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This paper updates an earlier one prepared in January 2001. We are grateful for advice given by Joan Sewell, a Heritage Landscape expert, and colleagues in Sheffield City Council and the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust(SIMT).
Geography and nature of the Valley
The Porter Brook rises on the moors above Sheffield and flows 10km. into the heart of the city. Its Valley forms a natural green corridor leading from the terraced housing and congested roads around Hunters Bar to the open moors of the Peak District National Park. In the course of its descent the Porter falls some 340 metres through a constantly changing landscape. It links the steeply incised and wooded valley of Porter Clough to gentler farmed landscape of green hillsides with traditional pasturage and stone buildings. It then passes through the archaeological remains of our early industrial heritage (weirs, millponds, millraces and dams) and on to more ancient and semi-natural woodlands. It culminates in the recreational and ornamental parklands at Bingham and Endcliffe that were created for social purposes in the 19th century. It then enters underground culverts alongside the Ecclesall Road and flows eastwards past the General Cemetery into Sheffield City Centre.
Ecological aspects
Introduction
The “Friends of the Porter Valley” was set up in 1994 to preserve and enhance the natural and historical characteristics of the Porter Valley for public benefit. Our area of interest, from Hunter’s Bar to Porter Clough, is shown on the attached map at Appendix 1. This paper sets out our considered views about the approach that is now required to assure the future of this unique green space.
The entire 5km of the valley bottom and the upper reaches of its tributory the May Brook are designated as “Areas of Natural History Interest “in the Urban Development Plan (UDP) because the valley contains considerable ecological capital including communities of widespread popular appeal. Botanically these comprise several blocks of ancient oak woodland with spectacular displays of spring flowers and autumn fungi; semi-natural scrub, riverine and pond habitats; wet valleyside flushes containing rare species; old flower rich meadows of a type that are fast disappearing from the countryside; and acid grasslands that in autumn are bright with wax-cap toadstools. The sequence of millponds known locally as “dams” also contributes significantly to the ecology of the valley although they are in a poor state of repair with several leaking and all becoming silted up. The watercourses support an abundant fauna of breeding ducks, dippers, kingfishers, herons, crayfish and other freshwater invertebrates, while the meadows and hedgerows are home to many species of butterfly and moths. The trees support many birds, including summer visitors such as blackcap and chiff-chaff, and all the year round familiars such as 3 types of woodpecker, treecreepers, nuthatches, tits, and corbines including a longstanding rookery at Forge Dam. Mammals include several species of bat which are conspicuous flitting over the dams, foxes, water voles and some discrete badger communities. By identifying and managing appropriately those parts of the valley that play a key role in providing this biodiversity, we would like to ensure that users of all stretches of the Porter Valley will continue to encounter a memorable range of wildlife. This includes areas of managed farmland, older grassland, scrub and woodland away from the valley bottom that can be accessed by the network of footpaths and quiet lanes.
Archaeological Aspects
Man has inhabited this Valley since Paleolithic times but the most obvious evidence of human impact is the sequence of “dams”. In the 18th century the Porter Brook was one of Sheffield’s most intensively used ”industrial” streams and drove 20 “mills” for the manufacture of cutlery, hand tools and other metal products. All but 6 of these millponds have disappeared over the years as their original industrial use declined and the valley became a focus for leisure. What remains is an attractive linear amenity and wildlife habitat studded with features of exceptional historic interest.
The valley may be unique in Britain, and possibly in Europe, for the density and reasonable state of repair of structures dating from the early days of waterpower. The “dams” provide a compelling thread of interest to the linear valley walk. Unusual features are that the mills were constructed for the metal (e.g. cutlery) trades and not preceded by corn mills. The workers lived in the valley and did not walk far to work, so, for example, had their own chapel (the Boulsover Chapel above Wire Mill Dam on the left side of Whiteley Wood Road). Forge Dam impounds the full flow of the stream. Wiremill once had the largest diameter wheel in Sheffield. Those features remaining require urgent repair and maintenance if they are to be conserved as historical “on site” artifacts. These, together with certain key monuments such as those in the Conservation Area, various listed grade II vernacular buildings, and the Boulsover Monument and Chapel, deserve to be interpreted to the public.
It is also a landscape that has appealed to English Heritage’s interest in “the engine room” of our 18th and 19th century heritage. Cossons, the President of English Heritage, has publicly acknowledged the importance of the national heritage of waterways, mills, and workers cottages in which architectural historians have shown little interest and which are all but lost. The Porter Valley retains many examples of this heritage which could still be saved if their importance were recognised in time. Cossons has said (p75 September 2000 Telegraph Magazine): “The sites which English Heritage inherited represent a very particular sense of history. There’s lots of rural emphasis ….. but little that’s industrial….. we have to move forward …. to the period of Britain’s dominance as a pre-eminent industrial power …..that dominance was a fact of history, placing an obligation on us to look after what’s left …..”
