Millhouses

Last updated

Millhouses
South Yorkshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Millhouses
Location within South Yorkshire
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Sheffield
Postcode district S7
Dialling code 0114
Police South Yorkshire
Fire South Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°21′00″N1°29′49″W / 53.350°N 1.497°W / 53.350; -1.497
Ecclesall Corn Mill--the mill that gives Millhouses its name. EcclesallMill.jpg
Ecclesall Corn Mill—the mill that gives Millhouses its name.

Millhouses is a neighbourhood in the City of Sheffield, England. It is located in Ecclesall ward; [1] in the south-western portion of the city on the northwest bank of the River Sheaf. Its origins lie in a small hamlet that grew around the Ecclesall Corn Mill. [2] It has a population (2006 estimate) of 4,424. [3]

Contents

The agriculture and industries of this area are now largely gone, leaving Millhouses as a mostly residential area. Local amenities include three schools, a 31.8 acres (12.87 ha) park, [4] three pubs, three supermarkets, three churches and numerous small shops.

Geography

Millhouses is set in 380 acres (1.55 km2) [3] of the part of the Sheaf valley known as Abbeydale. [5] It is bordered to the southeast by the River Sheaf and Hutcliffe Wood, to the west by Ecclesall Woods, Millhouses Lane and Button Hill, and to the north by Carter Knowle Road and Bannerdale Road. [6] Running directly alongside the River Sheaf is the long and thin Millhouses Park. The main road through the area is the A621 Abbeydale Road/Abbeydale Road South. The Midland Main Line also runs through Millhouses. Residential development was in a fan-shape focused on the junction of Abbeydale Road and Millhouses Lane. Most houses in the area were built in the 1920s although there are some that date from the late 19th century.

History

In ancient times this area was part of the Barnsdale Forest that, together with Sherwood Forest, made up the forest of the Robin Hood legends. The River Sheaf marked the boundary between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. In fact the earliest historical record of this area refers to the submission of the Northumbrian army to Egbert of Wessex at nearby Dore in 829. [7]

In the late 12th century Robert Fitz Ranulf gave land for the establishment of an abbey, just south of Millhouses at Beauchief. Over time most of the area now covered by Millhouses had been given to the abbey by the De Ecclesall family. [8] [9] One of the gifts to the monks was the Ecclesall Corn Mill. This mill existed at least as early as 1280 and considerable remnants of it can still be seen at the north end of Millhouses Park.

Millhouses remained mostly agricultural until the 19th century, although two cutlery works had been established in the area: Moscar Wheel, which may originally have been a corn mill, was making cutlery by 1496, and Bartin Wheel was built as a cutler's wheel in 1631. [10] In 1805 a turnpike road was built from Sheffield to Bakewell (now Abbeydale Road), [5] this passed through the area and led to some growth, but it was only with the extension of the Midland Main Line through the valley in 1870 (with a railway station at Millhouses) and the subsequent arrival of trams in 1902 that Millhouses began to develop as an affluent residential suburb. As well as a railway station, an engine shed was built in 1901. [9] [11] This closed in the 1962, but the shed building is still in use as an industrial site and the shed's sidings are now Tesco supermarket's Park and Ride.

Noteworthy buildings in Millhouses include the Grade II listed parish church, Holy Trinity, which was constructed in 1937, [12] [13] and the former Millhouses police station building that dates from 1893. [14] The Robin Hood and Wagon and Horses public houses are amongst the neighborhood's older surviving buildings, both dating from earlier than 1822. [15]

Millhouses Park

Millhouses Park Boating Lake Millhouses Park 040504.jpg
Millhouses Park Boating Lake

Between Abbeydale Road South and the River Sheaf lies a mile-long public park, with a mixture of green spaces, planted areas and leisure facilities. These include tennis courts, a boating lake and a cafe serving gourmet food. [4]

See also

References and notes

Bibliography

  • Harvey, Peter (1996). Abbeydale and Millhouses. Stround: The Charlford Publishing Company Limited. ISBN   0-7524-0732-5.
  • Vickers, J. Edward MBE (1999). Old Sheffield Town. An Historical Miscellany (2nd ed.). Sheffield: The Hallamshire Press Limited. ISBN   1-874718-44-X.

