Owlerton
Encyclopedia
Owlerton is a suburb of the city of Sheffield
, it lies 2.2 miles (3.5 km) northwest of the city centre near the confluence of the River Don and River Loxley
. Owlerton was formerly a small rural settlement with its origins in the Early Middle Ages
, it became part of Sheffield in the early 1900s as the city expanded. Owlerton stands just east of the adjacent suburb of Hillsborough
and the division between the two districts is difficult to delineate. This is further complicated by the fact that certain buildings such as Hillsborough Stadium
, Hillsborough Leisure Centre and Hillsborough College lie firmly within Owlerton. The name Owlerton is believed to come from the abundant growth of Alder trees in the area. "Alder - Ton" meaning the settlement of the Alders.
It was the home of Owlerton F.C.
, a football team in the nineteenth century.
times when it was documented as an enclosed farmstead in the 9th century. In the early 12th century it became a small manor
following the Norman conquest of England
. The Normans
created several of these small manors which were reliant on Sheffield Castle
and included ones at the nearby hamlets of Wadsley
and Shirecliffe. The earliest written record of the settlement as a manor is from 1297 when it was recorded that Thomas de Schefeld, lord of the manor of Owlerton was one of the original witnesses of the establishment of the Burgery of Sheffield
.
There is no further record until 1534 when Thomas Creswyke built the manor house
(Owlerton Hall). The Creswyke's were a prominent local family and had owned land in the area since 1339. Margaret Creswick married Thomas Steade in 1696 who 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.
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 Loxley
and Don to drive machinery for steel and tool making, corn mills and paper mills. Owlerton became part of the City of Sheffield in 1901 with the new tram
service from the city centre starting on 26 January 1901, running to the bottom of Parkside Road.
The face of present day Owlerton was changed radically in the mid 1980 when the main A61 road
(Penistone Road) was converted into a dual carriageway this resulted in many of the old terraced houses and several public house
s being demolished. An area of housing on the eastern side of the road was cleared to make way for the new Hillsborough Leisure Centre. The Victoria, Royal Hotel, Sportsmans Group, Cambridge Inn and Rose Inn pubs were all knocked down in the new developments along the new road in the ensuing few years.
Remaining pubs in the area are the Old Crown, New Barrack Tavern and the Masons Arms (Capel Street). 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.
Hillsborough Leisure Centre is situated on Penistone Road at grid reference . It was built in 1989 by the structural engineer
s William Saunders & Partners for the 1991
World Student Games
. The centre is run by Sheffield International Venues
and features an Olympic size swimming pool, a large sports hall and gymnasium. The swimming pool has a pioneering moving floor which allows it to be used for both competition and leisure swimming as well as a wave machine and water slides. The centre has received the award of UK Centre of the Year by the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) on four occasions. The building is of noteworthy design, featuring extensive glazing within the walls and roof trusses which are supported on external columns.
arch, oak reredos
installed in 1907 and various stained glass memorial windows.
which opened in 1845 over the Scraith Wood ravine. Herries Road (A6102) was constructed in the ravine in the 1920s and the viaduct now spans this road. The railway was once a busy inter-city line; it lost out to the Hope Valley Line
after the 1960s as a route to Manchester
. The last passenger train crossed the viaduct in 1983.
. Its design has large amounts of glass integrated into it and uses the Pilkington
frameless glazing system.
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".
. 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.
. The firm was established in Sheffield in 1842 but did not come to Owlerton until 1934 when Bassett's son in law Samuel Meggit Johnson built a large factory on Beulah Road . The factory was enlarged in the inter-war period as new products such as Jelly Babies
, Wine Gum
s and Liquorice Novelties were added to the range. In April 1939 a huge fire damaged the building severely as hundreds of tons of sugar burned with ferocity. In 1989 Bassetts was purchased by the Cadbury Schweppes group and became part of its confectionery subsidiary Cadbury Trebor Bassett.
are one of the top producers in the World of scalpel
s and surgical blades, they export to over 100 countries around the world. Mr W.R. Swann, Mr J.A. Morton and Miss D. Fairweather founded the business in August 1932 on Owlerton Green . The firm was originally a razor blade manufacturer but over the years emphasis was shifted to surgical blades which was a growing market. In 2000 the firm invested heavily and expanded the works to increase despatch, sterile storage, laboratories and production facilities.
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 lies 2.2 miles (3.5 km) northwest of the city centre near the confluence of the River Don and 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...
