Record of FULWOOD HISTORY GROUP MEETING 21^st October 2024

Present: J.B., A.C., D.M., C.M., K.P.

Ringinglow Ramble Part II

October’s meeting took the form of fieldwork around the Ringinglow area, building on our first Ringinglow walk in June. Our main focus was the mines and quarries of the area. Throughout our walk, DM referred us to the report From Cairns to Craters: Conservation Heritage Assessment of Burbage (Bevan, B. 2006. Moors for the Future) which contains information relating to features we looked at. See also Friends of the Porter Valley’s publication Mining and Quarrying in the Porter Valley – Delving into the Past (Peter Kennett, 2006) which provides details of most of the features we looked at.

1. We met at the layby opposite the Norfolk Arms where we began by looking at AC’s copy of Burdett’s 1791 Map of Derbyshire
2. We headed west towards Sheephill Road, passing the site of the old Weigh House and weigh bridge – see notes from June’s Ringinglow Ramble
3. We took a short diversion over the stile on Sheephill Road and into Barberfield and the Limb Valley to revisit the site of former mines and remains of spoil heaps (see Bevan, 2006). We discussed the alignment of the Roman Road between Brough and Templeborough, how it may well have run across this area and recent archaeological work on this – a focus for a future walk.
4. After returning to Sheephill Road, we crossed over to the Houndkirk Road which leads to Stanage Pole. A couple of hundred metres along the track, (what3words) there are a number of embedded stones which appear to have a range of marks cut into them, one of which is a benchmark-type symbol. It was suggested that this could be connected with the military, who were active in this area during WWII.
5. After following the boundary of Lady Canning’s Plantation round to the northwest, we crossed Ringinglow Road and followed the track leading north to Brown Edge Quarries. Immediately to right of the footpath, we passed the sites of bell pits which were obscured by the heather and bracken. We heard about scars in the land left by peat workings and the remains of Kelly’s House, all of which lie to the west side of the footpath. For information on Kelly’s House, see AC’s December ’23 post on this website: Ringinglow People: Henry Kelly
6. Heading up to Brown Edge, we passed the site of a WWII bomb crater.
7. We then dropped down over the edge and walked in a roughly westerly direction towards Brown Edge Quarries. On the way, AC pointed out possible boundary stones marking the former Derbyshire/Yorkshire border. See Alan’s Substack piece ‘Searching for Knaves’ to find out more.
8. We reached the Brown Edge quarry complex, ‘the most extensive in the [Porter Valley]’ (page 6, Kennett, 2006). It dates from at least 1715 and was still in use in the early twentieth century when Henry Hancock was the owner. The different types of stone extracted were suitable for various aspects of building such as walls, roof tiles, flagstones and paving stones. AC discovered what may have been a quarrymen’s shelter in the rock as well as an intriguing hole which seemed to have been built into the turf.
9. A rainbow led our walk back to the layby along Ringinglow Road
10. Next meeting November 21^st at Broomhill Library

Record of FULWOOD HISTORY GROUP MEETING 19^th September 2024

Present: D.A., J.B., A.C., M.G., M.L., S.L., D.M., C.M., K.P., J.P.

September’s meeting took place at Fulwood Church where we looked through the church’s archive. This included documents, photos, publications dating from the 19^th century to recent times.

Takeaways from the evening:

• Surprise at the range and extent of the material which gave an insight not only into the church, but also the history of Fulwood as a whole – and so the importance of preserving this archive (it’s to be deposited in Sheffield Archives)
• The materials gave an insight into local attitudes, concerns and priorities e.g. the vicar’s report of 1880 and from 1919 there were descriptions of strikes at the end of the war
• General consensus that the archive contains fascinating material and it would be good to look at it again in more detail.

Documents of note included:

• The church accounts which indicated the connection which existed between Fulwood Church and Ranmoor St. John’s, in spite of tensions existing between the two:
  • Both vicars in the 1890s were Freemasons and on good terms
  • In the 1890s many donations to Fulwood were made from those who rented pew sittings at Ranmoor e.g. James Dixon and Frederick Thorpe Mappin
  • Both churches have windows donated by Freemasons containing Masonic symbols
  • Despite the different church traditions between them, they both seemed to have been supported by the same people to a significant extent
• The recipe book of 1935 which contained not only interesting recipes but also two essays which define very clearly the evangelical nature of Fulwood worship
• The photo albums which contained a number of interesting images: e.g. picture of the vicarage (where Newfield Court apartments stand), view down Brooklands Avenue towards Brookhouse Hill which predates the Co-op/photos of remembered schoolteachers
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• The record of the church’s missionary work in the 1960s/70s
• The national (church) school log book
• 1946 record of the contents Fulwood Road’s Guildhall when these were being donated to the church
• Documents relating to the 20^th century development of St Luke’s on Blackbrook Road e.g. with use of a hut from Redmires Camp, the need for permanent premises as the suburb grew
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• Information relating to chapel at Ringinglow

Next meeting tbc