Loxley, South Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Loxley is a village and a suburb of the city of Sheffield
. It is a long linear community which stretches by the side of the River Loxley
and along the B6077 (Loxley Road) for almost four kilometres. 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 five kilometres north west of Sheffield city centre.
Loxley was previously a village in the West Riding of Yorkshire
and came under the jurisdiction of Wortley Rural District Council until it became part of the City of Sheffield in the 1974 boundary changes brought on by the Local Government Act 1972
. Today the suburb is within Bradfield Parish Council and consists almost exclusively of residential housing but it did have some industrial activity in the past. Much of the Loxley Valley is designated as Green Belt
land.
in the 11th century. The Loxley valley was an extensive woodland which was mentioned in the inquisition post mortem after the death of Thomas de Furnival, 1st Lord Furnival (1270-1332). Hunting on Loxley Chase was an infrequent pursuit, and so much of the more productive ground in the valley was turned over to farming. Loxley developed over the following centuries as agricultural and common land with a few scattered farms.
in the 12th century where it joined up with Sherwood Forest
. Loxley is one of the locations claimed as the birthplace of Robin Hood
. It is maintained that Robin of Locksley or Robert Locksley was born in the area in 1160 with John Harrison saying in his Exact and Perfect Survey and View of the Mannor of Sheffield of 1637, "Little Haggas Croft (pasture) wherein is ye founacion of a house or cottage where Robin Hood was borne." Little Haggas Croft was in the area of present day Normandale House on Rodney Hill. Ballads from the High Middle Ages
published in the Child Ballads
such as A Gest of Robyn Hode
, Robin Hood and the Monk
, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne
, and Robin Hood and the Potter
, as well as Sir Walter Scott
's 1820 novel Ivanhoe
all point to a possible South Yorkshire birth for the legend.
and the Olive Rolling Mill all becoming established industries by the river. Many of the mill ponds associated with these mills are still present on the river and provide a haven for fish and wildlife.
During the 1800s the Loxley Valley became an important producer of refractory
bricks for the expanding Sheffield steel industry. The bricks were used to line the furnaces and were made from ganister
, a sort of sandstone
which was prevalent in the Loxley area. Many ganister mines existed in the area supplying the local firms of Thomas Wragg, Siddons Bros., Hepworths and Thomas Marshall which sprang up in the district and produced the bricks. Refractory production ceased in the area in the 1990s.
Farming in the Loxley Valley was extended by the passing of the Wadsley and Loxley Chase Parliamentary Act in 1789. This allowed the conversion of moorland to grass pasture which was enclosed by straight dry stone
walls and roads.
was breached causing the Great Sheffield Flood
. 17 people died in the flood in the Loxley area including five members of the Chapman family along with their domestic servant Alathea Hague and apprentice John Bower. The trip hammer
and rolling mill works owned by the Chapmans was completely destroyed. Most of the industrial mills in the area were either destroyed or severely damaged but were quickly rebuilt with compensation money from the Water Company.
with housing expansion taking place on Rodney Hill and Loxley Road near the village green. Inter-war building established the Normandale area and post-World War II
building saw a large amount of Council housing
being built in the area.
to do their shopping. There are three public house
s in the area, the best known of which is the Admiral Rodney; the pub has a long history and was originally named after George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
after his defeat of the French in the Battle of the Saintes
in 1782. The current Admiral Rodney dates from 1957 when the old pub was demolished and a new one built further back from the road. The Nag's Head is in the small rural hamlet of Stacey Bank and is surrounded by farm buildings at the very west of the suburb. The Wisewood Inn is the most easterly of the three and is situated in the Normandale area.
There is only one place of worship in Loxley today, this being the Loxley Methodist Church at the junction of Loxley Road and Low Matlock Lane; this was built in 1885. Loxley Chapel located near the junction on Loxley Road and Rowell Lane was constructed in 1787 and closed in 1993 and is now in private ownership although the burial ground is still used. There is one school in the area: Loxley Primary School opened in 1911 and is situated on Rodney Hill; it has just over 200 pupils between the ages of 4 and 11. Senior pupils in the area go to Bradfield School
in Worrall
.
who intended to build 500 homes on the site in plans released in 2006. However the plans have met stiff opposition from the Loxley Valley Protection Society, the Loxley Valley Design Group, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Bradfield Parish Council. Bovis have not received permission to go ahead with the development and as of 2009 the site is still a derelict industrial site.
which is now owned and managed by Sheffield City Council
on behalf of the people of the city. The common consists of heath
land interspersed with trees. The southern slopes of the common which run down to the Loxley Valley have a sandstone
escarpment, below which is thick woodland.
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...
