Rivelin Mill (Rivelin Waterpower Sites)

Rivelin Valley Road, near Rivelin Mill Bridge, Rivelin Valley, Sheffield

Other site, structure or landscape

Assets that cannot fit any of the other categories. This category includes sites of archaeological interest, where the original form and function may not be apparent without the use of archaeological techniques and interpretation.

Age

Built in around 1600. It remained working until the 1920s and the buildings were demolished in the 1950s.

Rarity

This asset is an integral part of an especially rare system of waterpowered sites, described in more detail in the Rivelin Waterpower Sites asset. As a waterpower site only ever used for corn milling this is comparatively a local rarity. Sites of this early date are particularly rare.

Architectural and Artistic Interest

This site is one of a group that collectively and individually demonstrate the construction techniques and interrelationships of waterpowered sites, described in more detail in the Rivelin Waterpower Sites asset. The dam outfall from Uppermost Wheel appears to have fed directly into the head goit of Rivelin Mill, the same weir serving both sites (based on the diagram in Ball, Crossley and Flavell, Water Power on the Sheffield Rivers, Second Edition, South Yorkshire Industrial History Society 2006). This is a technique used to enable high density exploitation of a river that is especially characteristic of upland streams such as those in Sheffield during a period of unprecedented industrialisation.

Group Value

This site contributes to the significance of the Rivelin Waterpower Sites asset and to the waterpower sites on other rivers in the city, and is integral to an understanding of the role and impact of waterpower in Sheffield. Uppermost Wheel and Rivelin Mill have additional group value, owing to the use of a single weir for both sites and having the same tenant for a significant period. Rivelin Mill and Upper Coppice Wheel also have group value as the tail goit of the former feeds the head goit of the latter directly.

Historic Interest

This site is of historic interest in its illustration of the uses of waterpower, central to the reputation fame and identity of Sheffield; the many and varied uses for waterpower; the industrial development of the area; the impact of communications and topography; the lives and trades of working people; and the practice and policy of landowners, This is described in more detail in the Rivelin Waterpower Sites asset. In 1949, prior to their demolition, buildings were leased to the Society for the Preservation of Old Sheffield Tools, precursor of the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society, to store items from their collection. As an especially early waterpowered site, it illustrates the emergence of the power source that was to define the historic importance of the area.

Archaeological Interest

This site has the potential for underground remains that with further investigation could reveal their development over time, including changes of use and the evolution of industrial processes and construction techniques. Because the sites were not overtaken by later industrial development, any remains are likely to be relatively intact. ○ Heritage Gateway NMR Excavation Index Result: New Dam, Havelock Dam, Rivelin Mill Pond https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?resourceID=304&uid=1889446.

Landmark Status

The Rivelin Valley is an extremely popular leisure destination for local people, largely defined by its waterpower remains, including this site. Following the collapse of the mill dam wall in 2001, the long, narrow mill dam was reconfigured to leave two ponds separated by a meadow (now with some trees). A pond-dipping platform and outdoor classroom were installed to facilitate educational visits. This gives the site communal importance for leisure and education. Its closeness to roads and car parking also makes it a popular terminus for walking in the valley.

15 Aug 2022

19 Apr 2022