Footnotes

  1. "Ecclesall Ward". Sheffield City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
  2. Vickers, Old Sheffield Town, p. 71
  3. 1 2 "Sheffield Neighbourhood Information Service neighbourhood profiles: Millhouses" (PDF). Sheffield City Council . Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Millhouses Park". Sheffield City Council. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 10 April 2007.
  5. 1 2 Harvey, Abbeydale and Millhouses, pp. 7–8
  6. Map to Show the Extent of the Millhouses SNIS Neighbourhood (Map). Sheffield City Council. 2006. Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  7. "Ecclesall", in Vickers, Old Sheffield Town, pp. 58–64
  8. Hunter, Joseph (1819). "The Township of Ecclesall Byerlow". Hallamshire. The History and Topography of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York. London: Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mayor & Jones. pp. 195–219. (wikisource)
  9. 1 2 Pixton, B., (2000) North Midland: Portrait of a Famous Route, Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing
  10. "Water Wheels on the River Sheaf in Abbeydale". The Tilt Hammer. Archived from the original on 14 February 2005. Retrieved 15 February 2005.
  11. Fox, Peter (1990). The Midland Line in Sheffield. Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. ISBN   1-872524-16-8.
  12. Historic England. "Church of Holy Trinity (1255061)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  13. Historic England. "Church of the Holy Trinity (1255061)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  14. Historic England. "Park Lodge, former police station (1246460)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 22 March 2008.
  15. Baines, Edward (1822). History, Directory & Gazetteer, of the County of York. p.  560.

Maps

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Sheaf</span> River in South Yorkshire, England

The River Sheaf in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, flows northwards, past Dore, through Abbeydale and north of Heeley. It then passes into a culvert, through which it flows under the centre of Sheffield before joining the River Don. This lower section of the River Sheaf, together with the River Don between the Blonk Street and Lady's Bridges, formed two sides of the boundary of Sheffield Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porter Brook</span> River in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

The Porter Brook is a river which flows through the City of Sheffield, England, descending over 1,000 feet (300 m) from its source on Burbage Moor to the west of the city to its mouth where it joins the River Sheaf in a culvert beneath Sheffield railway station. Like the other rivers in Sheffield, its steep gradient made it ideal for powering water mills and works associated with the metalworking and cutlery industries, and around 20 dams were constructed over the centuries to facilitate this. At its lower end, it is extensively culverted, but parts of it are gradually being restored to open channels, as part of a daylighting scheme for the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecclesall</span> Electoral ward in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Ecclesall Ward—which includes the neighbourhoods of Banner Cross, Bents Green, Carterknowle, Ecclesall, Greystones, Millhouses, and Ringinglow—is one of the 28 electoral wards in the City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the southwestern part of the city and covers an area of 3.6 square miles. The population of this ward in 2007 was 19,211 people in 7,626 households, reducing to 6,657 at the 2011 Census. Ecclesall ward is one of the four wards that make up the South West Community Assembly and one of five wards that make up the Sheffield Hallam Parliamentary constituency. The Member of Parliament is Olivia Blake, a Labour MP. Ecclesall is one of the least socially deprived wards in the entire country, with a 2002 deprivation score of 4.7—making it the 8,105th most deprived ward out of 8,414 wards in the country. The demographic consists largely of white, middle-class families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broomhill and Sharrow Vale</span> Electoral ward in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Broomhill and Sharrow Vale — which includes the districts of Broomhill, Broomhall, Crookesmoor, Endcliffe, Sharrow Vale and Tapton Hill — is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. The ward was created following the 2015 local government boundary review out of parts of the old Broomhill, Central and Nether Edge wards. It is located in the western part of the city. The population of the Broomhill ward in 2011 was 16,966 people in 5,708 households, covering an area of 2.7 km2. Broomhill & Sharrow Vale is one of the wards that make up the Sheffield Central Parliamentary Constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet</span> Industrial museum in South Yorkshire, England

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is an industrial museum in the south of the City of Sheffield, England. The museum forms part of a former steel-working site on the River Sheaf, with a history going back to at least the 13th century. It consists of a number of dwellings and workshops that were formerly the Abbeydale Works—a scythe-making plant that was in operation until the 1930s—and is a remarkably complete example of a 19th-century works. The works are atypical in that much of the production process was completed on the same site. A more typical example of water-powered works in the area can be found at Shepherd Wheel.

Meersbrook is a suburban district in the south-west of Sheffield, England bordered by Nether Edge to the west, Norton Lees to the south, Heeley to the north and the Meersbrook allotment site to the east. Until 1950 it was part of the Sheffield Ecclesall constituency and now forms part of the Sheffield Heeley constituency. The district falls within the Gleadless Valley ward of the city. The name comes from the stream, the Meers Brook, a tributary of the River Sheaf which means 'boundary brook' and in ancient times this, along with the River Sheaf formed the boundary between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia. It remained as the boundary between Yorkshire and Derbyshire into the 20th century. Meersbrook itself was once several small communities which have given many roads their names; Rush Dale, Carfield & Cliffe Field and in 1857 was known as Mears Brook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whirlow</span> Suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Whirlow is a suburb of the City of Sheffield in England, it lies 3.7 miles (6 km) south-west of the city centre. The suburb falls within the Dore and Totley ward of the City. It is one of the most affluent areas of Sheffield, with much high class housing and several notable small country houses within it. During the Victorian era it was home to some of Sheffield's most influential citizens. Whirlow straddles the A625, the main Sheffield to Hathersage road. The suburb covers the area from Parkhead in the north to Whirlow Bridge in the south and from Ecclesall Woods in the east to Broad Elms Lane in the west. Whirlow had a population of 1,663 in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Sheffield</span> History of the English town