. It is a long linear community which stretches by the side of the River Loxley
River Loxley
The River Loxley is a river in the City of Sheffield South Yorkshire, England. Its source is a series of streams which rise some to the north-west of Sheffield on Bradfield Moors, and converge at Low Bradfield...
and along the B6077 (Loxley Road) for almost four kilometres. Loxley extends from its borders with the suburbs of Malin Bridge
Malin Bridge
Malin Bridge is a suburb of the city of Sheffield, England. It is located at grid reference and stands 2½ miles north-west of the city centre where the rivers Loxley and Rivelin meet...
and Wisewood
Wisewood
Wisewood is a suburb of the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England and situated 4.5 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...
westward to the hamlet of Stacey Bank near Damflask Reservoir
Damflask Reservoir
Damflask Reservoir is an English water feature situated at grid reference five miles west of the centre of Sheffield in the Loxley valley close to the village of Low Bradfield and within the city's boundaries...
. The centre of the suburb is situated at the junction of Rodney Hill and Loxley Road where the old village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
stands and this is located five kilometres north west of Sheffield city centre.
Loxley was previously a village in the West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
and came under the jurisdiction of Wortley Rural District Council until it became part of the City of Sheffield in the 1974 boundary changes brought on by the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. Today the suburb is within Bradfield Parish Council and consists almost exclusively of residential housing but it did have some industrial activity in the past. Much of the Loxley Valley is designated as Green Belt
Green Belt (UK)
In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail...
land.
History
Post Conquest
The area on which Loxley stands was originally moorland; Loxley Chase was a large expanse of upland ground set aside for hunting by the Norman lords after the ConquestNorman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
in the 11th century. The Loxley valley was an extensive woodland which was mentioned in the inquisition post mortem after the death of Thomas de Furnival, 1st Lord Furnival (1270-1332). Hunting on Loxley Chase was an infrequent pursuit, and so much of the more productive ground in the valley was turned over to farming. Loxley developed over the following centuries as agricultural and common land with a few scattered farms.
Robin Hood legend
The extensive forest of Loxley Chase extended as far south east as NottinghamshireNottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
in the 12th century where it joined up with Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest is a Royal Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, that is famous through its historical association with the legend of Robin Hood. Continuously forested since the end of the Ice Age, Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve today encompasses 423 hectares surrounding the village of...
. Loxley is one of the locations claimed as the birthplace of Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
. It is maintained that Robin of Locksley or Robert Locksley was born in the area in 1160 with John Harrison saying in his Exact and Perfect Survey and View of the Mannor of Sheffield of 1637, "Little Haggas Croft (pasture) wherein is ye founacion of a house or cottage where Robin Hood was borne." Little Haggas Croft was in the area of present day Normandale House on Rodney Hill. Ballads from the High Middle Ages
High Middle Ages
The High Middle Ages was the period of European history around the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries . The High Middle Ages were preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which by convention end around 1500....
published in the Child Ballads
Child Ballads
The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century...
such as A Gest of Robyn Hode
A Gest of Robyn Hode
"A Gest of Robyn Hode" is Child Ballad 117; it is also called A Lyttell Geste of Robyn Hode in one of the two oldest books that contain it....
, Robin Hood and the Monk
Robin Hood and the Monk
Robin Hood and the Monk is Child ballad 119, and among the oldest existing ballads of Robin Hood, existing in manuscript from about 1450 AD.It may have been originally recited rather than sung; it refers to itself as a "talking" in its last verse:...
, Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne
Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne
Child Ballad 118, part of the Percy collection. It introduces and disposes of Guy of Gisborne who remains next to the Sheriff of Nottingham the chief villain of the Robin Hood legend. This ballad survives in a single seventeenth century copy but has always been recognized as much older in content,...
, and Robin Hood and the Potter
Robin Hood and the Potter
Robin Hood and the Potter is Child ballad 121, and among the oldest existing tales of Robin Hood.The device of disguising himself as a potter may have been taken from the older legends of Hereward the Wake.-Synopsis:...
, as well as Sir Walter Scott
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet, popular throughout much of the world during his time....
's 1820 novel Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe
Ivanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...
all point to a possible South Yorkshire birth for the legend.
Industrial and agricultural expansion
Industry came to the Loxley area in the middle of the 17th century when the first mills were set up on the fast flowing River Loxley as small pocket businesses. Steel and iron forging and rolling mills were established and became the main manufacturing processes with the Loxley Steel Works, the Green Wheel Steel Works, the Little Matlock Rolling MillLittle Matlock Rolling Mill
Little Matlock Rolling Mill also known as Low Matlock Rolling Mill is a Grade II* Listed building situated on the River Loxley in the village of Loxley on the outskirts of the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The building continues to operate as a rolling mill, owned and operated by...
and the Olive Rolling Mill all becoming established industries by the river. Many of the mill ponds associated with these mills are still present on the river and provide a haven for fish and wildlife.
During the 1800s the Loxley Valley became an important producer of refractory
Refractory
A refractory material is one that retains its strength at high temperatures. ASTM C71 defines refractories as "non-metallic materials having those chemical and physical properties that make them applicable for structures, or as components of systems, that are exposed to environments above...
bricks for the expanding Sheffield steel industry. The bricks were used to line the furnaces and were made from ganister
Ganister
A ganister is hard, fine-grained quartzose sandstone, or orthoquartzite, used in the manufacture of silica brick typically used to line furnaces...