Abercrombie’s Civic survey of 1924 for Sheffield City Council
The Porter Valley is recognised as a linear parkland of particular and historic interest. Page 38 of Patrick Abercrombie’s 1924 survey describes the Porter Valley as follows:
“The Porter Valley Sequence is a special development of the open space which the natural conformation of Sheffield would be likely to induce; and it is a form that is of special value in the systematic provision of parks in a town plan. The Porter Brook Parkway, consisting as it does of a string of contiguous open spaces, is the finest example to be found in this country of a radial park strip, an elongated open space, leading from a built–up part of the city direct into the country, the land occupied being a river valley and so for the greater part unsuitable for building. As compared with the finite quality of an ornamental park of more or less square shape , there is a feeling of movement in a continuous park strip …….the human being ….is lead onwards until the open countryside is reached.“
Existing designations
Many of the remaining monuments and buildings in the valley have listed Grade II status and Shepherd Wheel, a water-powered grinding hull and dam, is a scheduled Ancient Monument. A conservation area encompasses Fulwood Chapel, Forge Dam and Wire Mill Dam. The UDC map also shows an “Area of Special Character” on the northern slopes of the valley from Harrison Lane down into the brook bottom. In 2001 Endcliffe Park was included in the South Yorkshire county volume of English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest as a grade II site. The whole Valley was given grade 11 listing by English Heritage in 2002 in recognition of its unique mosaic of features..
Amenity and recreational value
Urban parks were created throughout Britain in the 19th century as a response to the often appalling urban environment brought about by industrialisation and rapid population growth. They are still a vital amenity in our 21st century lives. The whole Porter Valley, except for Endcliffe Park, lies entirely within the Green Belt. It also forms a significant part of the Sheffield Round Walk. The UDP map shows that it provides a Strategic Cycle/Footpath. Because it provides a direct link between the city and the countryside it is used extensively by people from all over the city and beyond. Its accessibility and unique atmosphere appeal particularly to the communities along its flanks, to Sheffield schools, ramblers, cyclists, and nature lovers. An Environment Centre run by the Education Service introduces hundreds of Sheffield schoolchildren to the countryside every year. There are several frequently used access points from the roads and footpaths that border on, or run across, the Porter. A User Survey completed by the Friends of the Porter Valley in 2001/2 suggests that half a million people may use the Valley every year; and that over 30% come from parts of Sheffield other than the nearby relatively affluent wards of Broomhill, Hallam, and Ecclesall.
The Problem
Key features of the Porter Valley are at risk: the 6 remaining millponds with their embankments, sluices and goits have deteriorated rapidly in recent years because of a lack of resources for maintenance. In the long term there is a very real danger that this historic landscape will be lost unless comprehensive repairs are carried out and the key sequence of millponds and water features are restored to a state which can be sustained in the long term. In the short term there are clearly immediate health and safety risks from the deterioration of paths, walls and dam sides. Such a programme would have to be carried out sensitively because of the nature of the ecological and archaeological heritage.
Shepherd Wheel, generally regarded as the “jewel” in the Valley, is at particular risk. Investment is required in the grinding hull and waterwheel both to conserve the site and to improve its accessibility as a museum. Friends of the Porter Valley have been discussing the issues with the Sheffield Industrial Museum’s Trust (SIMT).
Usage and Access issues
The valley is popular. Important users include: school and other groups engaged in educational activities; dog walkers; parents and young children; anglers (at Wire Mill and Forge Dams); cyclists of both mountain bike and leisure variety; joggers; ramblers; sports field users (Endcliffe and Bingham especially but also the field above the Forge playground); horseriders; birdwatchers and other nature lovers; farmers and agricultural workers going about their daily business; local residents taking short cuts. Access and usage needs to be managed, especially at “honeypots “ such as the Forge and to a lesser extent Endcliffe Park. Repositioning of certain facilities to achieve a better integration is an urgent requirement. A footpath and route management strategy could be developed to encourage safer use of routes, prevent erosion, ensure appropriate renovation and accommodate different user needs. A “Quiet Lanes” initiative has been advocated..
There is particular public demand recorded in the User Survey and reported by representatives of the Forge Playground parents group for improvements to the WCs and handwashing facilities at the Forge Café (promised in 1999) and in Endcliffe Park (planned near the Café in the Park for April 2003)
There is a more general need to satisfy modern health and safety requirements eg. To review security and lighting; introduce new maintenance regimes for litter clearance from the Porter Brook and around the cafes and playgrounds; and extend provision for dogs to prevent fouling in sports and play areas.
There is a need for strategies to prevent: silting of dams; stealing of stonework; inappropriate tree planting and tree removal; under and overgrazing of pastureland; vehicles speeding where roads cross the valley footpaths and bridlepaths; inappropriate building in the green belt; graffiti, needle dumping and flytipping.
Activities of the Friends of the Porter Valley
The Friends of the Porter Valley have over the past 4 years undertaken a number of projects to raise awareness of the need to restore features in the Porter Valley:
- We commissioned a professional survey of the “dams” in 1999 with financial support from the Graves Trust. This highlighted urgent repair and restoration issues.
- We have provided at least one guided walk every month and 4 talks a year on a variety of subjects (archaeology, ecology, geology, birdlife, etc) throughout 2001 and 2002 and are continuing this programme.
