40-513: The Birley Collieries were a group of coal mines set in the Shire Brook Valley in south-east Sheffield , South Yorkshire , England . They were connected to the railway system by a branch line from the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway at Woodhouse East Junction, about 800 yards east of Woodhouse station . From 1877 to his death in 1926, William Dunn Gainsford was owner of
80-651: A culvert from beneath the public house before emerging into the open on land between Seagrave Crescent and Lister Crescent. It initially flows NE going beneath housing to emerge on the Jaunty Park recreation and sports grounds as an insignificant and rubbish strewn stream running at the rear of the Birley Vale Industrial Estate. It is then joined by an unnamed stream which originates from a spring in Hollinsend Park. After 1 mile (1.5 km) it passes under
120-441: A coke washer. He was missed in the morning and nothing was seen of him until his body was found at 11am in the tank used for cleaning the slack from which coke was made. On 14 June 1890 William Henry Holmes was killed by a Fall of roof. Whilst working at the face of a heading the roof fell upon him. He was 28 and left a widow and two young children. In December 1890 at Birley Colliery a young married man named Turner from Mosborough
160-402: A horsekeeper was run over by a "corve" he was removed to Sheffield Infirmary but died later. On 19 October 1872. Fatal Accident Birley Vale Colliery. On Saturday morning, about ten o'clock, a number of men were engaged removing a pump in the workings of the above colliery. The pump is worked by endless chain communicating with an engine at the top, and owing to some mistake in the signal given to
200-572: A miner the roof fell on him, on being extricated he was found to be dead from a broken back. On 13 March 1886 Benjamin Marriott (55) was accidentally killed by fall of Bind from the roof of Birley Vale West Pit. Inquest held at the Ball Inn Intake body was identified by William Marriot the deceased son jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death. Buried at Gleadless Christ Church. On 13 May 1886 at Birley Colliery Frank Parkin (30) of St Johns Road Park.
240-410: A number of loaded wagons . He was crushed internally and death was instantaneous. His body was removed to his home at Ridgeway. On 22 April 1882 Thomas Rodgers was killed by 10cwt of coal falling on him and he was dead. The inquest pronounced that he was accidentally killed by a fall of coal at Birley Vale Coalpit. In September 1883 Joshua Outram of Intake a datalllet or nightman was found leaning over
280-528: A quantity of coal fell on William Hirst on Thursday 18 February 1869 and killed him on the spot. He was 30 years old and left a widow and three children. In 1869 Henry Liversage was run over by a loaded cove (wagon) and crushed his right leg. In 1869 on Saturday 18 September James Ellis aged 12 of Hollinsend was caught by a cove and dragged some considerable distance. In May 1871 Joseph Pankethman, 38 years of age died following an accident six weeks previously at Birley Vale Colliery. In August 1872 Samuel Warren
320-480: A runaway corf the inquest recorded a verdict of "accidental death" On 5 January 1886 William Radcliffe received serious injuries after falling down in the cage with three others down Moor pit shaft of Birley Colliery he died at home the following day 6 January 1886 The fall was caused by the breaking of rope. Coroner record Accidental death. In 1886 John William Brown age 19 of 3 the Green Darnal on his first day as
360-466: A thousand years. In Anglo-Saxon times the Brook formed the boundary between the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria . For 900 years the Brook marked the division between Yorkshire and Derbyshire , which gave the Brook its name. It was also known informally as County Brook and Der Brook, Der being short for Derbyshire. Another alternative name for the brook was Ochre Dike, due to the run off from mines in
400-415: A verdict of manslaughter against the fire-trier— William Clayton—and censured the manager and underviewer for their loose and inefficient management. In 1876 a miner Jonathan Harrison (50) of Birly when a quantity of "bind" fell on him causing a fracture of the ankle joint, he was taken to Sheffield infirmary. In 1877 a man named Thomas Oxspring of Normanton Springs when a large quantity of bind fell from
