Gleadless Valley
Encyclopedia
Gleadless Valley ward—which includes the districts
of Gleadless Valley (Hemsworth, Herdings), Heeley, Lowfield, and Meersbrook—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield
, England
. It is located in the southern part of the city and covers an area of 4.5 km2. The population of this ward in 2001 was 19,700 people in 9,000 households. It is one of the five wards that form the Sheffield Heeley parliamentary constituency whose Member of Parliament
elected at the 2001 general election was Meg Munn
. Gleadless Valley actually describes the valley that separates Hemsworth to Herdings, and is described as a broad area that covers several housing estates: Hemsworth, Herdings and Rollestone. Gleadless Valley is bordered by Gleadless and Norton.
now a suburb
in the south of the City of Sheffield, England. The village has existed at least since 1343, its name deriving from 'Heah Leah', meaning a high, woodland clearing. Originally Heeley was divided into three: Upper Heeley was around the intersection of Myrtle Road and Heeley Green, Middle Heeley was on the Gleadless Road at Hartley Street, and Lower Heeley was on the London Road around Artisan View. The main road through Heeley is the A61 London Road/Chesterfield Road, this dates from 1757 when it was built as a turnpike road from Sheffield to Chesterfield
. A toll bar was built on this road at Heeley over the Meers Brook
on what was at that time the boundary between Yorkshire
and Derbyshire
. The Midland Main Line
railway line between Chesterfield and Sheffield, constructed in 1870, passes through Heeley where there used to be a station and carriage siding, built on the former site of Heeley Mill.
Hemsworth, Gleadless Valley
Borders with Herdings, Meersbrook, Norton and Rollestone. It's mainly accessible from Blackstock Road, the shops and a bus terminus are located off this road. To the south of Blackstock Road was the site of Hemsworth Primary School (which was demolished to be replaced with a new primary school called Valley Park, located on the former Herdings Primary School grounds). To date no development has taken place on the site of the demolished school.
Also to the South of Blackstock Road is Constable Road and Hemsworth continues down this road.
Herdings is served by sheffield light rail transit, Sheffield Supertram
. There, the tramway terminates next to a bus terminus. Original plans included the construction of the route to the Meadowhead roundabout but these plans were rejected after local opposition.
Meersbrook is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, England located to the south of Heeley.. 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.
A large part of the Meersbrook area is taken up by Meersbrook Park. This park, set on a steep hillside, offers a stunning panoramic view over central Sheffield to the north. Within the park are two historic buildings: Bishops' House
(c1500) is one of the oldest buildings in Sheffield and is open as a museum, and Meersbrook House. Meersbrook House was built in 1780 by Benjamin Roebuck. The propriety included walled kitchen garden and house's estate extended to Meers Brook. The house was the home of the Ruskin Museum until 1950. John Ruskin
originally set up his museum as the Museum of St. George in 1871 at a small cottage in Walkley
, but it was renamed and moved to Meersbrook House in 1890. The Ruskin collection can still be seen in Sheffield's Millennium Galleries
. Although the area was still in Derbyshire the councillors in Sheffield were already looking over the border for amenity facilities for their citizens. In January 1885 Sheffield City Council
bought both the house and the land as a public park or pleasure ground.
Districts of Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in the north of England. The neighbourhoods of Sheffield vary widely in size and history. Many of the neighbourhoods developed from villages or hamlets that have become absorbed into Sheffield as the city has grown...
of Gleadless Valley (Hemsworth, Herdings), Heeley, Lowfield, and Meersbrook—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is located in the southern part of the city and covers an area of 4.5 km2. The population of this ward in 2001 was 19,700 people in 9,000 households. It is one of the five wards that form the Sheffield Heeley parliamentary constituency whose Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
elected at the 2001 general election was Meg Munn
Meg Munn
Margaret Patricia Munn , is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley since 2001.-Early life:...
. Gleadless Valley actually describes the valley that separates Hemsworth to Herdings, and is described as a broad area that covers several housing estates: Hemsworth, Herdings and Rollestone. Gleadless Valley is bordered by Gleadless and Norton.
