The Ponderosa is a recreation area within the City of Sheffield

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...

, South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...

, England. Although not a public park it was designated as Open Space by 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...

 in the 1993 Unitary Development Plan. It covers an area of over 10 hectares (25 acres) and is located at 53.3868°N 1.4865°W, 1.5 km west of the city centre between the districts of Upperthorpe and Netherthorpe. Although the name “Ponderosa” was originally an informal name given by local children, it is now the accepted title and is recognised by the local council. Along with Weston Park

Weston Park, Sheffield

Weston Park is a public park with an area of just over 5 hectares in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies immediately west of the City Centre. It is situated next to the University of Sheffield Library, Geography and Firth Court buildings, and across the road from Sheffield...

 and Crookes Valley Park

Crookes Valley Park

Crookes Valley Park is an area of public parkland in the Crookesmoor area of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. The park lies just under two kilometres west of the City centre at...

 it is one of the three “Crookesmoor Parks”.

History

The Ponderosa can be split into two distinct halves, each with contrasting history. The upper part was for many years known as Crookesmoor Recreation Ground, however prior to that it was an area of small dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

s in open countryside. The dams were built around 1740 by Joshua Matthewman after he had gained permission from the Lord of the Manor, Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk

Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk

Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal was a British peer. The son of Lord Thomas Howard and Mary Elizabeth Savile, he succeeded as Duke of Norfolk in 1732, after the death of his brother, Thomas Howard, 8th Duke of Norfolk.He married Mary Blount , daughter of Edward Blount and Anne...

. The dams were constructed to impound local spring

Spring (hydrosphere)

A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...

 water to supply the town of Sheffield. J. Tayler’s map of Sheffield of 1832 shows a string of four small dams below (north) of what is now Crookes Valley Road and on the site of the present day upper Ponderosa. These four dams were filled in during the second half of the 19th century and by 1903 it was shown on the map as Crookesmoor Recreation Ground. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 the recreation ground was used as a station for barrage balloon

Barrage balloon

A barrage balloon is a large balloon tethered with metal cables, used to defend against low-level aircraft attack by damaging the aircraft on collision with the cables, or at least making the attacker's approach more difficult. Some versions carried small explosive charges that would be pulled up...

s to defend the city.

In the first half of the 19th century the lower part of The Ponderosa was open countryside just to the south west of the Sheffield General Infirmary

Sheffield Royal Infirmary

The Royal Infirmary was a hospital in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The establishment opened in 1792 under the name Sheffield General Infirmary, renamed Royal Infirmary in 1897 and closed in 1980....

 which at that time stood in a rural location to the west of the town. During the second half of the 1800s an area of back-to-back houses

Back-to-back houses

Usually of low quality and high density, they were built for working class people and because three of the four walls of the house were shared with other buildings and therefore contained no doors or windows, back-to-back houses were notoriously ill-lit and poorly ventilated and sanitation was of...

 known as the Port Mahon estate was constructed on the site. This housing stood until the 1960s when it was demolished as part of a programme of urban development in the Upperthorpe and Netherthorpe areas. Certain throughfares such as Wentworth Street and Burlington Street disappeared altogether and the housing was replaced by tower block

Tower block

A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...

s and maisonettes leaving a central area for recreation. This recreation area was christened “The Ponderosa” by local children after the name of the ranch in the TV series Bonanza

Bonanza

Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...

 which was popular throughout the 1960s.

Present day

In the 1960s the area was a bare open bowl but much appreciated and used by the local community for games and community events. Since then there has been much development. The upper part of the Ponderosa is clothed in woodland, scrub, meadow and rough grassland which gives a fine environment for wildlife. Fox

Fox

Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

es and Kestrel

Kestrel

The name kestrel, is given to several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects...

s are often seen and there is a wealth of bird and butterfly species. The upper part also contains an adventure playground and a mini football pitch. In 1999 the Crookes Valley Road entrance was given new gateway pillars, with each pillar consisting of three carved telegraph poles. The lower part of the Ponderosa stands in the shadow of seven tower blocks on its western side and St Stephen’s church on Fawcett Street on its eastern. This lower area has a children's playground and several wooded copses.

In 1990 The Ponderosa Environmental Group (PEG) was formed and planted a community orchard

Orchard

An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...

consisting of apple and plum trees. Since then more fruit trees and spring bulbs have been added as well as four acres of native woodland. The group is committed to improving the open space and played a major part in the campaign to prevent housing development on the Ponderosa in 1993.