. Owlerton was formerly a small rural settlement with its origins in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
, it became part of Sheffield in the early 1900s as the city expanded. Owlerton stands just east of the adjacent suburb of Hillsborough
Hillsborough, 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...
and the division between the two districts is difficult to delineate. This is further complicated by the fact that certain buildings such as Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
, Hillsborough Leisure Centre and Hillsborough College lie firmly within Owlerton. The name Owlerton is believed to come from the abundant growth of Alder trees in the area. "Alder - Ton" meaning the settlement of the Alders.
It was the home of Owlerton F.C.
Owlerton F.C.
Owlerton Football Club was an English football club, founded in 1869.-Famous players:William Carr was the club's only England international player, earning one cap in 1875....
, a football team in the nineteenth century.
History
Owlerton existed in Anglo-SaxonAnglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times when it was documented as an enclosed farmstead in the 9th century. In the early 12th century it became a small manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
following the Norman conquest of England
Norman 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...
. The Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
created several of these small manors which were reliant on Sheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle
Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been constructed on the site at some time in the century...
and included ones at the nearby hamlets of Wadsley
Wadsley
Wadsley is a suburb of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It stands five km NW of the city centre at an approximate grid reference of...
and Shirecliffe. The earliest written record of the settlement as a manor is from 1297 when it was recorded that Thomas de Schefeld, lord of the manor of Owlerton was one of the original witnesses of the establishment of the Burgery of Sheffield
Sheffield Town Trust
The Sheffield Town Trust, formerly officially known as the Burgery of Sheffield, is a charitable trust operating in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.-Mediaeval period:...
.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
(Owlerton Hall). The Creswyke's were a prominent local family and had owned land in the area since 1339. Margaret Creswick married Thomas Steade in 1696 who built Burrowlee House
Burrowlee House
Burrowlee House is a Georgian style building situated at grid reference on Broughton Road in the Owlerton district of Sheffield, some four km NW of the city centre. It is the oldest building in the Owlerton and Hillsborough area and was one of the first houses constructed wholly from brick in...
. 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.
Situated below the confluence of the Rivelin and Loxley rivers the area suffered badly during the great flood of 1864
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 :...
.
During the 19th and the first half of the 20th century Owlerton became industrialised, using the water power of the Rivers 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 Don to drive machinery for steel and tool making, corn mills and paper mills. Owlerton became part of the City of Sheffield in 1901 with the new tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
service from the city centre starting on 26 January 1901, running to the bottom of Parkside Road.
Present day
A61 road
The A61 is a major trunk road in England. It runs from Derby to Thirsk in North Yorkshire. From Derby, it heads north via Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon...
(Penistone Road) was converted into a dual carriageway this resulted in many of the old terraced houses and several 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 being demolished. An area of housing on the eastern side of the road was cleared to make way for the new Hillsborough Leisure Centre. The Victoria, Royal Hotel, Sportsmans Group, Cambridge Inn and Rose Inn pubs were all knocked down in the new developments along the new road in the ensuing few years.
Remaining pubs in the area are the Old Crown, New Barrack Tavern and the Masons Arms (Capel Street). The redevelopment in the late 1980s and 90s resulted in the area getting a KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
, Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
and two large franchised car dealers (Citroën
Citroën
Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
and Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
). The area suffered in the 2007 floods
2007 United Kingdom floods
The 2007 United Kingdom floods were a series of destructive floods that occurred in various areas across the country during the summer of 2007. The most severe floods occurred across Northern Ireland on 12 June; East Yorkshire and The Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire,...
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.
Hillsborough Leisure Centre
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
s William Saunders & Partners for the 1991
1991 Summer Universiade
The 1991 Summer Universiade, also known as the XVI Summer Universiade, took place in Sheffield, England. In the host country it was generally referred to as the World Student Games....
World Student Games
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
. The centre is run by Sheffield International Venues
Sheffield International Venues
Sheffield International Venues has grown rapidly over the past 10 years to become one of the largest sport, leisure and entertainment companies in Europe...
and features an Olympic size swimming pool, a large sports hall and gymnasium. The swimming pool has a pioneering moving floor which allows it to be used for both competition and leisure swimming as well as a wave machine and water slides. The centre has received the award of UK Centre of the Year by the Fitness Industry Association (FIA) on four occasions. The building is of noteworthy design, featuring extensive glazing within the walls and roof trusses which are supported on external columns.
St. John the Baptist Church, Owlerton
St. John the Baptist church is also on Penistone Road and was built by J.B. Mitchell-Withers at a cost of £6,300 in 1874. It was consecrated on July 29th by William Thomson, Archbishop of York. It has a slender bell tower with wooden belfry and a pyramidal slate roof. The interior has a seating capacity of 600 and includes a high chancelChancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch, oak reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
installed in 1907 and various stained glass memorial windows.