The history of Sheffield, a city in South Yorkshire, England, can be traced back to the founding of a settlement in a clearing beside the River Sheaf in the second half of the 1st millennium AD. The area now known as Sheffield had seen human occupation since at least the last ice age, but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the city did not occur until the Industrial Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbeydale, Sheffield</span> Area of Sheffield, England

Sheffield is a geographically diverse city in England. It nestles in the eastern foothills of the Pennines and the confluence of five rivers: Don, Sheaf, Rivelin, Loxley and Porter. As such, much of the city is built on hillsides, with views into the city centre or out to the countryside. The city is roughly one third urban, one third rural and one third in the Peak District. At its lowest point the city stands just 29 metres above sea level at Blackburn Meadows on the Rotherham border, rising up to over 500 m in some parts of the city to a peak of 548m at High Stones on the Derbyshire border; however, 89% of the housing in the city is between 100 and 200 metres above sea level. Over 95% of the population resides in the main urban area.

This timeline of Sheffield history summarises key events in the history of Sheffield, a city in England. The origins of the city can be traced back to the founding of a settlement in a clearing beside the River Sheaf in the second half of the 1st millennium AD. The area had seen human occupation since at least the last ice age, but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the city did not occur until the industrial revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Sheffield</span>

Transport in Sheffield, England is developed around the city's unusual topography and medieval street plan. Once an isolated town, the transport infrastructure changed dramatically in the 19th and 20th centuries. The city now has road and rail links with the rest of the country, and road, bus and trams for local transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beauchief railway station</span> Disused railway station in South Yorkshire, England

Beauchief railway station was in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millhouses and Ecclesall railway station</span> Disused railway station in South Yorkshire, England

Millhouses and Ecclesall railway station was a railway station in the Millhouses district of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.

Millhouses engine shed was an engine shed in Millhouses, Sheffield. It was built by the Midland Railway in 1901 as Ecclesall engine shed, to serve the Midland Main Line. It was used mainly to stable passenger and mixed-traffic locomotives for use on trains from the nearby Sheffield Midland station. The shed was built next to Millhouses railway station; it had 8 dead end roads, and could handle about forty steam locomotives. Ecclesall shed was renamed Millhouses in 1920. Millhouses bore the shed code 25A, then 19B in 1935 and finally 41C in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecclesall Woods</span> Woodland in south-west Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England

Ecclesall Woods is an area of woodland in south-west Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, between Abbeydale Road South and Ecclesall. It covers approximately 350 acres (1.4 km2) of mature semi-natural deciduous woodland which was previously used for timber and charcoal, and is currently managed by the city council for the benefit of wildlife and visitor access. There are two roads and over 10 miles (16 km) of public footpaths running through the woods. The Abbeydale miniature railway is also located within the woods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millhouses Park</span> Public urban park in Sheffield, England

Millhouses Park is a public urban park located in the Millhouses neighbourhood in south of Sheffield, England. It is a 12.87-hectare (31.8-acre) park stretching approximately 0.75 miles (1.2 km) along the floor of the valley of the River Sheaf, sandwiched between Abbeydale Road South (A621) and the railway tracks of the Midland Main Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limb Brook</span> Stream in Sheffield, England

The S7 district lies in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The district contains 16 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, two are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The district is in the north west of the city of Sheffield, and covers parts of the areas of Carter Knowle, Millhouses, Nether Edge and Sharrow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulwood, Sheffield</span> Suburb of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England

Fulwood is a residential suburb and ward of the City of Sheffield in England, it lies 5.5 km west-southwest of the city centre. Formerly an ancient settlement and village on the Porter Brook, it became integrated into the city in the 1930s. It is bounded by the suburbs of Lodge Moor to the NW, Ranmoor to the east and Crosspool to the NE. The open countryside of the Peak District lies to the west and SW. The sub districts of Stumperlowe and Goole Green are part of the suburb. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 18,233. Fulwood is located in the Sheffield Hallam constituency which, as of the 2019 general election voted Labour.