Crosspool is a suburb of the City of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, located west of the city centre. The suburb falls within the Crookes ward of the City of Sheffield. It is a

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

residential area''"Approach To Urban Sociology"'', Peter H. Mann, Page 91 Calls Crosspool a “Middle Class Residential Suburb”. in an elevated position above the

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

and Rivelin valleys and stands at around above sea level. Crosspool is situated on the

A57 road The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln via Warrington, Cadishead, Irlam, Patricroft, Eccles, Salford and Manchester, then through the Pennines over the Snake Pass (between the high moorlands of Bleaklow ...

(Manchester Road) and is the last suburb on that road before the city boundary and open countryside is reached. In 2011 Crosspool had a population of 6,703.

History

The area of Crosspool is a fairly recent creation and, unlike some Sheffield suburbs, does not have any ancient history as a village stretching back over the centuries. W. Fairbank's ''“Map of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York”'' published in 1795 shows it as a thinly populated unnamed area sprinkled with a few buildings. From the early centuries AD the

Long Causeway Long Causeway or Long Causey was a medieval packhorse route in England, which ran between Sheffield in South Yorkshire and Hathersage in Derbyshire. In the past the route has been marked on maps as a Roman Road as it was believed it followed part ...

ancient track passed through the area; this originated in Roman times as a highway connecting the forts at

Templeborough Templeborough (historically Templebrough) is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The suburb falls within the Brinsworth and Catcliffe ward of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. The area takes its name from the remains of the ...

and

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.''"Historic Hallamshire"'', David Hey, Gives details of Long Causeway and Hallamshire Chase. Throughout medieval times the area was part of a deer hunting park known as Hallamshire Chase. This was an area of thousands of acres set aside for the Lords of Hallamshire after the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqu ...

. Lydgate Hall was one of the earliest substantial buildings in the area as it existed in the early 1700s although it was substantially altered and extended in the early 19th century. It was the home of the

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

magnate Horatio Bright (1827–1905) for the last 30 years of his life. The Hall was eventually demolished in the 1930s being replaced by housing on Lydgate Hall Crescent. Although there was never a Crosspool village, the area was strategically placed as two roads left Sheffield through the area and there was a

toll gate Toll Gate or Tollgate may refer to: * Toll gate, a barrier across a toll road or toll bridge that is lifted when the toll is paid Entertainment * "Tollgate" (Hale single) * ''The Toll-Gate'', a 1954 novel by Georgette Heyer * ''The Toll Gate'', ...

as well as

inns Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

and a

blacksmiths A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

to serve the traveller. The main industry in the 18th and 19th century was farming although there was also extensive

quarrying A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...

. The presence of several natural pools gave the area its name in the 1800s as travellers on the turnpike roads were said to have “crossed the pools” when they had passed through the neighbourhood and the name of Crosspool developed. The A57 road was built in 1820, and tolls were phased out in 1884, but housing development in the area was delayed because of Crosspool's elevated position, which developers thought would deter people from settling in the area. Housing development eventually started in the 1880s but full-scale building did not take place until after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1913 Crosspool became the first area of Sheffield to receive a public transport service by bus as the

Sheffield Tramway Sheffield Tramway was an extensive tramway network serving the English city of Sheffield and its suburbs. The first tramway line, horse-drawn, opened in 1873 between Lady's Bridge and Attercliffe, subsequently extended to Brightside and Tins ...

did not extend to the suburb. Crosspool suffered some bomb damage during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when bombs were dropped on Den Bank, Shore Lane, Sandygate Road and Ringstead Crescent.''"Cross pool (Images of England)"'', Judith Hanson, Gives detailed history.''"Crookes Revisited"'', Crookes Local History Group, Gives general history.

Demographics

Crosspool is a suburb with vague boundaries; it merges with the adjacent neighbourhoods of

Crookes Crookes is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, England, about west of the city centre. It borders Broomhill to the south, Walkley and Crookesmoor to the east and open countryside around the River Rivelin to the north. The population of the ...

, Fulwood and

Ranmoor Ranmoor () is a suburb of the City of Sheffield, England. It is an affluent suburb in the Fulwood ward of the city. It mostly developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it features a number of large houses that were built for th ...

and has sub-districts within it such as Tapton Hill, Sandygate and Hallam Head. It has a total population of 7,070 residents in a 2006/7

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

Neighbourhood Profile, just 1.3% of the population of the City of Sheffield. Other statistics bear out Crosspool's status as a middle class area with almost 87% of residents being

owner-occupier Owner-occupancy or home-ownership is a form of housing tenure in which a person, called the owner-occupier, owner-occupant, or home owner, owns the home in which they live. The home can be a house, such as a single-family house, an apartment, con ...

s of their houses compared to the Sheffield average of 60.2%. Almost 80% of Crosspool's housing is either detached or semi-detached, again well above the average. 93.1% of Year 11 school pupils go on to further education compared to the Sheffield average of 86.8% while 38.5% of Crosspool's adults have been educated to

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

level in contrast to the Sheffield average of 18.8%.Crosspool Neighbourhood Profile 2006/7.
Gives statistics.

Buildings and landmarks

Present day Crosspool is centred on the area around the junction of Manchester Road, Sandygate Road and Lydgate Lane ( ) where there is a selection of shops, food takeaways and a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

which since 2004 has been located inside a

SPAR SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

store. The Crosspool Tavern, a

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, is also in this area. Other public houses in Crosspool are “The Sportsman” at Stephen Hill and “The Plough” at Sandygate. Another pub, the "Hallamshire Hotel" on Lydgate Lane was demolished in the summer of 2011 and has been replaced by four houses, two apartments and a detached garage block.Crosspool.info
Gives details of demolition of Hallamshire Hotel. There are four schools in Crosspool for different age groups.

