Swinton, South Yorkshire
Encyclopedia
Swinton is a suburban town within the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
, in South Yorkshire
, England
on part of the west bank of the River Don. It has a population of 14,643.
of international importance; deep coal mining
, glassmaking, canal barge-building and engineering
also featured.
It is best known for being the site of the Rockingham Pottery
, a world-famous manufacturer of porcelain. Although the factory closed in 1842 its name is left as defining a style of rococo
porcelain. There were several other potteries in the area during the 19th century. One of the original kilns, a small part of the factory, a gatehouse (both now private residences) and the pottery flint millpond can still be seen today in a small park called Pottery Ponds off Blackamoor Road near the Woodman public house in Swinton.
canal and the derelict Dearne and Dove Canal
.
), employment is provided predominantly by service and light industry
in the nearby Manvers area.
Squeezed in among the railway lines and canals is Waddington's Boat Yard, which has survived the widespread decline in local industry and still operates a limited barge repair and transport business, having also diversified into timber milling and woodworking.
The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation canal, once a major transport route between Sheffield
and Goole
, underwent substantial modernisation in the mid 1980s and is capable of accommodating large vessels as far as Rotherham
, and pleasure craft through to Sheffield. Recently, limited bulk freight has returned to the canal and can occasionally be seen passing through the modern Swinton Lock.
The town was without a railway station between January 1968, when the old station
was closed as part of the Beeching
cuts, and 1991, when a new, then-unstaffed station
was opened. This followed the restoration of the dual track "Swinton Curve" (also known as the "Foundry Curve" based on past proximity to such), enabling trains to travel from Sheffield to Doncaster
via Swinton. Increased passenger usage subsequently lead to the provision of a small portable building staffed for the morning peak only. This was later replaced by a brick building housing a ticket office and waiting room. Some local bus services connect with trains at this facility.
Swinton is also home to a large site owned by the Morphy Richards & Roberts Radio
brands. Whilst most manufacturing has ceased, substantial warehousing remains. An American bagel
company also operates in the town in addition to Stelrad and Jackson's Building Centres.
Swinton's strong working class
traditions gave way during the mid-1980s manufacturing upheaval, and the town now has marked divisions between deprived areas and newer "middle class
" regions.
There are also several primary schools and nurseries, most notable are Swinton Fitzwilliam Primary, Swinton Queen Primary School and Brookfield Primary School. Swinton Queen Primary School is currently being rebuilt and the estimated completion date set for March 2011.
On the outskirts of Swinton and a short walk from Bow Broom estate is the Dearne Valley College
and the now empty Humphry Davy
House which was used for nursing studies by Sheffield University. Students now studying nursing complete their studies in Sheffield at Hallam University
who decided to not use the building off Golden Smithies Lane. The Humphry Davy House building is now to be used to home a new free school, due to open in 2012, called the Three Valley Independent Academy.
Current pubs/bars include:
was formerly occupied by Croda Hydrocarbons, who took over the works from Midland and Yorkshire Tar Distillers. The site is associated with local controversy owing to pollution during the plant operations.
Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham
The Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham is a metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. It is named for its largest town, Rotherham, but also spans the outlying towns of Maltby, Rawmarsh, Swinton, Wath-upon-Dearne, as well as a suburban and rural element composed of hills, escarpments and...
, in 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
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...
on part of the west bank of the River Don. It has a population of 14,643.
History
The town was once a centre for the manufacture of ceramicsPottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
of international importance; deep coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
, glassmaking, canal barge-building and engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
also featured.
It is best known for being the site of the Rockingham Pottery
Rockingham Pottery
The Rockingham Pottery was a 19th century manufacturer of porcelain of international repute, supplying fine wares and ornamental pieces to royalty and the aristocracy in Britain and overseas, as well as manufacturing porcelain and earthenware items for ordinary use.It is best known for its finely...
, a world-famous manufacturer of porcelain. Although the factory closed in 1842 its name is left as defining a style of rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
porcelain. There were several other potteries in the area during the 19th century. One of the original kilns, a small part of the factory, a gatehouse (both now private residences) and the pottery flint millpond can still be seen today in a small park called Pottery Ponds off Blackamoor Road near the Woodman public house in Swinton.
Topography
The town is located on a hillside, the higher regions generally being home to older dwellings and the lower regions the location of newer build. The lowest point of the town contains two main rail lines, the River Don, the Sheffield and South Yorkshire NavigationSheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation
The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation is a system of navigable inland waterways in South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, England....
canal and the derelict Dearne and Dove Canal
Dearne and Dove Canal
The Dearne and Dove Canal ran for almost ten miles through South Yorkshire, England from Swinton to Barnsley through nineteen locks, rising 127 yards. The canal also had two short branches, the Worsbrough branch and the Elsecar branch, both about two miles long with reservoirs at the head of each....
.
Economy and transport
Following the decline of traditional industries (and notably the 1980s miners' strikeUK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
), employment is provided predominantly by service and light industry
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
in the nearby Manvers area.
Squeezed in among the railway lines and canals is Waddington's Boat Yard, which has survived the widespread decline in local industry and still operates a limited barge repair and transport business, having also diversified into timber milling and woodworking.
