Totley
Totley () is a suburb on the extreme southwest of
Sheffield, next to the
Yorkshire/
Derbyshire boundary. Traditionally a Derbyshire village, Totley officially became part of Sheffield in
1935, and is now part of the
Dore and Totley ward of the city.
Totley was mentioned in the
Domesday Book of
1086 as
Totinglee, the name meaning a forest clearing belonging to Tota (probably the Saxon lord).
Totley Hall, built in
1623 and enlarged in the
19th century, was converted to a teacher training college in the
1950s and was latterly part of
Sheffield Hallam University.
Totley is roughly divided into three areas: Totley, New Totley and Totley Rise. It is served by the
Baslow road, which is a continuation of Abbeydale Road South (A621).
Through the district run the Totley Brook and the Old Hay Brook, which are the two sources of the
River Sheaf. Totley also lends its name to
Totley Tunnel, the longest underland rail tunnel in the UK. This takes the Sheffield to Manchester line from Totley underneath the
Totley Moor to
Grindleford in Derbyshire.
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Totley Moor looking towards Sheffield in winter 2005. The moors are a barren wasteland with little vegetation but heather and trees near brooks and streams. |
Totley was first referred to in the
Domesday Survey, commissioned by
William the Conqueror. It was then referred to as Totinglei.It has since had many a different spellings:
*1086 Totinglei
*1221 Totenleg
*1234 Totingly
*1275 Tottle
*1293 Totleye
*1320 Toteleye
*1476 Tottynley
*1487 Totteley
*1585 Tottley
*1629 Totles
*1641 Tottingley
The Domesday book says this:
- In Totinglei, Tolf had IV bovates of land hidable. Land for one plough. It is waste, wood, pasturable, 1 mile in length and half a mile in breadth. T.R.E. value X shillings now XII pence.Domesday Survey 1086.
The area of Totley in 1086 was quite small, but by 1839 had grown seven-fold. The borders of Totley are agreed to be the Old Hay Brook, Totley Brook, Brown Edge, Lady Cross, Stony Ridge, along
Hathersage Road and Blacka Dike.The lowest point is the junction between Old Hay Brook and Totley Brook (beginning of the River Sheaf) at 400 ft, the highest point is Flask Edge at 1300 ft.
The underground is rich, and Totley Brick Works still produce bricks and ceramics to this day.
At one time, Totley was one of the townships in the Hundred of
Scarsdale, a sub-division of the
county of Derbyshire. In 1934 Totley, along with Dore and Bradway became part of
Hallam Ward, part of the
City of Sheffield and the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Totley is made of Totley Village (Hillfoot Rd and Totley Hall Lane), Totley Moor (unpopulated), Totley Bents (Penny Lane), New Totley (called as such since the 30s) and Totley Rise (Baslow Rd shops and Lower Bradway Bank).
Cannon Hall
Although there is little proof, there are assumptions that the hall was present in 829
[Assumption made by Bessie Bunkers]. One hypothesis concerning the name of the hall is that it once belonged to the Canons of Beauchief
[The monks passed the property when walking to Strawberry Lee]. Parish and council records show that the Pearsons family has lived in Totley since at least 1550 and still live in the village. Samuel Pearson farmed the area in 1550. In 1897, George Creswick bought the house and the land.
Totley Hall
Totley Hall seems to have been built in 1623 as inscriptions over the old door suggest. The inscriptions bear the characters GN 1623 WM, which seems to mean George Newbould.According to maps, fields have existed before this date as well as small buildings which would have been farm buildings.
In 1791, Andrew Gallimore left the estate to his niece Hannah, wife of Rev. D'Ewes Coke of Nottinghamshire. He died in 1811. His son took over the hall and provided money for the construction of the infant school. The family sold the Totley Hall in 1881 to W.K. Marples for £2250. It is at this period that the hall and the farm became two distinct properties.
William Aldam Milner built the lodge on Totley Hall Lane in 1887. His son was killed in
World war I and as a sign of thanks the saddened community gave land and £2000 to build a new church. All Saints church opened in 1924. Milner died in 1931 and the hall was bought by Sheffield Corporation for £5850. Until 1999, Totley Hall was home to Sheffield Polytechnic and then
Sheffield Hallam University.
The Old School House
The Infant School was built in 1821. The first contingent of pupils were 11 boys and 19 girls as well as one school mistress. Hannal Wild taught there in 1833, in 1852 Ann Padley took over and stayed for 20 years.
Totley Grange
Totley Grange was a manor house near Totley's Cross Sythes pub. It was built in 1875 by
Ebenezer Hall. He had bought the land from Mr. Parker who had bought it from George B. Greaves. Thomas Earnshaw, a fish and game dealer lived in the house around the 1890s which gave the house the nickname of
Fish Villa.
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Brinkburn Grange entrance. |
In 1965, work begun on the construction of Totley Grange Estate. Workmen found well lining stones which from the findings could have held water sufficient to feed flora from large greenhouses and gardens.
Sixty-five houses now lie on the estate of the former house.
Brinkburn Grange
Brinkburn Grange was built in 1883 by Thomas B. Matthews. The land was part of
Bradway Mill and Matthews was director of Turton Brothers & Matthews, a Sheffield steel, fil and spring makers. The mill dam was then used as an ornemental lake. The Grange was destroyed in 1938.
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Totley Rise row of shops on Baslow Road |
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Totley Brick Works on Baslow Road. |
The
Industrial Revolution was effectively invented in Sheffield. The processes used in the city spread and the
industrialisation of the
United Kingdom began.Although not strictly in Totley, the artisans at the Abbeydale Hamlet were using methods only comparable to industry. Wheels, powered by the dammed water in the dam, powered the tools of the trade.
The village has always mostly been argicultural and it can be witnessed today with only one industry present. Never the less the once flourishing indutries changed how things were done. There are several farms still in Totley, two of which are in built up areas, others that are away from residential areas.
The only industry still open is the Totley Brick Works on Baslow Road. It is this plant that supplied the bricks for the construction of
Totley Tunnel.
