Swallow Wheel (Rivelin Waterpower Sites)

Location/Address

800m upstream of Glen Bridge, Rivelin Valley Road, Rivelin Valley, Sheffield S6 5SD

Type

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.

Description

Former water-powered grinding Wheel and water management system. One of the Rivelin Waterpower Sites. Swallow Wheel and associated water management system are the remains of a water-powered site dating from before 1690. It appears to have been used continually for grinding cutlery and razors from before 1690 until it fell into ruins in the early 20th century. The remains of the wheel pit, the line of the buildings and parts of the stone floor are partially visible amongst the encroaching vegetation. The Swallow water management system extends to the east and south-west of the site of the former mill buildings, feeding from and into the adjacent river. The curved weir, built of large pitched stones, is in poor condition. There is water in the mill dam, but it is shallow and heavily shaded with trees. The long tail-goit originally joined the head goit of Plonk Wheel (next downstream). Swallow Wheel is located on the south side of Rivelin Valley Road between its junctions with the two ends of Tofts Lane. The site is owned by Sheffield City Council and there is open access. A public footpath (the Rivelin nature and heritage trail) passes on the south side of the site, between the mill dam and the river. The trail can be accessed from various points along Rivelin Valley Road and from surrounding footpaths. A marker post installed at the site by Rivelin Valley Conservation Group gives a brief history and links to a website where further information and pictures can be found. Swallow Wheel is one of the 20 water-powered mills built in the Rivelin Valley. This sequence of Rivelin mills and mill dams forms an essential part of Sheffield’s heritage. They also have a broader national and even international significance in relation to the history of the Industrial Revolution in Sheffield. Further information and pictures of Swallow Wheel and other sites in the Rivelin valley can be found at https://rivelinvalley.org.uk/rivelin-trails-2/y. See also the books ‘Walking the Rivelin’, by Sue Shaw and Keith Kendall (6th edition, 2019, Rivelin Valley Conservation Group) and ‘Water Power on the Sheffield Rivers’, by C. Ball, D. Crossley, N. Flavell (Editors), (2nd Edition (2006), South Yorkshire Industrial Society).

Map

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Map layers

Base layers

Info

Record list

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Statement of Significance

Age

Dating from before 1690. Fell into ruins in the early 20th century.

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.

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 tail goit of Swallow Wheel originally joined the head goit of Plonk Wheel (next downstream). 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. Swallow and Plonk Wheels have group value owing to both being occupied by the same tenant in the mid-18th century. They 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. Subject of a rattening attack in 1850, one of the many incidents in Sheffield at this time that culminated in the Outrages.

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.

Landmark Status

The Rivelin Valley is an extremely popular leisure destination for local people, largely defined by its waterpower remains, including this site.

Images and Documents

Photo

Swallow%20Wheel%20marker%20post_2016-05-17_09_23-scaled%20(RVCG).jpg

Swallow Wheel marker post located below the mill dam wall at grinding hull site

Date Listed

15 Aug 2022

Last Updated

19 Apr 2022