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Forge Dam - 70 Years Ago Today


dunsbyowl1867

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26th September 1938

The Graves Trust presented Forge Dam, Fulwood to the City. How's it today ? Shopping trolleys etc???

Hi Dunsbyowl,

far from it,

the only problems I can see is that Forge Dam 'along with some of the other remaining mill dams' in the Porter valley

are becoming badly silted up.

Forge Dam.

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Hi Dunsbyowl,

far from it,

the only problems I can see is that Forge Dam 'along with some of the other remaining mill dams' in the Porter valley

are becoming badly silted up.

Thanks Steve looks a lovely spot - shame about the silt - is it still owned by Sheffield City Council?

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Dunsbyowl,

Not sure if Forge Dam is still Council owned,

Bayleaf would be the person to ask about that.

The old cafe that stands at the bottom of the approach to the dam,

is still going strong and that is privately owned.

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Silted up by design I gather - to encourage certain wildlife to take up residence.

I remember fishing there - and catching nothing!! and several trips out on the rowing boats.

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it's still owned by the council, but as Steve says, it's badly silted up, to the extent that there's now an island in the middle, frequented by herons as well as the usual wildfowl.

Quite a few years ago they did some dredging, and built a silt trap just upstream from the dam, but it wasn't cleared out regularly and so filled up and silt washed into the dam. It's been emptied again a couple of years ago, but as far as I'm aware there are no plans to dredge the dam.

The island and 'mud flats have been there so long they're now an established wildlife habitat! The original silting was due to neglect and shortage of cash, but as Mike says it's now accepted that it should stay as a wildlife area.

Someone told me the other day that if you peer through the crack of the door of the old shed next to the dam, the rowing boats are still there!

I did have a couple of photos of them dredging the dam last time but I can't find them! They're bound to turn up if I stop searching! below are some photos of the silt trap being emptied if anyone's interested.

Forge Dam is still a lovely spot but gets very busy on a nice day. For a bit of peace and quiet you can't beat the next dam downstream at Wire Mill

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As a newcomer, I would like to find any information about the rowing boats on forge dam. My family old wives tales says that the boats were built by william Hedley or even his father from Goole.

Robert <_<

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As a newcomer, I would like to find any information about the rowing boats on forge dam. My family old wives tales says that the boats were built by william Hedley or even his father from Goole.

Robert <_<

Welcome to the site, hopefully we can come up with something ... hopefully ...

Obvious questions/comments

Forge Dam map/pictures/details.

What year/decade/Century are we talking here please ?

Do you have any further information e.g. Census records for William because if he is from Goole we might struggle.

Good Luck.

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As a newcomer, I would like to find any information about the rowing boats on forge dam. My family old wives tales says that the boats were built by william Hedley or even his father from Goole.

Robert <_<

It says here that JG Graves donated Forge Dam to the City on September 26 1938

Here's a nice view of the boats

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Hey Richard - I've got a great idea - let's start a thread on Pubs! ;-)

Hi

As a group of youths we spent many happy hours in the 70s on the rowing boats at forge dam, the bloke that ran them was called George, we often spent the morning fishing, lunch in the cafe and the afternoon causing havoc on the boats, ending up capsized more often than not, then a long wet walk home. Eee we were bad lads.

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Guest Deroyentz

Hi

As a group of youngsters we spent many happy hours in the 70s on the rowing boats at forge dam, the bloke that ran them was called George, we often spent the morning fishing, lunch in the cafe and the afternoon causing havoc on the boats, ending up capsized more often than not, then a long wet walk home. Eee we were bad lads.

.....this & a similar thread has brought my own childhood memories of time spent at Forge Dam flooding back! I left Sheffield in 1979 (though I've been back a number of times since) but was born & raised in Ecclesall & have great memories of walking from Bents Green down Trapp Lane & through the woods (name escapes me)/across the fields & down to Forge Dam. This was almost a daily occurance for me & my school mates during the summer months.

Remember the rowing boats & the cafe vividly - the latter used to sell excellent Ice Cream & had walls adourned with paintings by a local artist - George Cunningham - who also used to frequent the place; ironically my parents bought several of these pictures over the years and they still have pride of place on the walls of their now home in a tiny village in West Cornwall!

I can remember in the mid 70s that whilst silt wasnt such an issue on the surface - it certainly was beneath it! If you were unlucky enough to capsize/fall in you could easily get stuck in it - there must still be at least 3 pairs of wellies I had to abandon there over the years still in situ (it was them or me - one or t'other had to give!).

The playground was also excellent - I can remember the slide seemed MASSIVE when they installed it and built the adjacent concrete steps 'hugging' the bank! I seem to recall there was a 'witches hat' there, too, before such rides were banned!

Ironically, I still ensure I get my Yorkshire/Sheffield fix every couple of years or so (to ensure my kids see and experience much of what I did as a child) - but I'd avoided Forge Dam & the woods as I'd been told the former was a shadow of its former self and the latter were now unsafe. It's been great to read these threads & see some quite recent photographs - I'll certainly add Forge Dam to the itinerary of my next visit :-)

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.....this & a similar thread has brought my own childhood memories of time spent at Forge Dam flooding back! I left Sheffield in 1979 (though I've been back a number of times since) but was born & raised in Ecclesall & have great memories of walking from Bents Green down Trapp Lane & through the woods (name escapes me)/across the fields & down to Forge Dam. This was almost a daily occurance for me & my school mates during the summer months.

