Causeway Head

Another view of "The Cricket Inn".

On the edge of the city of Sheffield.

Two brothers, still in school uniform, are playing football on the playing-field.

With "The Cricket Inn" at the other side of the field.

On the A621, Baslow Road, Totley this milepost becomes more and more neglected. It is in a very vulnerable position opposite houses that often have parked cars making the road narrower. The foundry name is down the front spine DARWIN & CO SHEFFIELD. Their name is also seen on gully grates and doubtless they cast other products. There was a Sheffield, Baslow, Owler Bar turnpike that lasted from 1803 to 1880 so this post may date from the middle to late 19C.

Viewed across the recreation ground at Totley Bents

This building was rejuvenated once before - hence the title - but it seems unlikely it will be put to any use again. Its original purpose seems to have been as an office, or works building, of a copperas chemical plant - this operated between the 1810s and 1870s. It definitely fell into disrepair shortly thereafter, as it is shown without a roof on a late 19th Century OS map. It then became a farmhouse, which was referred to as both Copperas House and Copperas Farm subsequently, but only as Copperas House on maps. The farm was abandoned in the late 1940s. Not having a chemistry degree, I have been more than a bit out of my depth researching copperas, which is an actual proper substance (completely unrelated to copper it seems) that I had never heard of! The manufacturing of it, though, was a huge industry in Britain from the 1600s to the late 1800s. It was a used to produce sulphuric acid, which seems even to this day to be something of a wonder chemical. Back then it was mainly used for pen ink, and dying fabric. I can't figure out if it was actually black, or as close as they could get to it, but dark marking was its thing, and it was either used on its own to colour things, or in conjunction with other colours which enabled them to bind to the fabric faster. The chemical stuff, as previously mentioned, is a bit confusing to the layman, but basically they got poor quality coal (for coal purposes anyway) known as pyrite out of the ground, and chucked it in a pit exposed to the elements for a couple of years. This stuff turned into green crystals when boiled, and when bolied again and then condensed was ready for action. Copperas was the legally required dye for dark silk in Britain for several hundred years.

An autumn view towards Dore in Sheffield's southern suburbs from Strawberry Lee Lane

I suspect that the rustic model of a bear has been placed here for decorative purposes by the owners of nearby Hallfield Farm.

These impressive driftwood statues have been sited near the end of Strawberry Lee Lane by a local landowner.

These driftwood statues of stags in combat has been erected by a wealthy local landowner who lives nearby.

The landmark water tower in the southern suburbs of Sheffield is around five miles away though it seems less because of the camera's zoom facility.

On Blacka Moor overlooking the south western suburbs of Sheffield