Malin Bridge
Encyclopedia
Malin Bridge is a suburb of the city of Sheffield
, England. It is located at grid reference and stands 2½ miles north-west of the city centre where the rivers Loxley
and Rivelin
meet. Malin Bridge is only a small district centred around the road bridge over the River Loxley which carries the B6076 road to Stannington
, it is surrounded by the suburbs of Hillsborough
, Wisewood
, Walkley
and Stannington
.
(which lies ¾ mile to the NE) between 1607 and 1652. It is possible that Stacie built the bridge or was responsible for its upkeep and it was therefore named after him. Another possibility is that the name derives from Milne Bridge, a common occurrence where a bridge is built near a mill. A third option is that it was named after “mellum” an old word that relates to stones in the bed of a river.
producer in its heyday.
with 102 people killed and 20 houses destroyed in the area . Whole families were wiped out with eleven people killed at the Stag Inn including eight members of the Armitage family as the inn was swept away. Seven members of the Bisby family were killed as the Cleakum Inn was inundated and swept away. The stone-built bridge was also carried off by the raging torrent and many of the industrial workshops were destroyed. Samuel Harrison wrote: “The populous village of Malin Bridge experienced the full fury of the flood, and suffered to an extent which is truly appalling…A bombardment with the newest and most powerful artillery could hardly have proved so destructive, and could not possibly have been nearly so fatal to human life.”
Malin Bridge expanded with the building of Victorian
terraced housing, it became a terminus for the Sheffield Tramway
with a route from the city centre commencing on 19 May 1908. Buses could be then caught at Malin Bridge for travellers continuing to Bradfield and Stannington, at that time Malin Bridge was a busy shopping area and increasing traffic meant that the original narrow bridge over the Loxley to Stannington was replaced by a wider and stronger structure. The tram route from the city centre was taken over by buses in 1952.
loop with various roads leading off. The A6101 (Rivelin Valley Road) leads off to the SW and after three miles connects to the A57 road
which goes to Manchester
. Other B class roads leave Malin Bridge for the suburbs of Stannington, Loxley
and beyond. There are many small shops around the one-way system; the largest retail outlet in the area is Towsure, a sizeable outdoor equipment warehouse on Holme Lane. The Rivelin Valley fire station stands 200 yards along the Rivelin Valley Road.
, Chinese restaurant and a clothing store before becoming disused. In 2006 Sheffield City Council
granted permission for 23 new apartments to be built on the site; the plans include strict controls to preserve the historic building and water wheel. The apartments and the restoration were completed in the second half of 2008.
and various other engineering tools. Part of the site is a grade two listed building although much of the old machinery is open to the elements. It was a large concern; one of the buildings has now been converted to a private house although a lot of the site is ruined. From the 1930s to the 1950s a woodworking business, the Malin Bridge Construction Company, occupied one of the buildings. The importance of the site is emphasised by the fact that a book has been written about the forge by Richard A. Postman.
, however a separate parish was created in 1933 as the population of the area increased. A tin tabernacle
had previously been used for worship as the area had no church and fundraising was commenced to build St. Polycarp
’s at the junction of Loxley Road and Wisewood Lane. The foundation stone for the new church was laid by the Bishop of Sheffield
and it was built by H.I. Potter of Fowler, Sandford & Potter in 1933-34, the former tin tabernacle remaining in use as the church hall until the 1960s when the new church hall was built adjacent to the church. The church is built of rustic brick with a pantile roof with no tower or spire; windows are grouped in threes. The interior consists of a four bay nave
and a broad chancel
with a tall arch. A small glazed porch was added in 1992 at the western end.
; it is the western limit of the blue line service which runs eastwards to the city centre and then onto Halfway. The terminus was first used on October 23, 1995 and is a single platform stop which is separated from the traffic on the A6101 (Holme Lane). In February 2006 work started on a Park and ride
scheme adjacent to the terminus on the opposite side of Holme Lane. The unmanned scheme which cost £500,000 opened in November 2006 providing 104 parking spaces, as well as CCTV cameras and bicycle shelters. The park and ride has not been well used and price cuts have been introduced to encourage people to use the scheme.
is a Comprehensive school
on Wood Lane, it was built in 1960 and was one of the first purpose-built comprehensive schools in the country. In the early 1960s it had well over 2000 pupils and was the largest in the north of England. Sheffield City Council have proposed a merger with Wisewood School and it plans to close and demolish Myers Grove and build a new school on the same site which will open in September 2011. Malin Bridge Primary School is situated on Dykes Lane. Built by H.I. Potter, it was opened in 1905, enlarged in 1910 and has almost 500 pupils.
of June 2007. As a result of this the Environment Agency
started work in August 2009 to remove trees and silt
from the river beds at the confluence of the Loxley and Rivelin rivers at Malin Bridge. The work will alleviate flooding problems in the future but has had the added effect of opening up the views of the area with the confluence of the two rivers now clearly in view, something that has not been seen for many years.
