Five Weirs to Meadowhall and back

This week Chris decided to "keep it local" and he offered us a trip out from Sheffield centre following the River Don. He led us from Victoria Quays out to Meadowhall passing Five Weirs (actually we only passed four because there was a diversion before we reached the first one). We returned along the tow-path of the Sheffield-Tinsley Canal.

 

The old Royal Victoria Hotel, which used to be a resting place for travellers using Sheffield Victoria station (station closed in 1960s)

The Sheffield Bailey Bridge. The Bailey Bridge was developed during World War Two by Sir Donald Bailey. You may already know that they are "instant" bridges which can be speedily built without the use of heavy machinery or cranes. Donald Bailey was born in Rotherham and trained to be a civil engineer at Sheffield University. He started work for the Ministry of Supply in 1939.

 

Fig trees - alas no figs, yet

 

Hadfield's Hecla Works are named after an Icelandic volcano - Hecla. The original offices can still be seen on New Hall Road

 

Sanderson's Weir dates from the 1580s. It was constructed on the orders of the Lord of the Manor - George Talbot, the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. He was the husband of Bess of Hardwick and was also the jailer of Mary, Queen of Scots

Brightside Weir, the 4th and largest of the five weirs. This one dates from 1328 when Thomas de Furnival (he, of Furnival Gate fame) ordered it to be constructed for his corn mill. Two cutlers' wheels were added in the 15th century

After a quick tour of the facilities at Meadowhall, including the office where I worked for a year in the early 2000s, we headed back towards the city centre along the canal path.

 

We joined the canal by the Tinsley viaduct and were soon into a series of locks - the "Tinsley Flight"

 

Chris explained to us that the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal was opened in 1819 to carry boats between the navigable River Don at Tinsley and a new basin close to the heart of Sheffield. Before this date, goods had to be carried over poor roads to Tinsley Wharf on the River Don.

When it opened on 22 February 1819 a general holiday was called and crowds of spectators, reportedly 60,000, gathered to watch the first boats, a flotilla of 10 arrive from Tinsley. Within the flotilla was one barge of coal brought from Handsworth Colliery - the first cargo to travel the canal.

By 1840 the city could boast a service second to none, services to Greasbrough ran in connection with the twice weekly "fly-boat", which itself ran in connection with the Hull and London steamers. Richard Preston & Company offered a "fly-boat" service to Thorne for onward transshipment, whilst the London and Sheffield Union Company offered a service "without transshipment" to the capital. Other services ran to Gainsborough (fortnightly) and Leeds (every three weeks).

In 1895 the Sheffield Canal was amalgamated with the River Don Navigation and the Stainforth & Keadby canal to form the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. The following year the facilities at Sheffield were modernised and a new warehouse built straddling the basin.

The basin was a busy, thriving transshipment point for many years, but trade declined as more goods were moved by rail and later by road. By the 1970s, it had declined into a forlorn and unwelcoming state, with the warehouses becoming dilapidated. In the 1990s the canal basin was restored and renamed Victoria Quays.

 

 

Over lunch Martin gave us a brief insight into the history of the Tinsley Flight. He told us that there were originally twelve locks in the Flight, which rises 70 feet but in order to accommodate a new railway bridge, locks 7 and 8 were combined in 1959, with a single concrete chamber replacing both of them. The modern numbering scheme has locks 1 to 6, 7/8 and 9 to 12.

 

I don't think this boat is going very far!

 

Who would think that you could see such an picturesque view so close to a city centre?

 

One of the original bridges

 

An old warehouse on Effingham St. with the Bernard St. incinerator in the background

 

 

Chris with his "new toy"

 

The Old Queen's Head is a public house on Pond Hill that is the oldest domestic building in the city. This timber framed building dates from c.1475, although the earliest known written record of it is in an inventory compiled in 1582 of the estate of George Talbot, the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury. The building was then called "The hawle at the Poandes".

As a part of the Earl's estate, it may have been used as a banqueting hall for parties hunting wildfowl in the nearby ponds. These ponds, which formed in the area where the Porter Brook meets the River Sheaf, are now gone, but are commemorated in the local names Pond Street, Pond Hill (formerly Pond Well Hill) and Ponds Forge.