, a sort of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
which was prevalent in the Loxley area. Many ganister mines existed in the area supplying the local firms of Thomas Wragg, Siddons Bros., Hepworths and Thomas Marshall which sprang up in the district and produced the bricks. Refractory production ceased in the area in the 1990s.
Farming in the Loxley Valley was extended by the passing of the Wadsley and Loxley Chase Parliamentary Act in 1789. This allowed the conversion of moorland to grass pasture which was enclosed by straight dry stone
Dry stone
Dry stone is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their unique construction method, which is characterized by the presence of a load-bearing facade of carefully selected interlocking...
walls and roads.
Great Sheffield flood
Loxley suffered greatly on March 11th 1864 when the dam wall of the Dale Dike ReservoirDale Dike Reservoir
Dale Dike Reservoir or Dale Dyke Reservoir , famous for causing the Great Sheffield Flood, is in the north-east Peak District, in the City of Sheffield South Yorkshire, England, a mile west of Bradfield, eight miles from the centre of Sheffield, on the Dale Dike, a tributary of the River...
was breached causing the Great Sheffield Flood
Great Sheffield Flood
Not to be confused with the floods in Sheffield in 2007.The Great Sheffield Flood was a flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam broke.- Collapse of Dale Dyke Dam :...
. 17 people died in the flood in the Loxley area including five members of the Chapman family along with their domestic servant Alathea Hague and apprentice John Bower. The trip hammer
Trip hammer
A trip hammer, also known as a helve hammer, is a massive powered hammer used in:* agriculture to facilitate the labor of pounding, decorticating and polishing of grain;...
and rolling mill works owned by the Chapmans was completely destroyed. Most of the industrial mills in the area were either destroyed or severely damaged but were quickly rebuilt with compensation money from the Water Company.
Residential development
The substantial residential development of Loxley started between 1905 and the beginning of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with housing expansion taking place on Rodney Hill and Loxley Road near the village green. Inter-war building established the Normandale area and post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
building saw a large amount of Council housing
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
being built in the area.
Statistics
Present-day Loxley has a population of 1,828, living in 753 households, the majority of which (82.6%) are owner occupied. 12.5% are rented from the local authority. A high proportion (76%) of the housing in the area is either detached or semi-detached and this is well above the average for the whole of Sheffield.Buildings and landmarks
Loxley has no extensive shopping area with most of the residents commuting to HillsboroughHillsborough, South Yorkshire
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...
to do their shopping. There are three public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s in the area, the best known of which is the Admiral Rodney; the pub has a long history and was originally named after George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney
George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782...
after his defeat of the French in the Battle of the Saintes
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes took place over 4 days, 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American War of Independence, and was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned...
in 1782. The current Admiral Rodney dates from 1957 when the old pub was demolished and a new one built further back from the road. The Nag's Head is in the small rural hamlet of Stacey Bank and is surrounded by farm buildings at the very west of the suburb. The Wisewood Inn is the most easterly of the three and is situated in the Normandale area.
There is only one place of worship in Loxley today, this being the Loxley Methodist Church at the junction of Loxley Road and Low Matlock Lane; this was built in 1885. Loxley Chapel located near the junction on Loxley Road and Rowell Lane was constructed in 1787 and closed in 1993 and is now in private ownership although the burial ground is still used. There is one school in the area: Loxley Primary School opened in 1911 and is situated on Rodney Hill; it has just over 200 pupils between the ages of 4 and 11. Senior pupils in the area go to Bradfield School
Bradfield School
Bradfield School is a secondary school situated on the edge of the village of Worrall, in the parish of Bradfield, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The school caters for pupils between the ages of 11 and 16. It is a specialist Engineering College and provides specialised courses such as...
in Worrall
Worrall
Worrall is a small rural village within the boundary of the City of Sheffield. It stands in an elevated position at a height of approximately 230 metres and is 6.5 km north west of the city centre. The village has an area of 233 hectares and a population of 1,306 in 2006...
.
Hepworths refractory site
The site of the former Hepworth's refractory works was purchased by the house building company, Bovis Homes GroupBovis Homes Group
Bovis Homes Group plc is a second tier national British housebuilding company based in New Ash Green, Kent. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
who intended to build 500 homes on the site in plans released in 2006. However the plans have met stiff opposition from the Loxley Valley Protection Society, the Loxley Valley Design Group, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Bradfield Parish Council. Bovis have not received permission to go ahead with the development and as of 2009 the site is still a derelict industrial site.
Recreation areas
Loxley has a recreation ground on Loxley Road near the junction with Long Lane; it is the only substantial public open space in the suburb. However, just to the north is Loxley Common, an ancient area of common landCommon land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
which is now owned and managed by 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...
on behalf of the people of the city. The common consists of heath
Heath (habitat)
A heath or heathland is a dwarf-shrub habitat found on mainly low quality acidic soils, characterised by open, low growing woody vegetation, often dominated by plants of the Ericaceae. There are some clear differences between heath and moorland...
land interspersed with trees. The southern slopes of the common which run down to the Loxley Valley have a sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
escarpment, below which is thick woodland.