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England. It is located at grid reference and stands 2½ miles north-west of the city centre where the rivers Loxley
River Loxley
The River Loxley is a river in the City of Sheffield South Yorkshire, England. Its source is a series of streams which rise some to the north-west of Sheffield on Bradfield Moors, and converge at Low Bradfield...
and Rivelin
River Rivelin
The River Rivelin is a river in South Yorkshire, England.It rises on the Hallam moors, north west of Sheffield, and on the outskirts of Sheffield joins the River Loxley . The Rivelin Valley, through which the river flows, is a three and a half mile long woodland valley which includes the popular...
meet. Malin Bridge is only a small district centred around the road bridge over the River Loxley which carries the B6076 road to Stannington
Stannington
Stannington Ward—which includes the districts of Loxley, Stannington, and Worrall, and also the small villages of Dungworth, High Bradfield, and Low Bradfield—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the western part of the city and covers an area...
, it is surrounded by the suburbs of Hillsborough
Hillsborough, South Yorkshire
Hillsborough is an electoral ward which includes the districts of Malin Bridge, Owlerton, Wadsley and Wisewood. It is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2...
, Wisewood
Wisewood
Wisewood is a suburb of the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England and situated 4.5 km north-west of the city centre. It is a residential suburb consisting almost exclusively of council housing, some of which has been bought by tenants under the right to buy scheme...
, Walkley
Walkley
Walkley is an electoral ward in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.Walkley ward—which includes the districts of Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe, Walkley and parts of Neepsend—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city...
and Stannington
Stannington
Stannington Ward—which includes the districts of Loxley, Stannington, and Worrall, and also the small villages of Dungworth, High Bradfield, and Low Bradfield—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the western part of the city and covers an area...
.
History
The origin of the name Malin Bridge is obscure and several possible meanings have been put forward. The most probable is that the name derived from Malin Stacie, who was Lord of the Manor of OwlertonOwlerton
Owlerton is a suburb of the city of Sheffield, it lies northwest of the city centre near the confluence of the River Don and River Loxley. Owlerton was formerly a small rural settlement with its origins in the Early Middle Ages, it became part of Sheffield in the early 1900s as the city expanded...
(which lies ¾ mile to the NE) between 1607 and 1652. It is possible that Stacie built the bridge or was responsible for its upkeep and it was therefore named after him. Another possibility is that the name derives from Milne Bridge, a common occurrence where a bridge is built near a mill. A third option is that it was named after “mellum” an old word that relates to stones in the bed of a river.
Origins
Malin Bridge came into existence because of the strategic importance of the bridge over the Loxley with a small population consisting of publican, wheelwright, blacksmith and saddler springing up in the immediate area to serve the travellers who used the bridge. In the first half of the 18th century grinding mills and water-powered forges started to be built in the area to harness the power of the rivers. The best known of these are the Malin Bridge Corn Mill which still stands today and the Mousehole Forge which dates from the 17th century and was a World famous anvilAnvil
An anvil is a basic tool, a block with a hard surface on which another object is struck. The inertia of the anvil allows the energy of the striking tool to be transferred to the work piece. In most cases the anvil is used as a forging tool...
producer in its heyday.
The Great Sheffield Flood
In 1864 Malin Bridge was devastated by the Great Sheffield FloodGreat Sheffield Flood
Not to be confused with the floods in Sheffield in 2007.The Great Sheffield Flood was a flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam broke.- Collapse of Dale Dyke Dam :...
with 102 people killed and 20 houses destroyed in the area . Whole families were wiped out with eleven people killed at the Stag Inn including eight members of the Armitage family as the inn was swept away. Seven members of the Bisby family were killed as the Cleakum Inn was inundated and swept away. The stone-built bridge was also carried off by the raging torrent and many of the industrial workshops were destroyed. Samuel Harrison wrote: “The populous village of Malin Bridge experienced the full fury of the flood, and suffered to an extent which is truly appalling…A bombardment with the newest and most powerful artillery could hardly have proved so destructive, and could not possibly have been nearly so fatal to human life.”
