less than a kilometre from the Don at Owlerton doesn't actually join the Don until it arrives at Brightside.

It is essentially invisible these days except for a stretch through the woods that run from Longley bridge down to the old entrance to the Northern General Hospital in Fir Vale. Here it is joined by other streams from Crabtree, Firth Park and Hinde Common wood; it then continues alongside Owler lane crossing and re-crossing Upwell street near the old chapel. Close to Chambers lane it once fed the dam and water wheel of, I think, a scissor grinder and then crosses Upwell street again just above the railway bridge.

Here where was the entrance to the old gas works stood Bagley farm, from which presumably the dike derives its name, but instead of diving straight into the Don near Abyssinia bridge, the dike heads east following the north side of Brightside lane as if it is reluctant to lose its identity. It finally falls into the Don a little way past the bridge to Weedon street almost opposite to the outfall of the Carbrook, another long and long-lost tributary of the Don.

Hi Gramps, and a belated welcome to the forum!

Is this the same stream that appears briefly in Longley park, below the parkies houses, where there's a memorial to a doctor involved in the cholera epidemic?

Bayleaf

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It would be nice to see a modern pic of Cutlers Walk if you're ever in the area.

Hi Gramps,

we have a photo of Cutlers Walk in the Sheffield History members Gallery,

check out at the top of the page 'Gallery'

then

'Gennels,Alleys and Places of Interest In Sheffield' by member POPPYCHRISTINA,

see page three, the photo is titled 'Gennell-Gleadless Rd ...'

And on behalf of Sheffiled History,

"Thanks for you're contributions."

Steve

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According to David Crossley in his Water Power on the Sheffield Rivers there was a dam and wheel on the Meersbrook but little is known about it.

There is a plan but it is no more informative then the text.

Gramps,

I am really interested in this subject, living next door to the Meersbrook. Any information would be helpfull.I can see where the dam possibly was . Also , in the woods there are some stones which look as though they were some sort of building/?. I have also collected lots of grinding wheels from the brook.The wheel was possibly at the bottom of Cat Lane.

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Guest plain talker

Regarding the Porter Brook, on one of the 1950s OS maps, which are "stickied" at the top of the section below this one, you can trace much of the Porter's route where it is partially culverted along the lower section of Ecclesall road from Stalker walk onwards, behind where Waitrose store is now. (That's map 271, incidentally)

I saw a great picture on PictureSheffield from "way-back when", of the shoemakers/ cobblers (?) next to the bridge where the Porter makes a brief non-culverted re-appearance, at the very bottom of Cemetery Road.

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Don't know if this is any help or interest, but it's part of a strange map I picked up a few years ago, which has no scale, no key, no source information or copyright details. It is simply a contour map of Sheffield showing roads in solid or broken red lines, contours, and the course of all the Sheffield rivers, including dams.

This is a copy of the section showing the Meers Brook.

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I saw a great picture on PictureSheffield from "way-back when", of the shoemakers/ cobblers (?) next to the bridge where the Porter makes a brief non-culverted re-appearance, at the very bottom of Cemetery Road.

Link to 'Old Horse Dyke' culvert, River Porter, junction of Cemetery Road and Ecclesall Road, 1910

picturesheffield.

Thank you plain talker

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Guest plain talker

Link to 'Old Horse Dyke' culvert, River Porter, junction of Cemetery Road and Ecclesall Road, 1910

picturesheffield.

Thank you plain talker

there's also this one,

www.picturesheffield.com

where you can see, just peeking, the end of the former bank that is now the Bahn Thai restaurant on the very far right side of the photograph.

The site of the bootmaker's shop in question is pretty much where the S&E Co-op arcade was (the Waitrose store that is there today in 2008, doesn't correspond exactly with the site of the Co-op "Arcade")

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That map is of great interest to me, in fact I've been looking for a map like that for years ! Is there a chance you could post it all, preferably in overlapping sections so I could join it back up ?

I'll see what I can do Gramps

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Do you mean where Cat lane crosses the brook on the edge of Lees Hall wood ?

If you let me have your email address via PM I can post you the plan of Blyth Wheel from Crossley's book, (better not post it here....copyright etc. etc.) although there are no markers on the plan that would help locate the dam except for the shape of the brook.

BTW - do you know the name of the little stream that joins the Meersbrook in Lees Hall wood ?

Just as Carr Wood joins Lees Hall Wood there is a cottage called Rose Cottage ,from the 1800,s.In front of it is a large bend in the brook which may have been a mill pond. Just after that there seems to have been either allotments or houses next to the brook. There is also a high piece of wall which may have been a race.This is the stretch where I have found the grindstones.

