Wisewood is a suburb of the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England and situated 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) north-west of the city centre. It is a residential suburb consisting almost exclusively of council housing, some of which has been bought by tenants under the right to buy scheme. It is bordered by the adjacent suburbs of Loxley, Wadsley, Malin Bridge and Hillsborough (in whose ward the suburb is situated).
The original location of Wisewood was in the Loxley valley just before the river reached Malin Bridge and it is still shown as such on the 1:25,000 scale Ordnance Survey map. The former industrial sites of Wisewood Forge and Wisewood Rolling Mills are situated in the Loxley valley as is Wisewood Cemetery. However, the name was adopted for a new housing estate built in the early 1930s higher up the hillside and overlooking the valley. People [ who? ] have questioned over the years why the estate was called Wisewood when it was closer to Wadsley. The houses on the lower part of the estate are close to the original location of Wisewood.
Prior to the 1920s, the Wisewood area was a rural location of mostly farmers' fields. There were scattered small cottages and farm buildings with the population employed as farm labourers, quarrymen, steelworkers, ganister miners or in the manufacturing of pocketknifes.
Wisewood was transformed in the late 1920s when Sheffield City Council made the decision in 1928 to build a large housing estate there. At a council meeting on 4 April 1928 a compulsory purchase order was issued to purchase just over 80 acres (32 ha) of land for the building of the new council estate. Most of the land belonged to Tingle's Farm and Flander's Farm, now both demolished.
The land was bounded by Ben Lane to the north, Wisewood Road and Hibberd Place to the south, Dykes Lane to the east and Studfield Hill to the west. A total of £17,300 was paid to the landowners as compensation. On 7 November 1931, the final house on the Wisewood estate was completed and handed over to the new owner. The estate consisted of 901 dwellings and was built at an approximate cost of £400,000. [1]
A site for a primary and secondary school to serve the estate was purchased by the council in 1927 at the junction of Ben Lane and Rural Lane at a cost of £1,350. Construction began in early 1929 with the junior school opening on 11 January 1932 at a cost of £17,000. The school originally accommodated 480 children; today it has a capacity of approximately 165. [2] The secondary school was officially opened on 7 September 1933; it later changed its name to the Wisewood School and Community Sports College. The school was closed in the summer of 2011 and demolished in March 2012; a new artificial grass pitch was built on the site of the school and has been integrated into the newly set up Wisewood Sports Centre. The school was merged with Myers Grove School which was also demolished to form the new Forge Valley School on Wood Lane at Malin Bridge. [3] [4]
In 1930, a row of shops was constructed across the road from the schools on the site of a drained pond; these still serve the estate today and include a post office, grocers, etc. The foundation stone for Wisewood Methodist Church was laid on 4 April 1970; this church in a modern style has an adjoining community hall. Dial House stands on Ben Lane; it was a country house for many years being so named because it had a sun dial over the front door. It became The Dial House Social Club in the 1930s, finally closing in 2005. [5] It is a grade II listed building and has now been integrated into a new development of apartments and houses. [6] [7]
The only recreation area within Wisewood is the locally named Spider Park, a grassy area with very few facilities; the local community are lobbying the council to upgrade the park and provide improved amenities. [8] One of the largest structures in Wisewood, which often goes unnoticed, is a reinforced concrete covered reservoir just off Ben Lane, [9] it holds 4 million gallons of water and measures 75 by 60 yards (69 by 55 m).
Hillsborough is an electoral ward which includes the districts of Malin Bridge, Owlerton, Wadsley and Wisewood. It is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2. The population of this ward in 2011 was 18,605 people in 8,012 households.
The River Rivelin is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
Malin Bridge is a suburb of the city of Sheffield, England. It is located at grid reference SK325893 and stands 2+1⁄2 miles north-west of the city centre where the rivers Loxley and Rivelin meet. Malin Bridge is only a small district centred on the road bridge over the River Loxley which carries the B6076 road to Stannington ; it is surrounded by the suburbs of Hillsborough, Wisewood, Walkley and Stannington.
Worrall is a small rural village in the civil parish of Bradfield, South Yorkshire, England, 4 miles (6.5 km) north west of Sheffield city centre. It has an area of 233 hectares, and population of 1,306 as of 2006, and borders the Sheffield suburbs of Wadsley, Middlewood and Loxley to the south and east and the adjoining village of Oughtibridge to the north; to the west is a rural area extending towards the village of High Bradfield.
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.
