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Barkers Pool


mickjj

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Barkers Pool

Site history From the expansion of the town outside the castle walls to the present day, Barker Pool has been a place of significance in Sheffield. The area was known as Balm Green until 1434 when the pool was formed. Its importance to the city before this lay in the adjacent orchards and its topographical position above Sheffield. Until the major expansion of the city in the 19th century it remained the highest point in Sheffield. The first documented evidence of the pool as a walled structure was in 1567 and from then until 1786 it was kept in working order by the town. The pool was formed to collect the run off water of a number of natural springs. In 1572 a shuttle was made which enabled the water flow down Fargate and the High street to the ponds at the foot of the valley. This was to wash away rubbish once a month and to aid early fire fighters. By 1753 the pool had become a fetid, stagnant sess pit and was removed due to improvement in the water supplies in the area largely supplied by the Crookesmoor Valley dams. A hand pump remained on site in Barker Pool until 1876 when it was removed and with it the last traces of the water supply in the area.

By the early 19th century, Sheffield is at the centre of the industrial revolution and manufacturing processes are rapidly advancing. The town as a whole has changed from being a green and pleasant haven to a smog-laden hell. Balm Green and Barker Pool saw the earliest effects of industrialisation away from the rivers, as a result the area saw the development of a unique building typology. The last working example of this is the Cambridge Works on Cambridge Street By the middle of the 19th century the role of Barker Pool was changing again as industry moved to bigger premises along the on alley. By 1850 The town has over doubled in size and is on its way to becoming a regional centre. in 1873 the Albert Hall opened on the site now occupied by Cole Brothers. This heralded the change of the area from industrial to cultural. The hail was used as a music hall, theatre and latterly a cinema . By 1926 the area saw its industrial heritage largely destroyed for the pursuit of leisure. For very different reasons Barker Poll remained a significant centre in Sheffield. Further industry in the area suffered heavily during the blitz of world war II. In 1937 the Albert Hall had burnt down. With these developing gaps shops, always an important feature of Barker Pool began to creep back. Another different building type began to establish itself the office block. The Grand Hotel was finally demolished in the 1970's to make way for Fountain Precinct and Pool House and yet this typology had been developed, rather more attractively on the site one hundred years previously for the Sheffield Water Board. This is now a bar but until very recently has functioned predominantly as offices.

Today the area suffers despite its cultural importance from an apparent tack of definition. Perhaps the only hint at the historical significance of the area is the memorial to world war. I, however one must remember that this memorial to the dead stands on the site of a Victorian urinal.

Summary:

Barker�s Pool, originally known as Balm Green until 1434, has always been an important part of Sheffield. Originally a collecting point for a number of natural springs it later became a major area for industry and retail. By the middle of the 19th century it�s role changed as industry moved to larger premises and was replaced by more culturally orientated buildings. Music Halls such as the Albert Hall arose, and previously industrial buildings took on new roles as the Grand Hotel , Gaumont picture House and City Hall. It wasn�t until the blitz of the second world war that new retail shops started to creep back in to fill the gaps along with a new breed of building to the area: offices and bars.

Balm Green 1900 (Site of the City Hall)

Balm Green 1865 (Looking up Division street across Carver Street)

Barkers Pool 1920

Barkers Pool 1890

Modern day shot of above

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FUTURE

The whole site is set for MASSIVE investment and change over the next few years as Sheffield's 'New Retail Quarter' enters completion (due 2012). So - now is the time to take pictures for remembering the area in it's current state.

Although a vast amount of Barkers Pool has been recently refurbished along with the City Hall, the wider area is vastly changing. Making way are the likes of Kingdom nightclub (the red girder building due for demolition) and the wider area will feature large glass-atrium style roofing over streets.

More at the website: http://www.sheffieldnrq.co.uk/index.asp

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Cambridge Street is to be virtually torn down including the John Lewis shop there

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Barkers Pool

The pool was formed to collect the run off water of a number of natural springs. In 1572 a shuttle was made which enabled the water flow down Fargate and the High street to the ponds at the foot of the valley. This was to wash away rubbish once a month and to aid early fire fighters. By 1753 the pool had become a fetid, stagnant sess pit and was removed due to improvement in the water supplies in the area largely supplied by the Crookesmoor Valley dams. A hand pump remained on site in Barker Pool until 1876 when it was removed and with it the last traces of the water supply in the area.

Came across this engraving on Picture Sheffield which gives an impression of the 'flushing'

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Barkers Pool.jpg

View up Barkers Pool from the top of Fargate.

As you can see this was pre Sheffield City Hall 

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Laying of a tribute by Sheffield Corporation Tramways and Motors at the War Memorial in Barkers Pool.

war_memorial_laying_of_sct_and_m_tribute.jpg

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The buildings on the left fascinate me


There's the theatre/cinema? The hotel and then the buildings on the extreme left of shot

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Screenshot 2020-05-07 at 11.36.53.jpg

For those who want to see Barkers Pool before Cole Brothers, and the City Hall here you go..

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15 hours ago, History dude said:

Some more air photos all 1926.

 

Barker's Pool and Fargate, Sheffield, 1926.jpg

Screenshot 2020-05-10 at 14.24.27.jpg

Here's the current view of the top photo

In the top photo in the top left of it, there's a building that has some kind of circular inner yard? Does anyone know what building that was?

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16 minutes ago, Sheffield History said:


In the top photo in the top left of it, there's a building that has some kind of circular inner yard? Does anyone know what building that was?

Looks like Grand Hotel?

os map 2.jpg

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The challenge now is to find some info/photographs of that inner circular area

 

lol

 

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97791252_3589352711091272_8483867612961308672_o.jpg

Hard to recognise Barker's Pool in this 1905 picture. The Albert Hall can be seen to the left of the Victoria Monument. That was demolished many years later and the Cole Brothers store built. The city hall wasn't built until 1932.

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91588409_2575363639346204_6451118892377964544_n.jpg

Here's the unveiling ceremony of the war memorial in Barkers Pool Sheffield, showing some really old buildings in the background

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The metal erection in the centre of the photo ( no pun intended ) is the men’s urinal, while I research my work looking through my 19th century directories, the area is named Barker Pool and not Barkers Pool.

6A67B66B-78D0-4596-8FF4-3D00FEE885E8.png

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Screenshot 2020-05-16 at 13.54.46.jpg

View of The Grand Hotel from Barkers Pool in 1944.

Also shows Cockaynes shop there too?

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Temporary premises for Cockaynes, perhaps? Their store on Angel Street was destroyed in the blitz.

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3 hours ago, Edmund said:

The parcel can just be made out to the right of the steps...

316970684_Urinal1892.png.e15d6100a739acd72d404c5270d36ce0.png

BARKER POOL as I mentioned in my post.

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On 09/04/2020 at 22:59, Sheffield History said:

Barkers Pool.jpg

View up Barkers Pool from the top of Fargate.

As you can see this was pre Sheffield City Hall 

What happened to this obelisk? It appears the Queen Victoria statue replaced the obelisk, but where did it go?

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