Meersbrook () is a suburban district in the south-west 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 a ...
,
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 b ...
bordered by
Nether Edge
Nether may refer to:
* The Nether, the hell-like dimension in the video game ''Minecraft''
* ''The Nether'', a sci-fi play
* ''Nether'' (video game), a first-person multiplayer survival video game for Microsoft Windows
See also
*Kingdom of the ...
to the west,
Norton Lees
Norton Lees () is a residential suburb in the Graves Park ward of the City of Sheffield, England located to the east of Woodseats.
History
Notable buildings in Norton Lees include Bishops' House—a half-timbered house that was built c. 1 ...
to the south,
Heeley
Heeley is a former cluster of villages. Which all now form a suburb in the south of the City of Sheffield, England. The village has existed at least since 1343, its name deriving from ''Heah Leah'', ''High Lea'' then ''Hely'', meaning a high, ...
to the north and the Meersbrook allotment site (the largest allotment site in Europe) to the east. Until 1950 it was part of the Sheffield Ecclesall constituency and now forms part of the Sheffield Heeley constituency. The district falls within the Gleadless Valley ward of the city. The name comes from the stream, the
Meers Brook
The Meers Brook is a stream in Sheffield, England and one of the main tributaries of the River Sheaf.
The Meers Brook originates in Gleadless and flows downhill through Gleadless Valley and Meersbrook then, culverted, continues underneath Heel ...
, a tributary of the
River Sheaf
The River Sheaf in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, flows northwards, past Dore, through Abbeydale and north of Heeley. It then passes into a culvert, through which it flows under the centre of Sheffield before joining the River Don. T ...
which means 'boundary brook' and in ancient times this, along with the River Sheaf formed the boundary between the
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of
Northumbria
la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria
, common_name = Northumbria
, status = State
, status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...
and
Mercia
la, Merciorum regnum
, conventional_long_name=Kingdom of Mercia
, common_name=Mercia
, status=Kingdom
, status_text=Independent kingdom (527–879) Client state of Wessex ()
, life_span=527–918
, era= Heptarchy
, event_start=
, date_start=
, ...
. It remained as the boundary between
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
and
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
into the 20th century. Meersbrook itself was once several small communities which have given many roads their names; Rush Dale, Carfield & Cliffe Field and in 1857 was known as Mears Brook.
Due to its proximity to the city centre and a thriving independent cafe, bar and restaurant culture, Meersbrook has been called 'a magnet for young professionals'. Based on 2021 census data, Meersbrook is the thirteenth least deprived of the hundred neighbourhoods in Sheffield in relation to employment, education levels, health and housing.
History
Meersbrook is an attractive collection of calm, tree-lined streets sought after by families, with a variety of housing, from large villas to apartments and terraced houses. The vast majority of houses are privately owned or rented and there is very little social housing in the area. The neighbourhood is based around the eponymous park which offers a cross-sectional view of the city.
In 1868 housing was being built in
Heeley
Heeley is a former cluster of villages. Which all now form a suburb in the south of the City of Sheffield, England. The village has existed at least since 1343, its name deriving from ''Heah Leah'', ''High Lea'' then ''Hely'', meaning a high, ...
on Shirebrook Road and away from
Chesterfield Road towards
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 a ...
and the now
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands ...
railway line. A hamlet was also growing along Derbyshire Lane and down near Smith Wood. In 1873 the land adjacent to the Meers Brook was divided between future roads and allotments with the formation of the Meersbrook Land Society. The rules for building were strict, including rules concerning the size of the allotment, the quantity of stone and all houses had to front towards the roads. No building was allowed beyond the building line and this ensured that all houses had front gardens. The rules also forbid corner shops and pubs on the south side of what was then known as ''the border''. From 1900 gas lamps were set up. Argyle Road was built in 1902 as well as a cut through towards Upper Albert Road. In the 1930s Laver's developed the upper side of Meersbrook (behind the Coop and Post Office) using names deriving from Holly, Thorpe and House, much to the confusion of its inhabitants.
As well as being a largely residential and previously agricultural area, Meersbrook was also fairly industrialised. Indeed, W May ltd ''Dyers & cleaners'' were established on London Road South and Chesterfield Road and
Joseph Tyzack & Son ltd
( see photo). Meersbrook Works is still in use today as an enterprise centre. Tyzack built Meersbrook Works in 1876, the Tyzack logo can be seen underneath the roof top. Meersbrook Tannery
( see photo) is an imposing building now divided and used by several restaurants. The back side of the building is now divided in flats called Arthington Flats.
In late 2005 the Hoyland Fox factory and the chimney was demolished, and flats were built in its stead.