Gleadless is a suburb and parish within the City of Sheffield, it lies five km south east of the city centre. It is bordered by the adjoining suburbs of Gleadless Valley to the west, Frecheville to the east and Intake to the north. The land to the south is the rural area of North East Derbyshire district which is outside the city boundary. Gleadless was formerly a country hamlet, then village before becoming part of the expanding city of Sheffield in 1921. The word Gleadless comes from the Old English language and means either "forest clearings haunted by a kite" or "bright clearing".
Wadsley Bridge is a suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the city centre. The area is a mixture of residential housing and small industrial and commercial premises. The suburb falls within the Hillsborough ward of the City.
Wadsley is a suburb of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It stands 3 miles (5 km) north-west of the city centre at an approximate grid reference of SK321905. At the 2011 Census the suburb fell within the Hillsborough ward of the City. Wadsley was formerly a rural village which was engulfed by the expansion of Sheffield in the early part of the 20th century.
Owlerton is a suburb of the city of Sheffield, England, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) northwest of the city centre near the confluence of the River Don and River Loxley. Owlerton was a small rural village from the Early Middle Ages; it became part of Sheffield in the early 1900s as the city expanded. Owlerton is just east of Hillsborough and within the Hillsborough ward. Hillsborough Stadium, Hillsborough Leisure Centre and Hillsborough College are in Owlerton.
Loxley is a village and a suburb of the city of Sheffield, England. It is a long linear community which stretches by the side of the River Loxley and along the B6077 for almost 2.5 miles (4 km). Loxley extends from its borders with the suburbs of Malin Bridge and Wisewood westward to the hamlet of Stacey Bank near Damflask Reservoir. The centre of the suburb is situated at the junction of Rodney Hill and Loxley Road where the old village green stands and this is located 3 miles (5 km) north west of Sheffield city centre. The suburb falls within the Stannington ward of the City of Sheffield.
The areas of Sheffield, a city and metropolitan borough in the north of England, vary widely in size and history. Some of the areas developed from villages or hamlets, that were absorbed into Sheffield as the city grew, and thus their centres are well defined, but the boundaries of many areas are ambiguous. The areas of Sheffield do not play a significant administrative role, but the city is divided into 28 electoral wards for local elections and 6 parliamentary constituencies for national elections.
Oughtibridge is a residential village in the north of Sheffield within the bounds of Bradfield civil parish. The village stands about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the city centre in the valley of the River Don.
Middlewood is a north western suburb of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The suburb falls within the Stannington ward of the City.
Longley is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. It lies four km north of the city centre and is a residential neighbourhood made up mostly of housing built by Sheffield City Council in the late 1920s. The suburb falls within the Firth Park ward of the City.
Hillsborough is a suburb in north-west Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The centre of the district is popularly thought to be 'Hillsborough Corner' where Langsett Road, Middlewood Road, Holme Lane and Bradfield Road all meet. The Hillsborough ward population at the 2011 Census was 18,605.
Loxley House is a Georgian building situated off Ben Lane in the Wadsley area of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is a Grade Two Listed building.
Gleadless Valley is a housing estate and electoral ward of the City of Sheffield in England. The population of the estate at the 2021 Census was 9,724. It lies 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south-southeast of the city centre. Formerly a rural area, Gleadless Valley was developed as a large housing project with around 4000 dwellings by Sheffield City Council between 1955 and 1962. It is an area of undulating land drained by the Meers Brook, which has its source on the high ground in the woodland at Gleadless. Adjacent are Gleadless to the east, Norton to the south-west, Heeley to the west and Arbourthorne to the north.
Holdworth is a small rural hamlet situated within the boundary of the City of Sheffield, England. It is located 4.7 miles (7.5 km) northwest of the city centre at an altitude of 280 metres above sea level, giving it extensive views south over the upper Loxley valley. The hamlet falls within the Stannington ward of the City. It is an ancient farming settlement which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Storrs is a hamlet within the boundaries of the City of Sheffield in England, it is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) west-northwest of the city centre. Storrs is located between the suburb of Stannington and the village of Dungworth in the civil parish of Bradfield at a height of 210 metres above sea level between the Loxley and Rivelin valleys. Although historically a farming settlement, water-powered milling on the Storrs Brook and small scale cutlery making has also taken place in the hamlet.
Dial House is a Grade II listed building located on Ben Lane in the Wisewood area of the City of Sheffield in England. The house was originally a private small country house, before becoming a working men's club and more recently part of a development of modern apartments.
53°24′21″N1°31′12″W / 53.4058°N 1.5201°W