440-399: A visitors centre. The reserve includes Beighton Marsh, an area of reed-grass swamp, situated at its eastern end, which supports birds such as reed bunting , grasshopper warbler and barn owl , as well as mammals such as harvest mouse and water vole . The Birley Spa Bath House, a grade II listed building was restored with a Heritage Lottery Fund grant in 2001. Also within the reserve
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#1732869243879480-544: Is Wickfield Plantation, one of the few remaining areas of lowland heath and coppiced oak woodland inside Sheffield. The Reserve contain Carr Forge Dam which is fed by the stream which comes down from Birley Spa and is a valuable location for wildlife. New ponds were created in the same area in 1993 to mark the centenary of the City of Sheffield. The Centenary Ponds were opened by Clive Betts on 18 June 1993. The Shire Brook
520-596: Is a small stream in the south eastern part of the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire , England. It rises in the suburb of Gleadless Townend and flows in a general easterly direction for 4 miles (6.5 km) to its confluence with the River Rother between Beighton and Woodhouse Mill . In the past the brook has been both the border of Yorkshire and Derbyshire and between the sees of Canterbury and York . The course of
560-644: The Earl Manvers to work below his lands in the Frecheville , Woodhouse and Hackenthorpe area, just outside the then Sheffield boundary. Over the following ten years they sunk and developed Birley West Colliery on a site in the Shirebrook Valley between Woodhouse and Hackenthorpe. A further 10-year plan followed in which more land was acquired and a new shaft sunk, however, it was not until spring 1887 that work commenced on this new sinking. The following year
600-616: The A6135 (Birley Moor Road) and swings easterly, disappearing underground, as it flows for almost 0.6 miles (1 km) through a culvert beneath the former Normanton Spring landfill site which has now been landscaped and planted with trees. The brook emerges and continues its journey east going through Wickfield Heath and under the A57 road (Mosborough Parkway) before flowing through the Shire Brook Valley Local Nature Reserve on
640-688: The Birley Collieries, with his cousin Alfred John Gainsford serving as Managing Director. The Birley collieries were owned by the Sheffield Coal Company who also owned nearby Brookhouse and North Staveley collieries. These collieries stood either side of the M.S.& L.R. line less than a mile to the east of Woodhouse East Junction. In 1866 the Sheffield Coal Company, which had been founded in 1805, signed an agreement with
680-723: The Rother is again through an underground culvert beneath the site of the former Woodhouse Junction railway sidings which is now disused brownfield land which was being considered by Network Rail as a location for a new National Engineering Centre before plans were rejected in April 2008. Shire Brook enters the River Rother at a height of 121 feet (37 m) above sea level at approximately 53°21′22″N 1°20′22″W / 53.3562°N 1.3394°W / 53.3562; -1.3394 . Shire Brook has been an important boundary line for over
720-630: The Staniforth family that ran the Thomas Staniforth & Co sickleworks in Hackenthorpe. The dam at Rainbow Forge no longer holds water and its embankments and stonework are difficult to find amongst the undergrowth. Carr Forge Dam is the best preserved area of water in the valley although its wheel and cottages have now vanished. The site of the Lower Sickle Wheel (also known as Nether Wheel )
760-571: The engineman the machinery was set in motion, and young man named Willis Marples, residing at Gleadless, was caught the chain and drawn through a narrow opening, and instantaneously killed. In March 1873 at Birley Vale Colliery, William Wheeler (40) an experienced pitman of Handsworth Woodhouse was knocked over by full wagons on the inclined plane and three passed over him, he died in 10 minutes. Inquest jury returned "Accidentally run over by colliery wagons". On Friday 12 June 1874 Benjamin Hutchinson (36)
800-652: The northern side of the A57. At this point the brook receives its only sizeable tributary, an unnamed stream which rises at Birley Spa at a height of 330 feet (100 m) above sea level, flowing NE down a gorge for a kilometre to the Shire Brook valley. The Shire Brook then disappears underground again as it runs beneath the former Beighton Road landfill site just to the north of Beighton before entering an area of wetland rich in bird life known as Beighton Marsh. The final 220 yards (200 m) of Shire Brook’s journey before it joins
