Neepsend – EOP 8E1/Ethernet converter – 4E1+1Gigabit PDH Multiplexer
Etymology
The origin of the word Neepsend is believed to come from the Old Norse language, with the word “nypr” meaning a peak, the “end” part was added as Neepsend lies in the Don valley at the termination of a high ridge which descends from Shirecliffe and over Parkwood. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Place Names gives the word “Nipa” as of Swedish and Norwegian origin and means a crag or steep river bank. In a 1297 subsidy roll the suburb was referred to as Nipisend and in 1637 as Nypysend.
History
There is no evidence of ancient settlement in Neepsend, the area was heavily forested with the steep ground to the north covered by the dense woodland of Old Park Wood. The Scandinavians arrived in the 10th century and started to clear the woodland and turn the valley floor by the River Don into fields and meadows. The wood was further cleared between the early 1600s and the mid 1800s for timber and by charcoal burners. A network of fields were left on the high ground and a local well or spring probably gave this district its name of Parkwood Springs.
Industrialisation
The Neepsend gas holder dominates the district and is a prominent landmark across Sheffield.
The first industrial development in the Neepsend area came about in the early part of the 18th century when the Sandbed Wheel of the Sandbed Tilt Company was constructed on the Don just upstream from Hillfoot Bridge. Further development continued, the Neepsend Tannery was opened in 1821 and the 1853 OS map shows the Neepsend Tavern and a brewery on Rutland Road. The adjacent Kelham Island district was one of Sheffield most important early industrial areas it now houses the Kelham Island Museum. In the second half of the 19th century Neepsend was change radically by the population explosion of Sheffield, in 1852 Neepsend Gas Works, one of the areas most famous landmarks was built by the newly formed Gas Consumers Company. The neighbouring district of Owlerton was supplied with gas by the rival Sheffield United Gas Light Company and eventually an amalgamation solved any problems between the two companies. The Neepsend Rolling Mills were established in 1876 just downstream from Neepsend Bridge it produced Crucible steel for the cutlery industry. After being demolished it was the subject of an archeological dig in 2003 before apartments were built on the site. Other industrial heritage buildings in the area are the Globe Works and Cornish Place which have been converted into offices and apartments respectively while the Green Lane Works are at present disused.
In December, 1845, the Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway opened and Neepsend was a key point on the line with Neepsend engine shed being built to supply and overhaul locomotives for the nearby Sheffield Victoria railway station, the Neepsend shed even built a number of locomotives for the line. The Parkwood Springs district was developed as a housing area in the 1860s for the railway employees and in 1888 the Neepsend railway station was opened eventually closing to passengers in 1940.
The Fat Cat pub showing the relative heights of the 1864 and 2007 floods.
Aizlewood Mill with the Harlequin pub next door.
Sheffield flood
On March 12th 1864 the Neepsend area was devastated by the Great Sheffield Flood with approximately 77 people killed by the deluge. The whole locality was more or less flooded. The gas works suffered substantial damage losing more than 1,000 tons of coal as well as boilers and engines. Many of the industrial mills on the River Don were badly damaged and all the boundary walls by the river were swept away. The Neepsend bridge managed to withstand the onslaught although a large amount of debris was piled up against it. Hillfoot Bridge, then made of timber, was swept away and later replaced by a stone structure.
20th Century
The twentieth century brought the opening of the Neepsend Power Station, erected on the site of the Old Parkwood brick works in 1902. It was ideally situated on the banks of the Don where water could be used for condensing purposes and close to the railway station which supplied coal. The power station was expanded on several occasions, a cooling tower was added in 1937 and a second in 1947. It became obsolete and was decommissioned in 1976 when the CEGBs newer stations on the River Trent starting to feed the national grid. In 1905 the electric Sheffield Tramway route between the city centre and Owlerton opened and passed through Neepsend, going along Neepsend Lane.