Remember the rowing boats & the cafe vividly - the latter used to sell excellent Ice Cream & had walls adourned with paintings by a local artist - George Cunningham - who also used to frequent the place; ironically my parents bought several of these pictures over the years and they still have pride of place on the walls of their now home in a tiny village in West Cornwall!

I can remember in the mid 70s that whilst silt wasnt such an issue on the surface - it certainly was beneath it! If you were unlucky enough to capsize/fall in you could easily get stuck in it - there must still be at least 3 pairs of wellies I had to abandon there over the years still in situ (it was them or me - one or t'other had to give!).

The playground was also excellent - I can remember the slide seemed MASSIVE when they installed it and built the adjacent concrete steps 'hugging' the bank! I seem to recall there was a 'witches hat' there, too, before such rides were banned!

Ironically, I still ensure I get my Yorkshire/Sheffield fix every couple of years or so (to ensure my kids see and experience much of what I did as a child) - but I'd avoided Forge Dam & the woods as I'd been told the former was a shadow of its former self and the latter were now unsafe. It's been great to read these threads & see some quite recent photographs - I'll certainly add Forge Dam to the itinerary of my next visit :-)

What an interesting read. My aunty lived in Trapp Lane ( a wonderful stream flowed through her beautiful rose bedecked garden). A friend and I used to take our dogs (collie and springer) through Endcliffe Park, on across the road at the end, (Rustlings Road?) through into Whiteley Woods and continue on to Forge Dam. Was there a route called Common Lane? we sometimes detoured. This was in the early 60´s. I cannot remember a cafe or boats, just that our dogs had a jolly good swim and then we walked all the way home again with time for them to dry off. Also remember skating there in winter (what a trek :o ,) bit tricky because of hidden twigs and branches that had frozen in the ice. The very thought of it all makes me feel exhausted these days. :)

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Guest Deroyentz

What an interesting read. My aunty lived in Trapp Lane ( a wonderful stream flowed through her beautiful rose bedecked garden). A friend and I used to take our dogs (collie and springer) through Endcliffe Park, on across the road at the end, (Rustlings Road?) through into Whiteley Woods and continue on to Forge Dam. Was there a route called Common Lane? we sometimes detoured. This was in the early 60´s. I cannot remember a cafe or boats, just that our dogs had a jolly good swim and then we walked all the way home again with time for them to dry off. Also remember skating there in winter (what a trek :o ,) bit tricky because of hidden twigs and branches that had frozen in the ice. The very thought of it all makes me feel exhausted these days. :)

Hi Suzy, it was really interesting seeing Trapp Lane again (or the top of it at least) for the first time in about 25 years when I took a trip down memory lane & took my children to Bents Green where I had lived as a child. We lived at the end of Muskoka Avenue - just around the corner from Trapp Lane, really! It's funny how memory plays tricks on you though, as I remember Trapp Lane seeming much wider than it looked in April this year! Whitely Woods was the name I was trying to remember yesterday - and there certainly was (is) a Common Lane that formed part of the walk (isn't it great how other people's posts can prompt memories of one's own :) ). I, too, have fond memories of Endcliffe Park, and also Whirlowdale Park (and the walk through Lin(?) Valley, Millhouses Park, Ecclesall Woods, etc. These days living in West Cornwall it tends to be the beaches we take our springer to but what these memories do serve to remind me of is just how many interesting, open and great areas of either/both historic interest & suitable for relaxation & recreation Sheffield had & hopefully still has. Too many people tend to think of Sheffield being just an extremely large City and as having 'just' its industrial past & heritage when it had so many beautiful woods and parks within its borders too.

Anyway, I'm in danger of veering significantly off topic & I could continue to reminisce for pages more I'm sure! Perhaps we should start a [number of] new thread(s)?!! Regards, Matt

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Hi Suzy, it was really interesting seeing Trapp Lane again (or the top of it at least) for the first time in about 25 years when I took a trip down memory lane & took my children to Bents Green where I had lived as a child. We lived at the end of Muskoka Avenue - just around the corner from Trapp Lane, really! It's funny how memory plays tricks on you though, as I remember Trapp Lane seeming much wider than it looked in April this year! Whitely Woods was the name I was trying to remember yesterday - and there certainly was (is) a Common Lane that formed part of the walk (isn't it great how other people's posts can prompt memories of one's own :) ). I, too, have fond memories of Endcliffe Park, and also Whirlowdale Park (and the walk through Lin(?) Valley, Millhouses Park, Ecclesall Woods, etc. These days living in West Cornwall it tends to be the beaches we take our springer to but what these memories do serve to remind me of is just how many interesting, open and great areas of either/both historic interest & suitable for relaxation & recreation Sheffield had & hopefully still has. Too many people tend to think of Sheffield being just an extremely large City and as having 'just' its industrial past & heritage when it had so many beautiful woods and parks within its borders too.

