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Windmills in Sheffield


Guest Gramps

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I know of three, one in the Bellhouse road/Windmill lane area, another on Western Bank and one in Attercliffe.

Were there any others and are there pictures of them ? I've seen several pictures of the Attercliffe Mill but the others seem to have gone unrecorded.

Of the Attercliffe mill G.R. Vine had this to say...

The old windmill property was unquestionably a rural feature of Hill Top a century and more ago; nestling around the mill with its great wind-driven sails it was the home of James Hill and family, along with the requisite farm and corn-mill buildings. The tall chimney bore the date 1832, showing that it was built when steam power was coming into vogue. Miller Hill's twelve acres of farm land extended along the riverside a little beyond the end of modern Amberley street, and correspondingly along the main road. Much of this had been enclosed from The Common by the commissioners in 1811 and sold to Mr. Hill for £306. George Hill, his son, lived in Don Bank House enjoying the beautiful view near at hand and extending far beyond the river. He was still in residence in 1854 or '5, but shortly afterwards Mr. V. G. Beardshaw came to reside here, pursuing the good old custom of living near his works. With profound sorrow I record the death on February- 28, 1936, of his son, William Frederick, who was born here in April, 1857. A fine account of his business activities, which often necessitated world-wide journeys, was published in the next day's Sheffield Telegraph.

About thirty years ago an old friend of mine whose ancestors had lived in Grimesthorpe and Brightside for generations told me that before the Abyssinia footbridge was built there was a pedestrian ferry service across the Don by Attercliffe Mill. It would certainly have been a long trek to Attercliffe village from Grimesthorpe via the Brightside or Washford bridge.

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I know of three, one in the Bellhouse road/Windmill lane area, another on Western Bank and one in Attercliffe.

Were there any others and are there pictures of them ? I've seen several pictures of the Attercliffe Mill but the others seem to have gone unrecorded.

Of the Attercliffe mill G.R. Vine had this to say...

About thirty years ago an old friend of mine whose ancestors had lived in Grimesthorpe and Brightside for generations told me that before the Abyssinia footbridge was built there was a pedestrian ferry service across the Don by Attercliffe Mill. It would certainly have been a long trek to Attercliffe village from Grimesthorpe via the Brightside or Washford bridge.

Hi Gramps - not heard that story before about the ferry. Have always been facinated about the bridge and it's name. My greatgrandparents lived in Hawke Street looking on old maps there appeared to be only a coupleof houses. There's was next to the River Don pub. I assume they would have known the wooden bridge. I have an old photo somewhere.

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Hi Gramps - not heard that story before about the ferry. Have always been facinated about the bridge and it's name. My greatgrandparents lived in Hawke Street looking on old maps there appeared to be only a coupleof houses. There's was next to the River Don pub. I assume they would have known the wooden bridge. I have an old photo somewhere.

Thanks, - I found the sketch on Picture Sheffield but I have my doubts about it, - on the 1905 map, which shows the iron bridge, there are no buildings at all shown anywhere near the riverbank at either end of the bridge.

There are neither buildings nor bridge on the 1850s map - so looks like I'll be pestering the staff in Local Studies again this weekend lol

Called in the River Don a few times in the 70s - that pub must have been a gold mine at one time but was always very quiet when I used it.

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Thanks, - I found the sketch on Picture Sheffield but I have my doubts about it, - on the 1905 map, which shows the iron bridge, there are no buildings at all shown anywhere near the riverbank at either end of the bridge.

There are neither buildings nor bridge on the 1850s map - so looks like I'll be pestering the staff in Local Studies again this weekend lol

Called in the River Don a few times in the 70s - that pub must have been a gold mine at one time but was always very quiet when I used it.

I never knew that - was taken in the Wellington by my Grandparents!

Hey look another pub called "The Urinal"

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Thanks, - I found the sketch on Picture Sheffield but I have my doubts about it, - on the 1905 map, which shows the iron bridge, there are no buildings at all shown anywhere near the riverbank at either end of the bridge.

Gramps - that could be any bridge anywhere! Here is the old postcard I had on file. I did read somewhere the bridge was named after the following expedition :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinia_Campaign_1868

and here a view under the new road bridge last weekend!

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.............and another one at Herding's.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=y00793

The one at Herdings is interesting. It dates back to the 1500's and was demolished not long after following some legal action. There is a reference to it in the book "Chantrey Land" by Harold Armitage written in 1908 and it was considered an ancient bygone then. The book also refers to some similar windmills in Coal Aston.

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Gramps - that could be any bridge anywhere! Here is the old postcard I had on file. I did read somewhere the bridge was named after the following expedition :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinia_Campaign_1868

It could be but I think I may have solved the location puzzle of the original wooden Abyssinia Bridge.

