Rivelin Valley Park is a public recreation area in the

Rivelin Valley The River Rivelin is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It rises on the Hallam moors, in north west Sheffield, and joins the River Loxley (at Malin Bridge). The Rivelin Valley, through which the river flows, is a -mile-long woodlan ...

area of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, 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 Historic counties o ...

, England. The facilities consist of a

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

and a small

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

as well as a

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

. The park is situated on the Rivelin Valley Nature Trail, which is maintained by volunteers from the Rivelin Valley Conservation Group.Rivelin Valley Conservation Group
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History

Recreation facilities in the area of Rivelin Valley Park date back to 1909 when the

Corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

converted the New Dam into an

open air swimming pool In British English, a lido ( , ) is a public outdoor swimming pool and surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where people can swim, lie in the sun, or participate in water sports. On a cruise ship or ocean liner, the lido deck featu ...

. The New Dam had been constructed in 1853 as a supplementary water supply to Spooner mill which made

scythe A scythe ( ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops. It is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains, before the process of threshing. The scythe has been largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor m ...

s and

cutlery Cutlery (also referred to as silverware, flatware, or tableware), includes any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in Western culture. A person who makes or sells cutlery is called a cutler. The city of Sheffie ...

. The swimming pool was opened on 18 September 1909 for men and boys, although it is recorded that women were allowed to use the facility. The water in the pool was always very cold because of low sunlight due to it being set low in the valley, however 19,098 bathers used the pool in 1910. The pool closed in the 1930s when the large wooden hut used as changing facilities burned down.''"Sheffield Parks And Gardens"'', Douglas Hindmarch, Tempus Publishing, , Pages 106 & 107 Gives historical details. New facilities were built for the park in the early 1950s on the site of the Spooner’s wheel, which dated from the late 18th century. The mill buildings were demolished and the small reservoir filled in, and were replaced by the children’s playground and café. At the same time paddling pools were constructed between Rivelin Valley Road and the

River Rivelin The River Rivelin is a river in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It rises on the Hallam moors, in north west Sheffield, and joins the River Loxley (at Malin Bridge). The Rivelin Valley, through which the river flows, is a -mile-long woodlan ...

. The river had always been used as an unofficial play area by children and the new pools which were constructed as part of the

Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...

celebrations were inspired by the success of the paddling pools at

Millhouses Park Millhouses Park is a public urban park located in the Millhouses neighbourhood in south of Sheffield, England. It is a park stretching approximately along the floor of the valley of the River Sheaf, sandwiched between Abbeydale Road South (A62 ...

. The construction of the pools called for the River Rivelin to be diverted by the use of a

cofferdam A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or re ...

and puddling. The pools were opened by the Lord Mayor Alderman T.W. Bridgland, J.P on 27 July 1951. Yorkshire Film Archive
Gives details of construction work.''"Walking The Rivelin"'', Keith Kendall (Rivelin Valley Conservation Group, No ISBN, Pages 13 & 14 Gives historical details.

Present day

The paddling pools were completely revamped and renamed as the Rivelin Valley Splash in 2013 after consultation with the local population. Sheffield Star Newspaper - Park play area revamp backed
Details public consultation. The changes include a new water filter system, three large splash pads with anti-slip surfacing, a variety of waterplay equipment, such as jets, sprinklers, bucket drops and water tables and ramped access with handrails into the paddling pool.
Details new facilities. Some of the funding for the new facilities has come from the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme and this has ensured full disabled facilities. The new pools were opened on Saturday 13 July 2013. Sheffield Telegraph Newspaper - Kids making a splash as play area reopens
Details reopening of pools. The playground and toilets were also upgraded in 2012 and 2013 respectively and the café continues to offer meals and refreshments on a daily basis.

References

{{Parks and Woodlands in Sheffield Parks in Sheffield