Sheffield Round Walk - A Living Link To The Past

Exploring the Sheffield Round Walk: Sheaf Valley to Beauchief and Meadowhead.

I had walked the first two sections of the 14 mile Sheffield Round Walk on a day of glorious late summer weather, one weekend in August and had been captivated by the breadth of history covered by the route and also by the natural beauty of the landscape. Although the dark shade of the woods that contrasted starkly against the bright sunny sky proved a little too taxing for my modest photography skills, however since completing the first two sections, the desire to finish the whole route and walk sections three and four was a growing itch to which I finally succumbed one Sunday, towards the end of August.

Returning to the Sheffield Round Walk.

In the intervening time between the two walks I had splashed out on a new lens for my camera, replacing the kit zoom lens on my Olympus OM-D E-M10 with my first prime lens - a 25mm f1.8, the equivalent to a 50mm lens on a full frame camera which basically means I traded the ability to zoom for a better low light capability with sharper details and a pleasant natural field of view. At least in theory! I'm still very much a beginner in terms of photography, favouring the point and shoot technique and I had the feeling I was trying to run before I could walk.

Section three begins where I left off in the previous blog post, at Dore train station on Abbeydale Road South, having exited Ecclesall Wood, finishing section two and catching a bus back into the city centre. This was a handy starting point as I could catch a familiar train from Sheffield, one that I'd usually take to the Hope Valley out in the Peak District. On this occasion the train was packed to bursting point and I was happy to disembark at Dore.

Looking back towards Dore station from Twentywell Lane.

The day was starting out a little grey and cloudy but it was forecasted to soon clear and give way to sunny warm weather. I quickly hoisted my rucksack, positioned my camera bag within easy reach at my waist and set off. The route turns onto Twentywell Lane at a very busy junction and it's a less than picturesque start to a day's walking but just after the bridge over the train tracks, an acorn signpost beckons invitingly into a bank of green foliage.

Following the signposts into Ladies Spring Wood.

The roar from the busy road was muffled by the trees and bushes which provided a damp, cool and sun-dappled shade as the sun came out from the clouds. I felt excited and happy to be undertaking an adventure on such a fine day. The path was narrow and weaving, closely enveloped by trees.

The footpath above the train tracks heading deeper into the wood.

Sheffield derives it's name from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) word meaning 'land cleared of trees beside the River Sheaf' while the river itself comes from 'sceath' the Old English term for boundary; the area that would become Sheffield seems to have always been on the boundaries between various kingdoms and tribal lands, perhaps most notably the border between Mercia and Northumbria in the early medieval period. Section three starts in the Sheaf Valley, the train tracks follow the course of the River Sheaf from the heart of the city, out to the Peak District. Ladies Spring Wood, which I had just entered, is on the steep valley-side above the train tracks.

The morning was cool and damp with a fresh wind blowing.

The footpath twisted and turned on itself, all the while climbing higher up the steep slope until it became a taxing ascent up some steps cut into the earth. I paused halfway up and drew in lungfuls of cool cleansing air, a fresh wind was blowing through the trees from off the moorland in the distance. The sounds of the city seemed far off and contrasted with the peaceful woodland around me.

Ladies Spring Wood on the steep side of the Sheaf Valley.

Ladies Spring Wood is classified as an ancient woodland, which means it must have existed since at least 1600 AD. There are various subclasses of ancient woodland; ancient primary woodland are descendants of the primaeval woodland that formed about 11,000 years ago after the last Ice Age and although they may have been altered and even managed, they have never been cleared for farming or settlement. Ancient secondary woodland is a site that has been cleared of trees and the land used before 1600 AD but after that date allowed to recover and be repopulated with native tree species.

Walking through an ancient woodland, a living link to the past.