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OK - I've sent you what I have.

I heard a rumour that David Crossley was working on a revised edition of his Water Power book. It's possible he was looking in the wrong place for Blyth Wheel and he might be interested in what you have found. He should be contactable via the Sheffield Trades Historical Society.

The new edition came out a few months ago, but I think it's an ongoing work, so I'm sure he'd be interested.

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In 2006 apparently, cost is £15 but the only way to buy a copy is to pay a personal visit to Wortley Top Forge museum.....they don't do post he he - think I'll have a look at the copy in Local Studies before I commit but it is essential reading for Sheffield History; and good to know it's an ongoing project.

Although South Yorkshire Industrial History Society are the publishers of the book I could find no mention of it on their website.

Have you tried the Made in Sheffield Shop on Ecclesall Road? They usually have a selection of books on Sheffield, and I would have thought this was right up their street.

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*Gramps unrolls prayer-mat* :)

How to return the favour ? - I have Fairbank's 1795 map I could section and post piecemeal ?

Thanks for the offer Gramps, but I already have a copy. No need to return the favour, we all help each other on here, but if you come across anything on the Porter or Mayfield brooks or valleys.....!

Here goes, no deposit and 6 easy instalments!

Good luck and enjoy!

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On the 1905 maps a great deal of the Porter was in open culvert, here for instance between Pomona street and Napier street -

The two weirs on that image supplied the two 'Broomhall' dams that lay between Ecclesall road and London road

That section still is open culvert, but looks like some of it has been re routed to straighten it up a bit. The section to the east of Pear St runs behind Porterbrook House and occasionally floods one of the car parks. It continues on under Sommerfield St then behind the old Wards Brewery before dissapearing under the Peougot Garage.
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Thanks Steve, looks pretty seamless to me!

Bayleaf,

It's good to see a map with contour lines on for a change,

just one Big problem ..

Plenty of water

But "Not a Pub in sight" he hehe he he he

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Bayleaf,

It's good to see a map with contour lines on for a change,

just one Big problem ..

Plenty of water

But "Not a Pub in sight" he hehe hehe he

Ssssh, Richard might be listening!

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The River Sheaf flows under London Road at Heeley Bridge near to the bottom of Geadless Rd,

whare the Bridge Inn public house stands on the corner.

This photo is taken from Heeley Bridge looking downstream,

the Bridge Inn PH is just to the right.

And a couple of shots taken looking upstream from Heeley Bridge,

Broadfield Road (out of view) is over to the right hand side.

Going down stream the Sheaf is now out of pedestrian view untill we come to

Sheaf Bank and Cutlers Walk, just below whare The Sheaf View PH stands.

View from Cutlers Walk looking upstream towards London Road

And a view looking downstream at Skeltons Bridge ..

One looking up river from Sketons Bridge

The last view we get of the river on this section is from Skeltons Bridge looking down stream,

Sheaf Bank works on the right hand side

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Don't know if this is any help or interest, but it's part of a strange map I picked up a few years ago, which has no scale, no key, no source information or copyright details. It is simply a contour map of Sheffield showing roads in solid or broken red lines, contours, and the course of all the Sheffield rivers, including dams.

This is a copy of the section showing the Meers Brook.

I would assume that this map was printed before about 1966 as it shows within the contours what appears to be, Arbourthorne Pond and the 2 smallers ponds which then lead into the stream Flowing through the Jervis Lum. I have previously discussed these ponds in some detail on the Jervis Lum thread.

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The River Sheaf at Duchess Road in 1836,

a painting by Reuben Turner.

(thanks to RichardB)

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Slighty off course here but just upstream of Ladys Bridge you have this, interested!

A disused cellar. With albeit funny access. A tunnel runs back about 15 feet into what looks like a Wine / Beer Cellar of a pub. It's full of rubble, assumingly from the building above which it once served.

I suppose they maybe took deliveries via the river straight into the cellar, but who knows?

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I would be very interested to know what river it is that merges with the Don near ladysbridge, under the millsands development and see here: http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/i...ost&id=2809

Hi DBS,

did you ever investigate the Lady's Bridge outlet?

I use to work on Lady's Bridge and can remember some years ago

that after we had any heavy and prolonged rain there would be a smell

of sewage coming from that area,

I have recently read about an old sewer (mid 1800's)

that use to empty into the Don in the area of the bridge.

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