Anyway, I'm in danger of veering significantly off topic & I could continue to reminisce for pages more I'm sure! Perhaps we should start a [number of] new thread(s)?!! Regards, Matt

Hi Matt, totally agree with you about the many parks and open spaces in Sheffield, my father always used to say by the 1960's it was the cleanest industrial city in Europe (don´t know if that is actually accurate :) ) I have been looking on Google Earth at Trap Lane and where it joins up at the bottom with Whitely Wood Lane and Common Lane and it looks remarkable unchanged from what I can see. I used to ride along there from the stables on Silverdale Road and ford the stream at the bottom of Trap Lane, then go to see my Auntie. She was always glad of a bit of horse poo outside her house and rushed to scoop it up for her roses. lol I envy your Cornish coastal walks, we spent many wonderful holidays in that part of the world, usually West Pentire and loved walking the coast path for miles. It´s mostly mountains here!

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The only change to Trap Lane is a phone mast at the bottom. If you look at the barn from the Lane there's a box against the wall. The actual mast sticks out of the barn roof! The only other change is that the holloway continues to deepen thanks to erosion and the occasional off-roader. Trap lane must be a real glimpse into history. So many roads must have been like it at one time.

One or two recent photos

Trap Lane in midsummer.

Stream crossing Trap Lane

Trap Lane farm (you can just make out the box for the mast behind the fence and against the barn wall.)

Wire Mill dam

Common Lane was mentioned. It runs from the sharp bend just above the farm where Ivy Cottage Lane joins Whiteley Wood Rd to Ringinglow Rd.

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The only change to Trap Lane is a phone mast at the bottom. If you look at the barn from the Lane there's a box against the wall. The actual mast sticks out of the barn roof! The only other change is that the holloway continues to deepen thanks to erosion and the occasional off-roader. Trap lane must be a real glimpse into history. So many roads must have been like it at one time.

One or two recent photos

Trap Lane in midsummer.

Stream crossing Trap Lane

Trap Lane farm (you can just make out the box for the mast behind the fence and against the barn wall.)

Wire Mill dam

Common Lane was mentioned. It runs from the sharp bend just above the farm where Ivy Cottage Lane joins Whiteley Wood Rd to Ringinglow Rd.

Thanks very much for posting those photos Bayleaf. I couldn´t see the stream from above on Google Earth due to the trees. It still looks the same as when I rode there 40 odd years ago, so good to see some things don´t get mucked about (apart from the mast :o ) Still must not be a Luddite :)

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Took my Saturday morning constitutional and took the camera along. I hadn't been that way for a while, so here are a few photos of Trap Lane and Forge dam from this morning. (Co-incidentally we met a lady on her horse in the lane. Not back for the weekend were you Suzy?)

Starting from the top..

Fulwood from the top of the lane

Here's the phone mast through the barn roof!

And here's a panorama of the state of Forge dam, taken from the corner by the outlet (Good for heron watching though!)

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Took my Saturday morning constitutional and took the camera along. I hadn't been that way for a while, so here are a few photos of Trap Lane and Forge dam from this morning. (Co-incidentally we met a lady on her horse in the lane. Not back for the weekend were you Suzy?)

Starting from the top..

Fulwood from the top of the lane

Here's the phone mast through the barn roof!

And here's a panorama of the state of Forge dam, taken from the corner by the outlet (Good for heron watching though!)

Oh, thanks very much for those photos Bayleaf, no it wasn´t me on horseback (wish it had been). I enjoyed seeing them, how green and refreshing it all looks. Whilst I love my life over here I do miss England´s green and pleasant land. The scenery is spectacular here most of the year, especially Spring but right now after no rain for 3 months everything is very dusty and parched, except for the olive trees :) Still we do have the bonus of absolutely no light polllution and can sit out all hours of the night stargazing, without need of a pullover ;-)

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Oh, thanks very much for those photos Bayleaf, no it wasn´t me on horseback (wish it had been). I enjoyed seeing them, how green and refreshing it all looks. Whilst I love my life over here I do miss England´s green and pleasant land. The scenery is spectacular here most of the year, especially Spring but right now after no rain for 3 months everything is very dusty and parched, except for the olive trees :) Still we do have the bonus of absolutely no light polllution and can sit out all hours of the night stargazing, without need of a pullover ;-)

Lucky you! The Porter Valley is supposed to be the darkest place in Sheffield for stargazing, the local astronomical society has its HQ in the bottom of the valley, and the University had an observatory on a hilltop towards Lodge Moor. Unfortunately they built a housing estate on the site of Lodge Moor hospital and the light pollution meant they closed the observatory. At the other end of the valley they rebuilt Tapton School and floodlit the playing fields, which totally destroys any chance of seeing anything in that direction. The bane of my stargazing is my neighbours' security lights. As soon as I go in the garden to set up my telescope I'm floodlit from both sides!

I remember (just!) as a child being able to see the Milky Way from our back garden, but my kids had never seen it until we had a holiday in deepest Suffolk, and they were absolutely blown away by the sight. Enjoy your stargazing!

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