840-461: The part completed colliery gained the name Birley East Colliery . Although a small amount of coal was being cut from the new colliery, brought to the surface at Birley West, it was not until 1890 when a new winding engine was installed that it fully came on stream. Later expansion came with mining rights being obtained from the Duke of Norfolk to mine below Handsworth Common. In 1856 John Walker (aged 16)
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#1732869243879880-513: The roof came down It took half an hour before Wells was dug out and conveyed home in a serius state. Clayton was not dug out for an hour and was found to be dead. On 7 January Rabery Granger (40) was killed at Birley Vale colliery by being crushed between two coal wagons. An inquest was held on 10 January 1881 at the Ball in Intake. On 13 June 1881 Walter Hurst (14) a driver met his death by being run over by
920-502: The roof severely injuring him He was convey home on a cart accompanied by Dr Le Tall. In 1877 On Friday 14 December 1877 Thomas Grady a bricklayers labourer was at work on a siding on the railway at Birley Colliery he stepped on the line in front of some loaded trucks and was killed instantly. In 1879 at Birley colliery on Friday 17 July John Westenage a miner from Normanton Spring was knocked down by empty corves which he had not noticed he died on Saturday 19 July 1879. The coroners inquest
960-645: The small mill ponds that once fed the water wheels still exist along the course of the river. The Upper and Lower Sickle wheels were in the Normanton Spring area, about 1 mile (1.5 km) from the Brook’s source. Further downstream were Carr Forge and Rainbow Forge while the Cliff Wheel was located just under 1,100 yards (1 km) from the Brooks confluence with the River Rother. Notable owners and users of these wheels were
1000-525: The south pit and a portion of the roof fell on to Mr Walters. He was removed to his home in Woodhouse and was found that the splinter of bone of the leg was broken and several ribs detached. On Tuesday 5 November 1889 George Lane of Hollinsend was injured on his back and neck by a fall of bind from the roof. He was carried home in the colliery ambulance and attended by the colliery surgeon. In April 1890 at Birley Colliery, Robert Pearson (15) of Normanton Springs
1040-430: The spot. In 1863 a young man named Gillott was killed by a fall of bind on Thursday 17 September 1863. On Thursday 13 September 1866, Thomas Downs (aged 14) of Normanton Spring was killed and two men injured at Planting Pit Birley Vale. On Tuesday 9 October 1866 William Turner of Bird Field was killed by a fall of bind, he was extricated and removed home but died in two hours leaving a wife and three children. In 1869
1080-675: The stream has been influenced by human intervention in the 20th century with the brook being diverted underground and flowing through culverts on three occasions as it traverses locations which were formerly landfill sites and extensive railway sidings. Shire Brook rises as an underground spring at a height of 630 feet (192 m) above sea level beneath the Red Lion public house in the Gleadless Townend residential area at 53°20′41″N 1°25′32″W / 53.3447°N 1.4256°W / 53.3447; -1.4256 . The Brook runs in
1120-412: The tool chest and upon lifting him up was found to be dead. He leaves a widow and five children. On 28 May 1885 Frank Shaw (48) of Hollinsend a miner at Birley West Pit was struck by corves coming down. In June 1885 at 3am John Glossop of Pond Lane was run over by a corve. He was taken to the infirmary but he got worse and died a 7 pm. On 31 December 1886 Samuel Sheppard Duraham (19) was killed by
1160-574: The valley at the start of the 18th century and actually started in Tudor times when Christopher Chapman was producing cutlery at Carr Forge in the mid-16th century. Like many of Sheffield’s water courses, the Shire Brook’s water power was harnessed for turning water wheels for industry before the coming of steam and electricity. During the 19th century there were five wheels operating in the valley producing power to sharpen scythes and sickles . Several of
1200-537: The valley which made the water a yellow brown colour. In 1967 the City of Sheffield expanded its borders south to take in the suburbs of Hackenthorpe and Mosborough and the Brook no longer marked the frontier between the two counties. The Brook also marks the boundary between the Ecclesiastical provinces of York and Canterbury . Up to the early 18th century the Shire Brook valley was mostly an agricultural area. However sustained industrial development came into