Tapton School Tapton School is a secondary school with academy status located in Crosspool, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is sited next to another secondary, King Edward VII School in Sheffield, and near to Lydgate Junior School in Crosspool, ...

on Darwin Lane has over 1600 pupils between 11 and 18 years old and is a specialist college for science and the arts.Tapton School Website.
Gives details of Tapton School. The Lower School of King Edward VII School is also located on Darwin Lane and was known as Crosspool Secondary Modern School until 1969
Lydgate Junior School
is situated on Manchester Road and has around 480 pupils between the ages of 7 and 11. While Lydgate Infant School on Lydgate Lane has just over 300 pupils, it is housed in a Grade II listed building dating from 1896, built by

William John Hale William John Hale (March 1862 – 25 November 1929) was an architect based in Sheffield, England, who produced the city's most striking early 20th-century architecture.''"Pevsner Architectural Guides – Sheffield"'', Ruth Harman & John Minnis, ...

Tapton Hall Tapton Hall is a Grade II listed building situated on Shore Lane in the Crosspool area of Sheffield, England. History Tapton Hall was built in 1855, however on the 1853 Sheffield town plan a building known as Tapton Grove existed on the site. T ...

, a Grade II listed building is situated on Shore Lane, it was built in 1855 and has been the home of the industrialist

Edward Vickers Edward Vickers (1804-1897) was the founder of Naylor Vickers & Co. which became Vickers Limited. Career Vickers was a successful miller who invested his money in the railway industry. In 1828 he gained control of his father-in-law's steel foundry ...

and the snuff mill owner George Wilson; today it is a conference and banqueting centre which is licensed to conduct weddings.''"Sheffield‘s Remarkable Houses"'', Roger Redfern, , page 20, Gives details of Tapton Hall. Another Grade II listed structure is The Towers, a

Scottish Baronial Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

fantasy on Sandygate Road. The main churches in Crosspool are the Church of St. Columba and Stephen Hill Methodist Church, both of which are located on Manchester Road near the centre of the suburb. Because of the pressure from housing developers present day Crosspool has been left with very few open spaces for recreation with the small park/play area on the north side of Lydgate Lane being created on re-claimed land when an extensive quarry was filled in the first half of the 20th century. A prominent landmark, also on Lydgate Lane, is the Crosspool transmitter, officially known as the

Tapton Hill transmitting station The Tapton Hill transmitting station (), more generally known as the Sheffield (Crosspool) transmitting station, is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility which serves Sheffield in South Yorkshire and is located on a hill in the suburb of ...

, which stands on the site of a covered reservoir and is well seen from many parts of Sheffield. The 57-metre-high mast takes advantage of Crosspool's elevated position to provide TV pictures and radio signals for Sheffield by the “line of sight” method.www.aerialsandtv.com.
Gives details of Crosspool transmitter. The privately run

Claremont Hospital Claremont Hospital is a private hospital situated in the City of Sheffield, England. It is located at 401 Sandygate Road in the suburb of Crosspool. It is managed by Spire Healthcare, History Early history The Claremont Hospital was set up by th ...

is situated at 401 Sandygate Road.

Sport

Hallam F.C. Hallam Football Club is an English football club based in Crosspool, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Founded in 1860, Hallam is the second oldest association football club in the world. Hallam currently play in the Northern Counties East League Pr ...

, the second oldest football club in the world has its home ground in Crosspool at

Sandygate Road Sandygate is a football and cricket stadium in the Sheffield suburb of Crosspool, South Yorkshire, England. It is home to Hallam F.C. and Hallam C.C. First opened in 1804, Hallam F.C. have played at the ground since 1860. Sandygate has been ...

, which is the oldest football ground in the world.www.theoldestfootballgroundintheworld.com.
Gives details of Hallam F.C. Crosspool hosts the start and finish of the Hallam Chase, a 3.25 miles (5.25 km) race starting at Hallam cricket ground, going on a very hilly route to Stannington church and then returning to the ground. The route has almost 250 metres of ascending and is run every year on

Whit Tuesday Whit Tuesday (syn. ''Whittuesday'', ''Whitsun Tuesday'') is the Christian holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost Monday, the third day of the week beginning on Pentecost. Pentecost is a movable feast in the Christian calendar dependent upon ...

. The race, which is organised by the local athletics club, the Hallamshire Harriers, started in 1863.

Sebastian Coe Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medal ...

, the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

gold medal winning middle distance runner, was brought up in Crosspool, attending Tapton School and being a member of Hallamshire Harriers.

Community

The community has a vibrant local community, which co-ordinates itself through a community forumCrosspool Forum website.
Details about the community, activities and events established in 2003. Reports of open meeting minutes, together with items of local interest, letters and adverts are published in the quarterly 'Crosspool Clarion' magazine, delivered to over 2,500 local households, and also on the crosspool.info website. Many events and village activities are held in Crosspool. Every year since 2003 a summer fayre has been held in July, along with car boot sales in June and September. A Festival was first organised in 2010, going on to become an annual event.

References

External links

Sources for the history of Crosspool
Produced by Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives {{Districts of Sheffield Suburbs of Sheffield History of Sheffield