Malin Bridge expanded with the building of Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
terraced housing, it became a terminus for the Sheffield Tramway
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 Tinsley...
with a route from the city centre commencing on 19 May 1908. Buses could be then caught at Malin Bridge for travellers continuing to Bradfield and Stannington, at that time Malin Bridge was a busy shopping area and increasing traffic meant that the original narrow bridge over the Loxley to Stannington was replaced by a wider and stronger structure. The tram route from the city centre was taken over by buses in 1952.
Present day structures and developments
Present-day Malin Bridge is centred around a busy road junction which consists of a one-way trafficOne-way traffic
One-way traffic is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction.-General signs:...
loop with various roads leading off. The A6101 (Rivelin Valley Road) leads off to the SW and after three miles connects to the A57 road
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 , around the Ladybower Reservoir, through Sheffield and past Worksop...
which goes to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Other B class roads leave Malin Bridge for the suburbs of Stannington, Loxley
Loxley, South Yorkshire
Loxley is a village and a suburb of the city of Sheffield. It is a long linear community which stretches by the side of the River Loxley and along the B6077 for almost four kilometres. Loxley extends from its borders with the suburbs of Malin Bridge and Wisewood westward to the hamlet of Stacey...
and beyond. There are many small shops around the one-way system; the largest retail outlet in the area is Towsure, a sizeable outdoor equipment warehouse on Holme Lane. The Rivelin Valley fire station stands 200 yards along the Rivelin Valley Road.
Malin Bridge Corn Mill
The grade two listed mill stands at the junction of Stannington Road and Holme Lane, the earliest written records for a mill on this site date from 1739, at that time it was used for grinding knives. It is one of the few remaining examples of an undershot water wheel in the country, it is six metres in diameter and 2.5 metres wide. The mill was completely destroyed in the flood of 1864 and was rebuilt by the Wilson family. Around 1915 it was converted to a corn mill by the Marsden family and operated until 1956. Since then it has been a Comet storeComet Group Plc
Comet is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom, which is owned by OpCapita and a series of investors, after its sale by Kesa Electricals. The group was founded in 1933 by George Hollingberry in Hull as Comet Battery Stores Limited...
, Chinese restaurant and a clothing store before becoming disused. In 2006 Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
granted permission for 23 new apartments to be built on the site; the plans include strict controls to preserve the historic building and water wheel. The apartments and the restoration were completed in the second half of 2008.
Mousehole Forge
The Mousehole Forge is situated on the River Rivelin just before it reaches Malin Bridge. It dates from the 1628, pre-dating the industrial revolution and is one of the few surviving water-powered forges in the country. It was famous for producing anvils that were exported all over the world, and it closed around 1933. The works also produced vicesVise (tool)
A vise or vice is a mechanical screw apparatus used for holding or clamping a work piece to allow work to be performed on it with tools such as saws, planes, drills, mills, screwdrivers, sandpaper, etc. Vises usually have one fixed jaw and another, parallel, jaw which is moved towards or away from...
and various other engineering tools. Part of the site is a grade two listed building although much of the old machinery is open to the elements. It was a large concern; one of the buildings has now been converted to a private house although a lot of the site is ruined. From the 1930s to the 1950s a woodworking business, the Malin Bridge Construction Company, occupied one of the buildings. The importance of the site is emphasised by the fact that a book has been written about the forge by Richard A. Postman.
Burgon & Ball
Burgon & Ball is an old Sheffield firm which originally made shears, scissors and knives. Its Sheffield origins date back to 1730; they moved to the La Plata Works on Holme Lane in Malin Bridge in 1873. The works were built on the site of a cutlery grinding wheel, which had existed since the 1690s, on land cleared after the 1864 flood. The works stand on the banks of the River Loxley and the river provided much of the power for the works throughout the 1900s. In the latter part of the 19th century the company patented a design for hand sheep shears and in one year sold over 300,000 pairs of shears. By 1920 the firm was producing more garden shears than sheep shears and it has continued to diversify into garden tools over the years. There is still a market for hand sheep shears and the company are now the only British manufacturer.St. Polycarp’s Church, Malin Bridge
Originally Malin Bridge was in the parish of WadsleyWadsley
Wadsley is a suburb of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It stands five km NW of the city centre at an approximate grid reference of...