Heeley
Heeley is a former villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
now a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in the south of the City of Sheffield, England. The village has existed at least since 1343, its name deriving from 'Heah Leah', meaning a high, woodland clearing. Originally Heeley was divided into three: Upper Heeley was around the intersection of Myrtle Road and Heeley Green, Middle Heeley was on the Gleadless Road at Hartley Street, and Lower Heeley was on the London Road around Artisan View. The main road through Heeley is the A61 London Road/Chesterfield Road, this dates from 1757 when it was built as a turnpike road from Sheffield to Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
. A toll bar was built on this road at Heeley over the Meers Brook
Meers Brook
The Meers Brook is a stream in Sheffield, England and one of the main tributaries of the River Sheaf.The Meers Brook originates in Gleadless and flows downhill through Gleadless Valley and Meersbrook then, tunnelled, continues underneath Meersbrook to pour into the River Sheaf near Saxon Road and...
on what was at that time the boundary between Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. The Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
railway line between Chesterfield and Sheffield, constructed in 1870, passes through Heeley where there used to be a station and carriage siding, built on the former site of Heeley Mill.
Hemsworth
Borders with Herdings, Meersbrook, Norton and Rollestone. It's mainly accessible from Blackstock Road, the shops and a bus terminus are located off this road. To the south of Blackstock Road was the site of Hemsworth Primary School (which was demolished to be replaced with a new primary school called Valley Park, located on the former Herdings Primary School grounds). To date no development has taken place on the site of the demolished school.
Also to the South of Blackstock Road is Constable Road and Hemsworth continues down this road.
Herdings
Herdings, Gleadless Valley borders with Hemsworth and Gleadless. Herdings is the highest point in Sheffield. At the very top of the hill are the Herdings flats, previously known as the Three Sisters of which one was demolished.Herdings is served by sheffield light rail transit, Sheffield Supertram
Sheffield Supertram
The Supertram, officially called the Stagecoach Supertram, is a light rail tram system in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England...
. There, the tramway terminates next to a bus terminus. Original plans included the construction of the route to the Meadowhead roundabout but these plans were rejected after local opposition.
Meersbrook
Meersbrook is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, England located to the south of Heeley.. The name comes from the stream, the 'Meers Brook', a tributary of the River Sheaf
River Sheaf
The River Sheaf is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its source is the union of the Totley Brook and the Old Hay Brook in Totley, now a suburb of Sheffield. It flows northwards, past Dore, through the valley called Abbeydale and north of Heeley...
which means 'boundary brook' and in ancient times this, along with the River Sheaf formed the boundary between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
and Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. It remained as the boundary between Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
into the 20th century.
A large part of the Meersbrook area is taken up by Meersbrook Park. This park, set on a steep hillside, offers a stunning panoramic view over central Sheffield to the north. Within the park are two historic buildings: Bishops' House
Bishops' House
Bishops' House is a half-timbered house in the Norton Lees district of the City of Sheffield, England. It was built c. 1500 and is located at , on the southern tip of Meersbrook Park...
(c1500) is one of the oldest buildings in Sheffield and is open as a museum, and Meersbrook House. Meersbrook House was built in 1780 by Benjamin Roebuck. The propriety included walled kitchen garden and house's estate extended to Meers Brook. The house was the home of the Ruskin Museum until 1950. John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
originally set up his museum as the Museum of St. George in 1871 at a small cottage in Walkley
Walkley
Walkley is an electoral ward in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.Walkley ward—which includes the districts of Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe, Walkley and parts of Neepsend—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city...
, but it was renamed and moved to Meersbrook House in 1890. The Ruskin collection can still be seen in Sheffield's Millennium Galleries
Millennium Galleries
The Millennium Galleries is an art gallery in the City of Sheffield, England. Opened in April 2001 as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City project, it is located in the city centre close to the city library, Sheffield Hallam University, and the city's theatre district...
. Although the area was still in Derbyshire the councillors in Sheffield were already looking over the border for amenity facilities for their citizens. In January 1885 Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
bought both the house and the land as a public park or pleasure ground.