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Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is situated about 3 miles south of Sheffield city centre on the River Sheaf, from which Sheffield takes its name. Iron was forged on the site from at least the 13th Century, and from the 17th century onwards the site operated primarily as a water-powered (and largely self-sufficient) scythe-grinding works. Later, steam-power was also used, and the works only closed in 1933, though it re-opened during World War 2 to aid the British war effort.
After a lengthy restoration, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet opened as a working museum, and I can remember several school trips to this fascinating place as a boy, and later taking my own children there. Unfortunately, after Sheffield City Council bankrupted the city by hosting the World Student Games in the early 1990s, the museum was mothballed, and much of the hard work that was originally put into its renovation was reversed. Recently, an alternative source of funding was secured, and with much volunteer help, a great deal of work is being put in to restore the hamlet into a working museum again.
I recently visited it for the first time in twenty years, as a recce for when I take Duncan and his good lady there next week. While the museum is certainly not what it once was, I have every hope that it can be fully restored, and it is still a fascinating place to visit. A few craftsmen still work at the site, including the blacksmith pictured in the penultimate photo below. At the time of being photographed, he was engaged in making a set of ladys pattens, an early form of platform shoe worn by both sexes to keep their feet above the muddy and sewage-filled streets of Olde England. An original model is shown in the last photo (more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patten_(shoe)). I also met a bloke who is grinding sword blades for Wilkinson Sword at the works, as well as doing some work for a certain TV bushcrafter.
Anyway, without further ado, heres some pics for you to look at, showing everything from the dam holding the water which supplies the power, to to the grinding hull. If the content of the photos isn't clear, I'll try to answer any questions.Hopefully Duncan will take more photos when we visit next week.
Jack
After a lengthy restoration, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet opened as a working museum, and I can remember several school trips to this fascinating place as a boy, and later taking my own children there. Unfortunately, after Sheffield City Council bankrupted the city by hosting the World Student Games in the early 1990s, the museum was mothballed, and much of the hard work that was originally put into its renovation was reversed. Recently, an alternative source of funding was secured, and with much volunteer help, a great deal of work is being put in to restore the hamlet into a working museum again.
I recently visited it for the first time in twenty years, as a recce for when I take Duncan and his good lady there next week. While the museum is certainly not what it once was, I have every hope that it can be fully restored, and it is still a fascinating place to visit. A few craftsmen still work at the site, including the blacksmith pictured in the penultimate photo below. At the time of being photographed, he was engaged in making a set of ladys pattens, an early form of platform shoe worn by both sexes to keep their feet above the muddy and sewage-filled streets of Olde England. An original model is shown in the last photo (more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patten_(shoe)). I also met a bloke who is grinding sword blades for Wilkinson Sword at the works, as well as doing some work for a certain TV bushcrafter.
Anyway, without further ado, heres some pics for you to look at, showing everything from the dam holding the water which supplies the power, to to the grinding hull. If the content of the photos isn't clear, I'll try to answer any questions.Hopefully Duncan will take more photos when we visit next week.
Jack
Great historic background