Ladies Spring Wood is more likely to be ancient primary woodland as there is no evidence of early settlements or field boundaries, even though the wood has been heavily managed in the past. There are 10 sites of charcoal production for iron smelting and 12 for white coal, used in lead smelting. This would have involved coppicing, regularly cutting back trees to ground level and allowing multiple stems to grow, these would then be harvested and processed into charcoal or white coal and even used in construction, such as wattle and daub (woven wood stems covered in mud).

Tree species are mainly sessile oak, birch, rowan with ash and alder.

Between the late 12th century and the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 16th century, the wood belonged to the nearby Beauchief Abbey, which points to the origin of the name Ladies Spring. The abbey was dedicated to 'Our Lady' St. Mary and St. Thomas Becket, Ladies is a corruption of this. Spring is Old English for coppicing.

In places the undergrowth was a twisted confusion of fallen branches, plants and ivy.

Coppicing in the wood had ended by the end of the 19th century and in 1931 Ladies Spring Wood was bought by Sheffield Council. The woodland was designated a site of Special Scientific Interest (S.S.S.I.) in 1951, protecting it from development and hopefully ensuring it's survival.

As a Site of Special Scientific Interest the woodland is protected.

On the right through a break in the trees, I could see a wide open expanse, so I deviated a little to investigate; a path ran along a wire fence, on the other-side of which lay the perfectly manicured fairway of a private golf course. I enjoyed the sunshine for a moment before returning to the wood.

The open expanse of a private golf course, the first of a surprising number on this walk.

The route through the trees was still steadily climbing with a steep and perilous, tree covered slope on the left and dense undergrowth on the right, until I came to another set of stairs cut into the hillside.

Onwards, ever upwards!

Finally the footpath started to level out and the trees became more substantial; in this part of the wood rhododendron had taken hold and the undergrowth became even more dense and tangled.

Crumbled dry stone walls and fallen iron fencing became more visible from underneath the riot of bracken and undergrowth, indicating the boundary between the wood and the grounds of the old Beauchief Hall.

Beauchief Hall was built by Edward Pegge, who served as Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1667, as his residence from 1671. Stone was reclaimed from the then ruined abbey and used in the Hall's construction; a well preserved, period fireplace still has a bust of Pegge. The Hall stayed with the Pegge family until 1922 when it was sold off. Sometimes deer can be seen in the grounds but I've always kept my distance, as a private property it seemed an intrusion trying to get near for a glimpse of the fine buildings.

Beauchief Hall and grounds.

The footpath ran along side another golf course, I knew that soon I'd be exiting Ladies Spring Wood and sure enough, after walking through a tunnel formed from a dense row of trees, I emerged out onto a tarmacked road that was familiar to me from when I used to live nearby, in the Lowedges area.

A promenade of trees beside Beauchief Golf Course.

On my left were the fairways of Beauchief Golf Course with the distant heather covered moors of the Peak District in the far distance; behind me lay Beauchief Hall and the Ladies Spring Wood, while in front of me, a bend in the road concealed Beauchief Abbey, casting a large shadow in the bright sunshine.

Mid 18th century cottages in the shadow of the abbey.

So far the landscape, through which the walk had taken me, was a jigsaw puzzle of pieces and Beauchief Abbey was at it's centre. Founded in about 1176 due to a gift of land by Robert FitzRanulph, Lord of Alfreton, although the official founding date wasn't until 1183. As mentioned earlier, the abbey was dedicated to St. Mary and St. Thomas the Martyr.

An information board showing a plan of the abbey as it was in it's heyday . © Sheffield City Council. 

Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered after a quarrel with King Henry II, who uttered the infamous line 'Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?' or words to that effect at least. Unfortunately for the Archbishop, a group of four Knights took their King's word literally and murdered Becket at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral on the 29th of December 1170. Local legends hold that FitzRanulph was one of the four and the gift of land for the abbey was the action of a guilty conscience, although there is no evidence that FitzRanulph had any connection to those events. A surviving altar piece which once stood in Beauchief Abbey depicts the murder of Becket, who was made a saint in 1173 after miracles were reported to have occurred at his tomb.

