Limb Brook
Encyclopedia
The Limb Brook is a stream in Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
, England. It rises at the village of Ringinglow
, flowing east through Whirlow and Ecclesall Woods
into Abbeydale in the Beauchief area, where it merges with the River Sheaf
. Near this point part of the stream has been diverted to provide the goit
for the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
millpond, and this channel flows through what is now Beauchief Gardens
.
boundaries, but used to form (with the connecting River Sheaf
and Meers Brook
) part of the border between Yorkshire and Derbyshire. This boundary dates back to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia
and Northumbria
. Sidney Oldall Addy, in his 1888 book on the Sheffield dialect mentions that this stream is called Fenny Brook on the Ordnance Survey map, where it flows past Ringinglow.
The brook has long been used as a source of power for local industry; remains of water-powered mills used variously for smelting lead and grinding corn can be seen at Whirlow Wheel and Ryecroft Mill in Ecclesall Woods
.
Today, the brook no longer supports any industry, but with the woodlands of the Limb valley provides a valuable recreational resource for the inhabitants of Sheffield. It is owned and administered by the city council
's recreation department, who maintain the area for the benefit of wildlife and the public. Sheffield Round Walk
follows almost the entire route of the Limb brook, from Abbeydale Road South
to Ringinglow.
, Sycamore
, Alder
, Ash and Hazel
. This is a rich environment for invertebrates and many birds and mammals, including kingfisher
s and water voles. The rare white-clawed crayfish has also been seen.
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...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England. It rises at the village of Ringinglow
Ringinglow
Ringinglow is a village in the western section of Sheffield, England. It is on the western border of Ecclesall Ward, and although it is within the boundary of Sheffield, it is self-contained, being entirely surrounded by open countryside....
, flowing east through Whirlow and Ecclesall Woods
Ecclesall Woods
Ecclesall Woods is an area of woodland in south-west Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, between Abbeydale Road South and Ecclesall. It covers approximately of mature semi-natural deciduous woodland which was previously used for timber and charcoal, and is currently managed by the city council...
into Abbeydale in the Beauchief area, where it merges with 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...
. Near this point part of the stream has been diverted to provide the goit
Leat
A leat is the name, common in the south and west of England and in Wales, for an artificial watercourse or aqueduct dug into the ground, especially one supplying water to a watermill or its mill pond...
for the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
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...
millpond, and this channel flows through what is now Beauchief Gardens
Beauchief Gardens
Beauchief Gardens is a small area of formal parkland in south-west Sheffield. The gardens lie between Abbeydale Road South to the Northwest, the river Sheaf and the railway line to the South and Beauchief Dam to the East. The gardens were donated to the city by the J. G. Graves Trust in 1935,...
.
History
Limb Brook lies entirely within the City of SheffieldSheffield
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...
boundaries, but used to form (with the connecting 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...
and 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...
) part of the border between Yorkshire and Derbyshire. This boundary dates back to the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of 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...
and 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...
. Sidney Oldall Addy, in his 1888 book on the Sheffield dialect mentions that this stream is called Fenny Brook on the Ordnance Survey map, where it flows past Ringinglow.
The brook has long been used as a source of power for local industry; remains of water-powered mills used variously for smelting lead and grinding corn can be seen at Whirlow Wheel and Ryecroft Mill in Ecclesall Woods
Ecclesall Woods
Ecclesall Woods is an area of woodland in south-west Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, between Abbeydale Road South and Ecclesall. It covers approximately of mature semi-natural deciduous woodland which was previously used for timber and charcoal, and is currently managed by the city council...
.
Today, the brook no longer supports any industry, but with the woodlands of the Limb valley provides a valuable recreational resource for the inhabitants of Sheffield. It is owned and administered by the 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...
's recreation department, who maintain the area for the benefit of wildlife and the public. Sheffield Round Walk
Sheffield Round Walk
The Sheffield Round Walk is a 14 mile walk through the south west of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Starting from Hunters Bar, it travels along the Porter valley to Ringinglow. It then descends through the Limb valley and Ecclesall Woods to Abbeydale Road, before climbing through Ladies...
follows almost the entire route of the Limb brook, from Abbeydale Road South
Abbeydale Road
Abbeydale Road and Abbeydale Road South is a road in Sheffield. It leads south-west from the suburb of Highfield to the railway bridge over the Dore and Chinley railway, before becoming Baslow Road. The road begins at a junction with London Road near the former Royal Hotel public house.The road...
to Ringinglow.
Flora and fauna
Limb Brook rises in a sphagnum moss bog by the side of Ringinglow Road and then flows through Lady Canning's Plantation, a coniferous woodland, managed by Sheffield City Council Parks and Countryside Service. It then flows slowly through farmland, where it provides an environment for reeds and sedges. As it descends into the Limb valley and down through Ecclesall Woods, it is surrounded by steep hillsides which support mature woodland, including BeechBeech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, Sycamore
Sycamore Maple
Acer pseudoplatanus, the sycamore maple, is a species of maple native to central Europe and southwestern Asia, from France east to Ukraine, and south in mountains to northern Spain, northern Turkey, and the Caucasus. It is not related to other trees called sycamore or plane tree in the Platanus...
, Alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, Ash and Hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
. This is a rich environment for invertebrates and many birds and mammals, including kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
s and water voles. The rare white-clawed crayfish has also been seen.
External links
- The Sheffield Round Walk - Sheffield City Council
- Limb Valley Nature Trail Introduction 1995, A. H. V. Smith (ed), published by The Sorby Record