By the beginning of the 19th century the building was being used as a residence.

 

In 1840 a pub called the Old Queen's Head was opened in the neighbouring building, and sometime after 1862 the pub expanded into this building. The Queen in the pub's name is likely Mary, Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned in Sheffield from 1570 to 1584.

 Then a post-walk analysis and discussion over a pint or two of Thornbridge's finest ales in the Sheffield Tap

 Cheers!

Hardraw Gathering

We found an alternative way to celebrate "the wedding" - we went to the Hardraw May Gathering - a festival of traditional music, song and dance. This was the second May Gathering and was held at the Green Dragon Inn, Hardraw, near Hawes in North Yorkshire.

 

The Green Dragon dates back to the 14th century. At the turn of the 20th century the Green Dragon Inn and Hardraw Force were owned by Lord Wharncliffe. In 1913 the Estate was advertised for sale.‘The Simonstone Estate comprising 12,662 acres. High and Low Abbotside to be sold by auction on Wednesday 22nd October 1913 – Northallerton.’ (Excerpt from the sale catalogue). This was not due to any financial hardship, but merely to pay for a son's 21st birthday party. 

The Gathering started on Thursday evening with impromptu singing sessions ("singarounds") and the concerts started on Friday evening. For me, Saturday evening was the best evening with The Young 'Uns, Ian Bruce and Uiscedwr performing. Other acts over the weekend included Winter Wilson and Jez Lowe. For full details of the event see  http://www.hardrawgathering.co.uk/

We also took the opportunity to explore the area by foot and by cycle (which also involved quite a bit of walking ... up the steep hills!)

 

Hardraw Force home of England`s largest single drop waterfall with a reputed 100 foot drop. It is within the grounds of the Green Dragon Inn.

The name Hardraw is old English for Shepherds dwelling, and once formed part of land owned by the Cistercian Monks, who settled in the village before moving to Jervaulx Abbey in lower Wensleydale.

A dipper ...

... dipping!

Hawes was a half hour walk away from Hardraw, via the Pennine Way

 

Hawes railway station - now the Dales Countryside Museum

Hawes - originally known as The Hawes, deriving from the Old Norse word hals, meaning "neck" or "pass between mountains" - is in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire and was granted its market charter in 1699. Historically within the North Riding of Yorkshire, Hawes is at the head of Wensleydale  and is on the River Ure. The town is famous as being the home of Wensleydale cheese.

 Appersett viaduct

 I approached this field with caution!

 

View of Wensleydale

 

Simonstone Hall dates from the 17th century and was originally the home of the Whitaker family. It is a privately-owned listed building. The house was substantially re-built in the 18th century as an early example of Jacobean revival architecture. Ancillary buildings include a 17th century barn and an 18th century stables. It is now a country house hotel

This turkey was in a garden near the Hall

 Shaw Wood

Wild garlic

 

The following day I decided to cycle to Muker - this involved climbing out of Wensleydale and descending into Swaledale.

Muker is in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire in Swaledale. Its name reflects its origin as a Norse settlement, derived from the Norse word "Mjor-aker" meaning "the narrow acre". The location at the meeting of the River Swale and the Straw Beck with plenty of good meadow land around is most likely why the Vikings chose to settle here, giving them the opportunity to make a living out of mixed farming and pastoral farming.

Agriculture continued to be the basis of economy in Muker until lead mining became more important during the late 18th century and the early 19th century. Muker was also a major centre for hand knitting during this period. The importance of these industries is reflected in the many cottages, workshops and other buildings constructed at the time.

 

The lead mining industry brought great wealth to Muker and its Literary Institute reflects this. It was built in 1867 and by the end of the 19^th century it had some 600 books. 

My route back was via Askrigg Pasture - just as steep as my journey over to Muker but much more picturesque

 I saw this bird on Askrigg Pasture - I think it's an Oystercatcher (but I may be wrong)

One of Askrigg's claims to fame is that it was used in the BBC TV series "All Creatures Great and Small". James Herriot's home, Skeldale House is in the village and the Kings Arms made many appearances as the Drover's Arms.

 I then cycled back along the valley to Hardraw - a total of around 20 miles