1240-498: Was ascending the shaft in the cage and had nearly reached the top when he was sized by a fit and fell out of the cage down the shaft a distance of 110 yards. The force of the fall broke a sump door at the pit bottom . The deceased skull was completely smashed and the backbone broken death being instantaneous. He was about 30 years of age single living with his father. In December 1880 Joseph Clayton and William Wells jun of Woodhouse were clearing some loose dirt at there place of work when
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1280-508: Was culverted under both locations which became landfill sites when the pits closed. Both landfill sites have been capped off and landscaped in recent years. The Shire Brook Valley Local Nature Reserve was established in 1999 and extends over an area of approximately 100 hectares. The reserve is based around the former site of the Coisley Hill Sewage Works which closed in the early 1990s. The managers office has been converted into
1320-584: Was excavated in 1988 revealing the foundations of the mill buildings and the pits which held the grinding wheels. Small scale coal mining took place in the valley from the early 18th century, however it was not until the opening of the Birley Collieries that large amounts of coal were extracted. Birley West Colliery was located just to the south of Normanton Spring, production lasted from 1855 until 1908. Birley East, situated between Hackenthorpe and Woodhouse opened in 1888 and operated until 1948. Shire Brook
1360-448: Was heavily polluted for many years, as storm drain overflow took raw sewage into the brook and then into the River Rother which was known as one of the most polluted rivers in Europe in the early 1990s. In 2005/6 much work was done to control the overflow with several storm flow storage tanks built in the Shire Brook valley. Yorkshire Water were fined £5,000 plus costs when pumps failed at
1400-492: Was held on 24 July 1879 at the Normanton Springs Hotel Woodhouse. In May 1880 two accidents at Birley Colliery James Fielding of Woodhouse a Coal getter when a large quantity of coal fell on him. cutting his head and face. At the same time in another shaft the roof fell on Samuel Hobson, he was removed to his home in Intake and it was feared his back was broken. On Tuesday 25 May 1880 Hans Ward of White Lane
1440-424: Was killed at Birley Vale a quantity of coal gave way and bruised him but he died before being taken home, he left a widowed mother. Sheffield Free Press 26 September 1857. Anthony Mycock 61 severely burnt by Fire Damp at Birley Vale Plantation Pit. Died from his injuries 7 October 1857 Buried at Gleadless Christ Church. On Saturday 19 January 1858 George Drury a large quantity of earth fell on him and killed him on
1480-573: Was killed by a large quantity of earth from the roof fell on him. In June 1876 six miners were killed in an explosion at the Birley Plantain Colliery. They were Ellis Cooper of Normanton Springs, leaves a widow and five children James Woodward, Ridgeway Moor, single Thomas Marples sen Hollinsend widow and two children, Thomas Marples jun nephew of above Gleadless widow and two children, Edward Saville Birley widow and eight children and Joseph Kelley Hollinsend widow. The Coroner's jury returned
1520-416: Was seriously injured when a large quantity of coal fell on him. He had a broken leg, scalp wound and cut arm. He was in a serious condition. On Wednesday 11 April 1888 at Birley Colliery Albert Sykes died when a section of roof fell on him he left a widow and two children. On Tuesday 17 April 1888 John Henry Pearson was struck by a quantity of debris from the roof. His thigh was found to be badly injured. He
1560-441: Was severely injured. In June 1891 a boy named George Camden of Woodhouse was overtaken by a run of corves which ran over him breaking one of his ribs and cutting his head and face. He was brought home and attended by Dr Scott. On 5 July 1892 Alfred Youle (or Toule) age 60 a cutler but working as a Labourer was injured by a fall of dirt and died a day later. Inquest jury returned Accidental Death. Shire Brook Shire Brook
1600-544: Was taken to the Infirmary in the pit ambulance. On 12 December 1888 Henry White (48) of Handsworth Woodhouse was killed by a fall of bind Emma White his wife gave evidence that on that about 12 o'clock on Wednesday her husband was brought home dead from the mine where he had worked for 30 years she has two sons also working at the colliery. A verdict of Accidental death was recorded. On Wednesday 14 March 1889 during an inspection by Mr Jaycock and Mr H Walters (the manager) were in
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