, however a separate parish was created in 1933 as the population of the area increased. A tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacles were a type of prefabricated building made from corrugated iron developed in the mid 19th century initially in Great Britain. Corrugated iron was first used for roofing in London in 1829 by Henry Robinson Palmer and the patent sold to Richard Walker who advertised "portable...
had previously been used for worship as the area had no church and fundraising was commenced to build St. Polycarp
Polycarp
Saint Polycarp was a 2nd century Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him...
’s at the junction of Loxley Road and Wisewood Lane. The foundation stone for the new church was laid by the Bishop of Sheffield
Bishop of Sheffield
The Bishop of Sheffield is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Sheffield in the Province of York.The title was first created as a suffragan see in the Diocese of York in 1901. The only suffragan bishop of Sheffield assisted the Archbishop of York in overseeing the diocese...
and it was built by H.I. Potter of Fowler, Sandford & Potter in 1933-34, the former tin tabernacle remaining in use as the church hall until the 1960s when the new church hall was built adjacent to the church. The church is built of rustic brick with a pantile roof with no tower or spire; windows are grouped in threes. The interior consists of a four bay nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and a broad chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with a tall arch. A small glazed porch was added in 1992 at the western end.
Malin Bridge Supertram Terminus
Malin Bridge was chosen as one of the termini of the Sheffield SupertramSheffield Supertram
The Supertram, officially called the Stagecoach Supertram, is a light rail tram system in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England...
; it is the western limit of the blue line service which runs eastwards to the city centre and then onto Halfway. The terminus was first used on October 23, 1995 and is a single platform stop which is separated from the traffic on the A6101 (Holme Lane). In February 2006 work started on a Park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
scheme adjacent to the terminus on the opposite side of Holme Lane. The unmanned scheme which cost £500,000 opened in November 2006 providing 104 parking spaces, as well as CCTV cameras and bicycle shelters. The park and ride has not been well used and price cuts have been introduced to encourage people to use the scheme.
Schools
There are two schools in the Malin Bridge area, Myers Grove SchoolMyers Grove School
Myers Grove School was a secondary school in the north of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The school was bidding to become a businesses and enterprise college...
is a Comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
on Wood Lane, it was built in 1960 and was one of the first purpose-built comprehensive schools in the country. In the early 1960s it had well over 2000 pupils and was the largest in the north of England. Sheffield City Council have proposed a merger with Wisewood School and it plans to close and demolish Myers Grove and build a new school on the same site which will open in September 2011. Malin Bridge Primary School is situated on Dykes Lane. Built by H.I. Potter, it was opened in 1905, enlarged in 1910 and has almost 500 pupils.
Public houses
There are now four public houses in the area. The Yew Tree Inn is right in the centre of Malin Bridge; it was destroyed in the 1864 flood and a new building was constructed on the same site; the original structure was used as a makeshift mortuary after the flood. The Anvil on Stannington Road owes its name to the nearby Mousehole Forge which used to produce anvils. The present building dates from 1935 and replaced an inn of the same name whose history goes back to 1825. The Holly Bush is also in the general area, just along Rivelin Valley Road, although it is usually said to be in Rivelin Valley rather than Malin Bridge, it dates from 1841. The Malin Bridge Inn dates from 1831; it was completely destroyed in the 1864 flood when it was known as the Cleakum Inn and was rebuilt with its present name after the flood. The Stag Inn, just across the road, was never rebuilt after being turned into a ruin by the flood.Flood management
The Malin Bridge area suffered badly in the floods2007 United Kingdom floods
The 2007 United Kingdom floods were a series of destructive floods that occurred in various areas across the country during the summer of 2007. The most severe floods occurred across Northern Ireland on 12 June; East Yorkshire and The Midlands on 15 June; Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire,...
of June 2007. As a result of this the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
started work in August 2009 to remove trees and silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
from the river beds at the confluence of the Loxley and Rivelin rivers at Malin Bridge. The work will alleviate flooding problems in the future but has had the added effect of opening up the views of the area with the confluence of the two rivers now clearly in view, something that has not been seen for many years.