The last remnants of the Old Park Wood were felled during the General Strike of 1926 for firewood. The Parkwood Ganister and Coal Mine operated between 1938 and 1963, the coal being sold to the power station and the Ganister to make fire bricks. Neepsend suffered damage from air raids in 1940 during World War II, the gas works was severely damaged as three million cubic feet of gas stored in four gas holders was ignited. Neepsend Lane was badly damaged by bombing and the main gas main hit, nine cottages were destroyed by a large bomb in Parkwood Road.
New Testament Church Of God, Nursery Street.
Present day
Neepsend was designated as an area for industry after World War II by Sheffield City Council and its resident population was greatly reduced. This resulted in Boyland Street School closing in 1946 and Neepsend Hillfoot School closing in 1975. The gas works re-opened in 1943 after the bombing, today gas is no longer produced at the works, although the largest of the holders is still standing and is used to store North Sea gas. In 1978 the Parkwood Springs estate was bulldozed and then landscaped, in 1988 the Sheffield Ski Village was opened on the site. The village includes eight ski runs, ski lodge, retail shops and restaurants.
Neepsend formerly had many public houses, however the Gardeners Rest, Forest, and the Farfield are the only ones remaining in the main part of Neepsend. The Kelham Island area which is being regenerated back to a fashionable residential district has The Harlequin, The Riverside, The Fat Cat, The Kelham Island Tavern and The Milestone pubs. Aizlewood’s mill is a grade two listed building and is a former six storey flour mill built in 1861, it is situated on Nursery Street close to the city centre. The derelict building was restored and opened as a business centre in 1990. The New Testament Church of God also on Nursery Street is a Grade II listed building built by Flockton, Lee & Flockton it was financed by Anne and Elizabeth Harrison who stipulated that it should be an exact copy of Christ Church in Attercliffe (1826) and therefore has an old fashioned look with thin pointed buttresses, a crenellated parapet and a square tower.
The Sheffield Ski Village occupies the former site of the Parkwood Springs estate.
In June 2007 the Neepsend area was badly flooded when the River Don burst its banks. Many businesses and properties were affected.
References
^ “A History Of Neepsend”, Paul Hodkinson, (Booklet) Gives much of history and meaning of name.
^ “Old Ordnance Survey Maps, Sheffield (Neepsend) 1903”, Notes by Trevor Lodge, ISBN 0 85054 140 9 Gives history.
^ “Information board at site gives details of Neepsend Rolling Mills.
^ Mick Armitage’s Sheffield Flood website. Gives details of flood victims by district.
^ “The Dramatic Story Of The Sheffield Flood”, Peter Machan, ISBN 1 9015 8705 3 Gives details of Sheffield Flood at Neepsend.
^ Sheffield Indexers. Gives details of Hillfoot School.
^ Sheffield Ski Village website. Gives details of Ski Village.
^ “Pevsner Architectural Guides – Sheffield”, Ruth Harman & John Minnis, ISBN 0 300 10585 1 Gives details of buildings.
v d e
Districts of Sheffield
Abbeydale Attercliffe Batemoor Beauchief Beighton Bradfield (High Bradfield Low Bradfield) Brightside Burngreave Carbrook Chapeltown Crookes Crosspool Darnall Dore Ecclesall Ecclesfield Fulwood Gleadless Greenhill Grenoside Halfway Handsworth Heeley Hemsworth Highfield High Green Hillsborough Hyde Park Longley Lowfield Loxley Malin Bridge Manor Meersbrook Middlewood Millhouses Mosborough Neepsend Nether Edge Norton Owlerton Oughtibridge Park Hill Pitsmoor Ranmoor Ringinglow Sharrow Stocksbridge Tinsley Totley Wadsley Wadsley Bridge Walkley Wisewood Woodseats Woodhouse Worrall
Categories: Districts of Sheffield | History of Sheffield | Buildings and structures in Sheffield
The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as EOP 8E1/Ethernet converter , 4E1+1Gigabit PDH Multiplexer, and more. For more , please visit pdh multiplexer today!
Processing your request, Please wait....