R. G Vine in The Story of Old Attercliffe, writing about the iron Abbysinia footbridge at Hawke street, says — "Recall the fantastic wooden Abyssinia bridge built in 1868 further up the river"—so it seems safe to assume the new bridge was in a different location to the old.

There is nothing on the 1903 survey to reveal its position, but on the 1892 survey there can be seen small projections into the river on both banks at the end of Amberly street, which look like bridge abutments. The one on the east side of the river seems still to be there...

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.401941&a...256&src=msl

and is just a few yards from where you took that photo looking under the present road bridge, (interesting that the 5 Weirs walk crossing there should be in almost exactly the same position as the old bridge).

There were in fact houses on the south side of Amberly street right up to the river bank in 1893, which tallies with the sketch, but I would think quite recently built at that time.

Haven't managed yet to find when the iron footbridge was constructed, but perhaps the sketch of the old bridge was someone's attempt to record it before it was demolished.

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Thanks guys for the info on the Herdings mill - I should be able to get more info on that in Local Studies.

Me and Dunsbyowl seem to have drifted a little off-topic, but interestingly so I hope B)

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Keep going, I don't think anyone noticed!

Looking towards Hawke Street and where the bridge would have been - who's off topic? lol

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Gramps - the bridge you at the end of Amberly Street

Thanks - I must have a look down there to see if the stonework in the river wall on the Amberly street bank is the old bridge abutment.

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Gramps,

Would love to crop and post but I think the website I was looking at would take the hump. :angry: The map is from 1855 of Yorkshire on www.old-maps.co.uk. It actually looks the same as the one you have posted.

Just search on Brightside or Attercliffe and then use the arrows and navigate you can blow up but using the scale bar on the right. I noticed another steam mill further down the Don twoards town.

As you can see there are a number of 19th Century Sheffiled maps - the 1855 is my favourite .

cheers lol

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Thanks - I must have a look down there to see if the stonework in the river wall on the Amberly street bank is the old bridge abutment.

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Gramps,

Would love to crop and post but I think the website I was looking at would take the hump. :angry: The map is from 1855 of Yorkshire on www.old-maps.co.uk. It actually looks the same as the one you have posted.

Just search on Brightside or Attercliffe and then use the arrows and navigate you can blow up but using the scale bar on the right. I noticed another steam mill further down the Don twoards town.

I found the boat house, thanks. Perhaps there was a ferry across the Don before the wooden bridge was put up, it would be good to find a formal record of it somewhere.

I once paid for a pdf version of a map from that site and the quality is abysmal. The other steam mill was near Washford Bridge but was never a windmill.

[and you're right about the Wellington on the corner of Hawke street - but it was 30 years ago ;-) ]

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Gramps' post date 'Oct 25 2008, 06:05 PM

Thanks guys for the info on the Herdings mill - I should be able to get more info on that in Local Studies. Me and Dunsbyowl seem to have drifted a little off-topic, but interestingly so I hope

HI Gramps What about royds mill.

Skeets

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Gramps' post 'Oct 23 2008, 02:42 PM'

I know of three, one in the Bellhouse road/Windmill lane area, another on Western Bank and one in Attercliffe.

Hi Gramps, returning to the original subject of this thread! Have you seen this print before? If you look closely you can see the windmill at Shiregreen of the horizon to the left. lol

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Returning to Abyssinia Bridge lol In Peter Harvey's Sheffield since 1900 he states " the first AB was built of wood in 1868, the year British troops invaded Abyssinia because the Emperor had imprisoned some British officials (hence the bridge's name). It was replace by this metal bridge which remained the FP link between Attercliffe and Bightside until Hawke St and Jansen Street ere joined by a road bridge in 1908."

It could be but I think I may have solved the location puzzle of the original wooden Abyssinia Bridge.

R. G Vine in The Story of Old Attercliffe, writing about the iron Abbysinia footbridge at Hawke street, says — "Recall the fantastic wooden Abyssinia bridge built in 1868 further up the river"—so it seems safe to assume the new bridge was in a different location to the old.

There is nothing on the 1903 survey to reveal its position, but on the 1892 survey there can be seen small projections into the river on both banks at the end of Amberly street, which look like bridge abutments. The one on the east side of the river seems still to be there...

http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=53.401941&a...256&src=msl

and is just a few yards from where you took that photo looking under the present road bridge, (interesting that the 5 Weirs walk crossing there should be in almost exactly the same position as the old bridge).

There were in fact houses on the south side of Amberly street right up to the river bank in 1893, which tallies with the sketch, but I would think quite recently built at that time.

Haven't managed yet to find when the iron footbridge was constructed, but perhaps the sketch of the old bridge was someone's attempt to record it before it was demolished.

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