Wadsley Bridge
Wadsley Bridge | |
---|---|
South Yorkshire | |
Ambulance | Yorkshire |
UK Parliament | |
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.
Etymology
Wadsley Bridge was named after the bridge at SK334905 called High Bridge near the eastern end of the
History
Wadsley Bridge started to expand during the 18th century when water power was harnessed and various mills were built on the River Don on Clay Wheels Lane and at the foot of Leppings Lane. John Hoult had a paper mill which was later converted into a steel
Other industrial facilities in the area by the start of the 20th century included the Lepping Forge iron and steel works at the junction of Leppings Lane and Penistone Road, built by Joseph Clifton Allen (died 1924). This was demolished in the 1960s after the death of Joseph's son, Charles Edmund Allen (died December 1954), and the site is now a petrol station. Niagara Works on Clay Wheels Lane produced edge tools; the firm was named after the Niagara weir on the River Don. Moss and Gamble’s forge at the foot of Fox Hill Road had a ten-ton steam hammer, the biggest in Sheffield at the time. The Moss and Gamble site had two ponds to supply water to the works which in the 1960s were filled in and used for new housing; the factory itself has been converted into flats and called Baxter Mews.
ELG Carrs Stainless Steels is a large firm in the district formerly known as Richard W Carr & Co Ltd, it was formed in 1902 and produces special and stainless steels. Other prominent steel firms in the area are Hillfoot Steels and Hillsborough Steelstock Ltd. Fletchers Bakery on Clay Wheels Lane opened as a small bakehouse in 1923 and grew to a firm employing 650 people in 2006 when it suffered a catastrophic fire in July of that year.[1] Wadsley Bridge school was built in 1906 being demolished in 1997 and is now the site of a large fitness business. One of the oldest companies in the area is the John Fairest funeral directors who have been in the district since 1880.[2]
Christ Church, Wadsley Bridge
In 1895 the new church parish of Hillsborough and Wadsley Bridge was created for the district out of the
The new church cost £3,600, it is not outstanding architecturally being built in the
Niagara Recreation Ground
The Niagara ground is the present day venue of the South Yorkshire Police Sports and Social Club, opened by the Princess Royal on 23 August 1928. It was built on a former Victorian tip on land purchased from the Duke of Norfolk for £3,700. There are facilities for many sports and the pavilion is available for conferences, weddings, banquets and family occasions.[5]
Present day
Wadsley Bridge continues to develop; the Kilner Way retail park opened in the 1970s, being built on the site of an old brick works and sandstone quarry. In 2008 it underwent a complete revamp with the old buildings being pulled down and eight new large retail unit being built for shops such as
References
- ^ BBC News. Gives details of fire at Fletchers Bakery.
- ISBN 1-872934-46-3Gives history of area.
- ISBN 978-0-9523059-0-3Gives information on church and history of district.
- ^ "Old Ordnance Survey Maps Sheffield (Hillsborough) 1902" (Notes by Sylvia Pybus) Gives information on church and history of district.
- ^ South Yorkshire Police Sport and Social Club. Gives history of Niagara ground.
- ^ Beardmore, Ellen (28 November 2014). "Jobs created as new Sheffield store opens". The Star. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2021.