Still standing after over 800 years.

The abbey was of the Premonstratensian order, whose members were known as White Canons rather than monks, between 12 and 15 lived at the abbey, although as ordained priests, they also worked in local communities. Beauchief Abbey was an industrial centre as well as religious; farming was undertaken on the estate and it's outlying manors. As hinted at in the history of Ladies Spring Wood, the abbey controlled smelting and woodland industries, as well as owning mills and a smithy on the Sheaf.

Map of local area, click or tap to see in detail. © Sheffield City Council

In February 1537 under the ordinance of King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, life at the abbey ended, 361 years after it's foundation. The abbey and all it's lands were sold and fell into disrepair. In the 17th century the land came into possession of the Pegge family and stone from the abbey was recycled during the building of Beauchief Hall for Edward Pegge. Around this time the nave and tower of the abbey were partially restored to create a chapel, although it continued to be restored into the 18th century. The chapel remains in use today and Church services are still performed.

View across the fairways in front of the abbey.

The Pegge family continued to own Beauchief Abbey and Beauchief Hall until 1922 when they were sold to separate buyers; some years later, in 1931, large pieces of land were sold to the Sheffield Council but the abbey itself, cottages, graveyards and grounds were donated by the new owner as a gift to the Citizens of Sheffield. The abbey was declared a scheduled monument in 1957 but Sheffield Council retains ownership.

The name Beauchief itself is derived from two Old French words and means 'beautiful headland or hill' (beau-chef), this is interesting because the Premonstratensian order was founded in France in 1120 AD. As an outsider who has adopted the city as my home, I would pronounce Beauchief as 'bow-chief' but I'm reliably informed that in the local dialect it is to be pronounced 'bee-chif' and I would suggest that both are equally acceptable. Once again, I'm surprised and delighted by the complex and interconnected history of one small area of Sheffield.

Having investigated the abbey and the thoughtfully placed information board in the grounds, I decided to pick up the pace a little, so I rejoined the footpath as it ran through a sliver of woodland called Park Bank Wood. Through the trees the golf course was constantly in sight until it was crowded out by houses as the footpath ran alongside the rear of their back gardens, it was still a shock to the system to suddenly emerge out onto Bocking Lane, that positively roared with traffic.

A quiet, green world hidden away from Bocking Lane.

A few yards down, after I carefully crossed the road, the route resumed and abruptly squeezed between two houses. I was quickly swallowed up by cool green shade once again. I found myself in a quiet hidden world, a few feet away from one of Sheffield's busiest roads! A steep sided gorge, with a fast flowing stream, shrouded by a dense covering of trees and undergrowth, gradually descended and levelled out until the footpath arrived at a wooden bridge. Thankfully, despite vandalism, acorn waymarks were visible and pointed me in the right direction.

Distant view of the city centre over rooftops from Chancet Wood.

I was walking through a small woodland called Chancet Wood and it was very similar to Ladies Spring, although it bore the signs of being more abused, litter and vandalism were very much in evidence. The constant hum of traffic reminded me I was in a heavily built up area. Through the trees and across rooftops, I could glimpse the city centre far off in the distance. I was careful with my camera, mindful of the fact I was level with the bedroom windows of some houses along this section. I did not want to be chased through the woods because of a misunderstanding!

A reminder that this green space is part of an urban environment.

The path descended briskly and with startling abruptness, I found myself beside a line of motionless cars, nose to tail as far as the eye could follow, all the way along the broad highway called Meadowhead; their engines running but not moving an inch in the bright, dazzling sunshine. I marvelled at the sight before me, compared to the green spaces I'd enjoyed up to a few moments ago, the traffic jam seemed particularly offensive. Being confronted with one of the downsides of our modern lifestyles I decided to take advantage of one of the positives - supermarket convenience shopping. Time for a sandwich.

The walk continues in the next instalment.