Owlerton
Owlerton | |
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South Yorkshire | |
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UK Parliament | |
Owlerton (
The name is believed to come from the abundant growth of alder trees in the area.[1]
It was the home of Owlerton F.C. football team in the 19th century.
History
Owlerton existed in
There is no further record until 1534 when Thomas Creswyke built the manor house (Owlerton Hall). The Creswykes were a prominent local family and had owned land in the area since 1339. Margaret Creswick married Thomas Steade in 1696; he later built Burrowlee House. Succeeding lords of Owlerton were the Staceys, the Southabys followed by the Bamforths who were lords of the manor until 1776, when the family name became extinct. It then passed to the Burgoyne family who held the title and land until 1926 when all manors ceased to exist as a result of a Property Act. Owlerton Hall, which stood at the present day junction of Penistone Road and Bradfield Road was converted to a row of cottages in the 18th century before being demolished in May 1931.
In the eighteenth century, a well said to have curative properties was discovered in Owlerton.[2]
Situated below the confluence of the Rivelin and Loxley rivers the area suffered badly during the great flood of 1864.
During the 19th and the first half of the 20th century Owlerton became industrialised, using the water power of the Rivers
Present day
The face of present-day Owlerton was changed radically in the mid-1980s when the main
Remaining pubs in the area are the Old Crown, New Barrack Tavern and the Masons Arms on Capel Street (demolished in 2015). The redevelopment in the late 1980s and 90s resulted in the area getting a KFC, Pizza Hut, B&Q and two large franchised car dealers (Citroën and Peugeot). The area suffered in the 2007 floods with the Penistone Road area suffering when the Don and Loxley burst their banks, the Sheffield Wednesday ground was flooded along with many dwellings and the Wardsend bridge over the Don was swept away.[7]
Significant buildings and structures
Hillsborough Leisure Centre
Hillsborough Leisure Centre is situated on Penistone Road at grid reference SK335902. It was built in 1989 by the
St. John the Baptist Church, Owlerton
St. John the Baptist church is also on Penistone Road (SK336899) and was built by J.B. Mitchell-Withers at a cost of £6,300 in 1874. It was consecrated on 29 July by
Wardsend Viaduct
Is situated at SK337907 and is popularly known as the Five Arches, it was constructed to carry the
Hillsborough College
Situated on Livesey Street (SK340899) this £27 million institute opened in 2006 and is part of The Sheffield College. Its design has large amounts of glass integrated into it and uses the Pilkington frameless glazing system.[11]
Hillsborough Stadium
The stadium (SK332906) is the home ground of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. who played their first game there in 1899. The ground was built on land formerly part of the Hillsborough House estate. The ground was called Owlerton Stadium until 1914 and gave Sheffield Wednesday their nickname of "The Owls".
Burrowlee House
Situated on Broughton Road (SK334901), it was built in 1711 and is the oldest building in the Owlerton and Hillsborough area.
Owlerton Stadium
The stadium (SK338900) was opened on Easter Saturday, 30 March 1929 for the new craze of Speedway. In 1932 a 500-metre Greyhound racing track was constructed around the edge of the speedway track. There is a casino called Napoleon's built on the car park.[12]
Local firms
George Bassett & Co. Ltd
The longest established and best known firm in Owlerton is the George Bassett & Co. Ltd sweet factory, made world-famous by the manufacture of
Swann-Morton Ltd
Other businesses
Other prominent firms in Owlerton include Symmetry Medical on Beulah Road, a leading provider of implants, instruments and cases to orthopaedic device manufacturers. Hillfoot Steel is a steel forger and stockholder which has been in Owlerton since 1923. There are several other small engineering and steel companies.[16]
References
- ^ Alder/Owler Trees explanation from an arborist.
- ^ J. Edward Vickers, The Ancient Suburbs of Sheffield, p.20 (1971)
- 63 & 64 Vict.c. ccxxii).
- ^ www.hillsboroughowlertonlocalhistory.co.uk. Archived 1 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Gives meaning of the name Owlerton and some history.
- ^ A Brief History of Sheffield. Gives medieval history.
- ISBN 1-84306-049-3, Page 13 Gives history.
- ISBN 0-9547264-4-8, Gives modern day history.
- ^ Hillsborough Residents Association. Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine Gives some details on Leisure Centre.
- ^ Hillsborough Leisure Centre website. Gives some details on Leisure Centre.
- ^ Story of St Philips Church. Gives details of Owlerton Church.
- ^ Pilkingtons website. Archived 3 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine Gives some details of Hillsborough college.
- ISBN 0-300-10585-1gives architectural information of buildings.
- ^ "Liquorice companies in Pontefract and Castleford" (PDF). wakefield.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- Cadbury plc. Archived from the originalon 2 August 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
- ^ Swann Morton website. gives details and history of company.
- ISBN 1-901587-47-9gives general history and information.