| Abstract: |
The book aims to outline what is currently known of the history and topography of the sites on the River Don below Oughtibridge, and on the Loxley, Rivelin, Porter and Sheaf rivers, with their tributaries. The contributors have noted the condition of mill sites recorded by W T Miller in The water mills of Sheffield (1936), which covered a slightly larger area. Where possible they have also added to his interpretation of visible features. Emphasis is given to creating historical outlines, drawn from the stock of archives that have become available since the 1930s, and this new edition draws in particular on material from the Fairbank Collection of surveyors' records from c. 1740 to the mid-nineteenth century, and the Wakefield Registry of Deeds, covering material from the early-eighteenth century. Entries for the Town Wheel and Brightside Forge (Don), Wisewood Wheel (Loxley), Sylvester Wheel (Porter) and the Lead Mill and Pond Tilt (Sheaf) are accompanied by reports on archaeological excavations undertaken prior to redevelopment. Includes an introduction covering the historical outline and technology of water power on the Sheffield rivers, followed by detailed surveys of sites on each of the five rivers, and |