The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation canal, once a major transport route between 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...
and Goole
Goole
Goole is a town, civil parish and port located approximately inland on the confluence of the rivers Don and Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, underwent substantial modernisation in the mid 1980s and is capable of accommodating large vessels as far as Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, and pleasure craft through to Sheffield. Recently, limited bulk freight has returned to the canal and can occasionally be seen passing through the modern Swinton Lock.
The town was without a railway station between January 1968, when the old station
Swinton Town railway station
Swinton Town railway station was the second railway station built on the North Midland Railway to serve Swinton, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England...
was closed as part of the Beeching
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
cuts, and 1991, when a new, then-unstaffed station
Swinton (South Yorkshire) railway station
Swinton railway station is a railway station in Swinton, South Yorkshire, England. It has three platforms and a small bus station, and lies at the junction of the former North Midland Railway main line between Rotherham Masborough and Leeds via Cudworth and the former South Yorkshire Railway line...
was opened. This followed the restoration of the dual track "Swinton Curve" (also known as the "Foundry Curve" based on past proximity to such), enabling trains to travel from Sheffield to Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
via Swinton. Increased passenger usage subsequently lead to the provision of a small portable building staffed for the morning peak only. This was later replaced by a brick building housing a ticket office and waiting room. Some local bus services connect with trains at this facility.
Swinton is also home to a large site owned by the Morphy Richards & Roberts Radio
Morphy Richards
Morphy Richards is a business located in the Swinton Meadows Industrial Estate, Swinton, near Mexborough, South Yorkshire.-Product range:It specialises in the manufacture of toasters, hairdryers, bread makers, kettles and sandwich toasters and other appliances. In its early stage it also made...
brands. Whilst most manufacturing has ceased, substantial warehousing remains. An American bagel
Bagel
A bagel is a bread product, traditionally shaped by hand into the form of a ring from yeasted wheat dough, roughly hand-sized, which is first boiled for a short time in water and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior...
company also operates in the town in addition to Stelrad and Jackson's Building Centres.
Swinton's strong working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
traditions gave way during the mid-1980s manufacturing upheaval, and the town now has marked divisions between deprived areas and newer "middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
" regions.
Education
The secondary school in Swinton is called Swinton Community School. It also has a sixth form college. The age group is 11-18. It is scheduled to be re-built on the current site. However since the scrapage of the rebuilding schools programme by the current coalition government this has since been scrapped meaning that a rebuild in the near future would be unlikely.There are also several primary schools and nurseries, most notable are Swinton Fitzwilliam Primary, Swinton Queen Primary School and Brookfield Primary School. Swinton Queen Primary School is currently being rebuilt and the estimated completion date set for March 2011.
On the outskirts of Swinton and a short walk from Bow Broom estate is the Dearne Valley College
Dearne Valley College
Dearne Valley College is a further education college situated in the Manvers Park area of Wath-upon-Dearne, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It also has a campus near Wath town centre....
and the now empty Humphry Davy
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
House which was used for nursing studies by Sheffield University. Students now studying nursing complete their studies in Sheffield at Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University is a higher education institution in South Yorkshire, England, based on two sites in Sheffield. City Campus is located in the city centre, close to Sheffield railway station, and Collegiate Crescent Campus is about two miles away, adjacent to Ecclesall Road in...
who decided to not use the building off Golden Smithies Lane. The Humphry Davy House building is now to be used to home a new free school, due to open in 2012, called the Three Valley Independent Academy.
Nightlife
Swinton's nightlife has been locally famous for many years, with many visiting from out-of-town to sample the "golden mile" of pubs. In recent years, the pub trade has slowed down, but only two pubs out of 10+ have shut up shop. One of those has been demolished to make way for a block of flats. The town's pubs range from the typical Yorkshire pub, country-style pub serving food, modern bars and club feel.Current pubs/bars include:
- The Woodman - traditional pub
- The High House - typical Yorkshire pub
- The King's Head - country-style pub serving food (reopened)
- Gate Inn - modern gastro-pub chain serving food
- Ring O' Bells - country-style pub
- Robin Hood - typical Yorkshire pub
- The Butcher's - typical Yorkshire pub
- The Cresswell - traditional pub
- The Sportsman - traditional pub
- Park View Social - modern bar, with facilities that can be hired for private functions
- Cafe Sport - modern bar with nightclub feel at weekend, with facilities that can be hired for private functions and a gym underneath the bar
- The Stonehouse - modern wine bar serving food
- The Don Hotel - traditional pub (now closed)
- The Station Hotel - typical Yorkshire pub
- Swinton WMC - working men's club
Local issues
An industrial premises on Swinton's boundary with KilnhurstKilnhurst
Kilnhurst is a village in South Yorkshire, England, on the banks of the River Don and the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. It grew up around the coal mining, ceramics, glass, brick-making and locomotive industries; none of these industries remain in the village.-Residents:The sculptor...
was formerly occupied by Croda Hydrocarbons, who took over the works from Midland and Yorkshire Tar Distillers. The site is associated with local controversy owing to pollution during the plant operations.