Wardsend Viaduct
Is situated at and is popularly known as the Five Arches, it was constructed to carry the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester RailwaySheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway
The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne...
which opened in 1845 over the Scraith Wood ravine. Herries Road (A6102) was constructed in the ravine in the 1920s and the viaduct now spans this road. The railway was once a busy inter-city line; it lost out to the Hope Valley Line
Hope Valley Line
The Hope Valley Line is a railway line in England linking Sheffield with Manchester. It was completed in 1894.From Sheffield, trains head down the Midland Main Line to Dore, where the Hope Valley Line branches off to run through the Totley Tunnel .It emerges in the stunning scenery of the Hope...
after the 1960s as a route to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The last passenger train crossed the viaduct in 1983.
Hillsborough College
Situated on Livesey Street this £27 million institute opened in 2006 and is part of the Sheffield CollegeSheffield College
Sheffield College is a further education college in Sheffield, England. It was formed by the merger of six FE colleges in 1993. The main centres are Sheffield City College , Hillsborough College and Norton College...
. Its design has large amounts of glass integrated into it and uses the Pilkington
Pilkington
Pilkington Group Limited is a multinational glass manufacturing company headquartered in St Helens, United Kingdom. It is a subsidiary of the Japan-based NSG Group...
frameless glazing system.
Hillsborough Stadium
The stadium is the home ground of Sheffield Wednesday F.C.Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
who played their first game there in 1899. The ground was built on land formerly part of the Hillsborough House
Hillsborough House
Hillsborough House, later called Hillsborough Hall is a large stone built mansion built in the Adam style in the latter part of the 18th century. It stands 2½ miles NW of the centre of Sheffield at grid reference in the suburb of Hillsborough within Hillsborough Park, a council owned public...
estate. The ground was called Owlerton Stadium until 1914 and gave Sheffield Wednesday their nickname of "The Owls".
Burrowlee House
Situated on Broughton Road , it was built in 1711 and is the oldest building in the Owlerton and Hillsborough area.Owlerton Stadium
The stadium was opened on Easter Saturday, 30 March 1929 for the new craze of SpeedwayMotorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
. In 1932 a 500 metre Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
track was constructed around the edge of the speedway track. There is a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
called Napoleon's built on the car park.
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 Liquorice AllsortsLiquorice allsorts
Liquorice allsorts consist of a variety of liquorice sold as a mixture. These confections are made of liquorice, sugar, coconut, aniseed jelly, fruit flavourings, and gelatine. They were first produced in Sheffield, England, by Geo...
. The firm was established in Sheffield in 1842 but did not come to Owlerton until 1934 when Bassett's son in law Samuel Meggit Johnson built a large factory on Beulah Road . The factory was enlarged in the inter-war period as new products such as Jelly Babies
Jelly baby
Jelly babies are a type of soft confectionery that look like little babies in a variety of colours. There are currently several brands of jelly babies, most predominantly Trebor Bassett , Rowntree , Norfolk Manor, and Haribo.Jelly babies were launched by Bassett's in 1918 in Sheffield...
, Wine Gum
Wine gum
Wine gums are chewy, firm pastille-type sweets similar to gumdrops without the sugar coating. While generally manufactured from gelatin, at least one winegum, Swedish Fish, contains no gelatin; all have their own mixes containing various sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings...
s and Liquorice Novelties were added to the range. In April 1939 a huge fire damaged the building severely as hundreds of tons of sugar burned with ferocity. In 1989 Bassetts was purchased by the Cadbury Schweppes group and became part of its confectionery subsidiary Cadbury Trebor Bassett.
Swann Morton
Swann MortonSwann Morton
Swann Morton Ltd. is a British manufacturer of scalpel handles, blades and other surgical equipment. It was founded in 1932 by W. R. Swann, J. A. Morton and D. Fairweather to make and sell razor blades.Mr Swann's founding principles:...
are one of the top producers in the World of scalpel
Scalpel
A scalpel, or lancet, is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts . Scalpels may be single-use disposable or re-usable. Re-usable scalpels can have attached, resharpenable blades or, more commonly, non-attached, replaceable...
s and surgical blades, they export to over 100 countries around the world. Mr W.R. Swann, Mr J.A. Morton and Miss D. Fairweather founded the business in August 1932 on Owlerton Green . The firm was originally a razor blade manufacturer but over the years emphasis was shifted to surgical blades which was a growing market. In 2000 the firm invested heavily and expanded the works to increase despatch, sterile storage, laboratories and production facilities.