Meersbrook Park and Meersbrook House
![Meersbrook House](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Meersbrook_House.jpg)
A large part of the Meersbrook area is taken up by
Meersbrook Park
Meersbrook Park is set on a steep hillside in Meersbrook, Sheffield, England, offering panoramic views over central Sheffield to the north. Within the park are two historic buildings: Bishops' House and Meersbrook Hall.
The Bishops' House
On ...
. This park, set on a steep hillside, offers a stunning panoramic view over central Sheffield to the north. The view from this vantage point was painted by
J. M. W. Turner in the 1790s. Within the park are two historic buildings:
Bishops' House (c.1500) is one of the oldest buildings in Sheffield and is open as a museum, and Meersbrook House. The latter was built in 1759/60, with the details of construction shown in surveyor Fairbank's Field Books (Sheffield Archives FC FB 15-19). Benjamin Roebuck, the first owner, was a Sheffield merchant and later a partner in the town's first bank, Parker, Roebuck & Shore (1770). The property included walled kitchen garden and house's estate extended to Meers Brook. The house was the home of the Ruskin Museum until 1950.
John Ruskin
John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and pol ...
originally set up his museum as the ''
Museum of St. George'' in 1871 at a small cottage in
Walkley
Walkley is a suburb of Sheffield, 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 southwe ...
, but it was renamed and moved to Meersbrook House in 1890. The Ruskin collection can still be seen in Sheffield's
Millennium Galleries. Although the area was still in Derbyshire the councillors in Sheffield were already looking over the border for amenity facilities for their citizens. In January 1885 the
Corporation of Sheffield bought both the house and the land as a public park or pleasure ground; the house is now a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
The park contains a number of amenities, such as two bowling greens, an extensive children's play area, a cricket wicket, tennis courts, basketball hoops, a skateboard bowl and a mix of undulating open spaces and woodland. It also contains a community-run walled garden which hosts a number of events throughout the year such as plant and herb sales, charity fundraisers and apple-juicing days. There is also a small museum of gardening tools housed within the walled garden.
Schools
There are three well regarded primary schools that serve the local community: Meersbrook Bank Primary School, Carfield Primary School and Mundella Primary School. All three received overall "Good" ratings in their latest Ofsted inspections. All three also exceeded national expectations in the 2014 national assessments taken by pupils at the end of Key Stage Two, with Meersbrook Bank Primary School receiving some of the best results in the city (97% of pupils achieved Level 4 or above in Reading, Writing and Maths).
In 2012, 2013 and 2014, 74% of GCSE students in Meersbrook achieved 5 or more A*-C grades including English and Maths, compared to a national average of 53.8% and a Sheffield average of 54%.
Buildings of interest
*
Bishops' House, a
half-timbered house, built circa 1500 lies at the south entrance to Meersbrook Park. The Blythes, operators of Blythe Wheel, lived in
Bishops' House. Blythe Wheel was an undershot wheel situated where Rushdale Terrace is now. It was operated by the Blythe family and was first used to grind corn, and then as a sharpening grinding wheel. Bishops' House is owned by the City Council and managed as a museum by the Friends of Bishops' House whose volunteers open it to the public at weekends.
*Cliffefield House was a large manor house directly to the south of Meersbrook House's walled garden. Along Cliffefield House was Smithy Wood which now is below
Chesterfield Road. The house was situated between Derbyshire Lane, Cliffefield Road and
Norton Lees
Norton Lees () is a residential suburb in the Graves Park ward of the City of Sheffield, England located to the east of Woodseats.
History
Notable buildings in Norton Lees include Bishops' House—a half-timbered house that was built c. 1 ...
Road.
*Lees House was a 22-room house situated between
Norton Lees
Norton Lees () is a residential suburb in the Graves Park ward of the City of Sheffield, England located to the east of Woodseats.
History
Notable buildings in Norton Lees include Bishops' House—a half-timbered house that was built c. 1 ...
Road, Norton Lees Lane and Beverleys Road, on the opposite side of Norton Lees Road from Meersbrook Park. The house was built in the early 18th century. The only remnant of Lees House is the stone wall opposite St Paul's Church. The house was demolished and several detached houses built called Lees House Court.
Photos
Image:Valley Road (bottom) 21-09-04.JPG, Valley Road in September 2004 with Hoyland Fox
Hoyland Fox is an umbrella frame manufacturer founded and formerly based in Sheffield, UK.
History
Samuel Fox founded Fox Umbrella Frames Ltd in 1842 in Stocksbridge, Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose n ...
to the right
Image:Upper Valley Road 21-06-05.JPG, Upper Valley Road in June 2005
Image:Meersbrook Park Avenue 12-05-05.jpg, Meersbrook Park Road in May 2005, Meersbrook Park is to the right
Image:UpperAlbertRoadMeersbrook.JPG, Upper Albert Road, July 2003
References
External links
Friends of Bishops' House website
{{Districts of Sheffield
Suburbs of Sheffield