- We gathered 1000 user views 2000/ 2001. See User Survey 20002
- We advised the Council on repairs to the Wire Mill Dam goit in 2001
- We continue to work with the Council to plan minor repairs and to open up views ie. of the waterfall in the Upper Porter Brook carried out in 2001
- We commissioned a historic landscape survey and report by an archaeologist in 2000/2002 with funding provided by the Countryside Agency from the Heritage Lottery Initiative.
- We completed a parallel ecology survey and report of the Valley 2000/2.
- Brochures on the ecology and history of the valley were produced for free public distribution at the 2 cafes and Post Offices in 2002
- In 2003 we started a second phase of archaeological and ecological surveying in the middle valley
- We are working with the Council on bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund
Principles recommended for restoration.
The Friends of the Porter Valley recommend that any plan for restoration or improvements should adopt a “whole” Porter Valley approach. Piecemeal action could result in inappropriate or incongruous repairs and destroy the harmony which 19th century planners established and 20th century neglect preserved. We also recommend that the primary focus of restoration should be to maintain the appearance of the whole Valley largely as it is, and as it has developed over the last 100 years. This will involve identifying and enhancing specific features that contribute to local distinctiveness.
We believe these recommendations are supported by:
the User Survey conducted by the Friends of the Porter Valley;
Council officers who have worked in the area for years;
Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust(SIMT)
historic landscape, archaeology and ecology experts.
Summary of Recommendations
1. Preparations to support the long term vision 2003/4
Consult and gain consensus on the structure and appearance of the whole valley. Make a lottery bid to support a planning project to gather information, to articulate a vision for the valley, and to propose costed options for conservation and restoration of individual features.
2. Major longer term investments 2004/2008 to realise the vision
Once agreement with all partners has been obtained, our priority is to make a series of capital and lottery bids for the repair and reinstatement of the water features at Shepherd Wheel and the 5 other dams, weirs, water races, waterfalls and walls. Planning must take account of seasonal factors and habitat protection. Set in place sustainable maintenance systems.
Conclusion
The Porter Valley is a unique green space in Sheffield where history, wildlife and public access meet. It holds a cherished place in the affections of many current users and has the potential for even greater educational, health and publicity value. We wish to find ways of addressing the visible deterioration of this unusual amenity and in particular wish to work with the Council, SIMT and others to restore and stabilise it for future users. We do not suggest that the past be artificially recreated and then preserved at huge cost: this heritage must meet the needs of modern users. But we want people to understand and value it, and ensure that it is available to their children and future generations of visitors.
Ann le Sage
Chairman of the Friends of the Porter Valley
12 March 2003
Fax/answering m/c. on 0114 2303732
APPENDIX
The (not-yet attached map) shows the area of the Porter Valley that is the main concern of the Friends. It is all Green Belt except for Endcliffe Park which is a designated Open Space. The majority is classified as of High Landscape Value on the UDP map.
We recognise a gradation in the landscape of the valley bottom from principally ecological and informal and with a low management requirement beyond Trippett Wood to predominantly designed and gardenesque with formal elements in Endcliffe and parts of Bingham Park. To maintain and emphasise these characters will require sensitivity and regular consultation between all interested parties. In particular it will be important to consider:
The level of conscious design input as against allowing nature to design the detail.
The number and design of artifacts such as seats, litter bins, memorials, path surfacing, path edging, illustrative notices etc.
Maintenance levels and long term sustainability and affordability
Plant material choice varying from exotic and ornamental, through the use of native material, to allowing natural regeneration to assert itself.
It would be unhelpful to regard one part of the Porter Valley’s mosaic as superior to another. They play complementary roles and support each other, providing a richer landscape than if only one were present.
See also Joan Sewell’s 1995 “Register Review of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest”.
Recommendations on the overall design
The Friends of the Porter Valley have considered the views gathered so far by the user survey about the desired appearance of the valley. We recommend making the best of what is present rather than engaging in a radical redesign. Some key pointers for planners and project workers might be:
Keep it natural.
Open up views and vistas eg. water features, old packhorse bridges, specimen trees and special plantings
Restore/ improve the features in Endcliffe, Bingham and Forge Dam Parks
Designate “non-intervention” areas to encourage the flora and fauna and protect fragile communities eg. Permit natural regeneration of woodland and riverside vegetation, leave woodland edge strips un-mown etc
Consider carefully the choice of aquatic and woodland planting, how it should be managed and maintained, and be interpreted to the public.
Introduce simple but good quality illustrative signage at key entry points: Hunters Bar, Rustlings Road, Hanging Water, Whiteley Woods, Forge, Quiet Lane and Fulwood Lane (Porter Clough).
Additional Recommendations on routine maintenance
Carry out straightforward cleaning and clearing eg removal of graffiti ridden metal cabins and skips in Bingham Park near Ibbotson Wheel Dam at the entrance off Westwood Drive
Review the overall plan and hierarchy of the existing network of entry points, carparking, paths, bridges and fords. Determine the appropriate style.
Repair damaged footpaths and bridlepaths avoiding use of unsympathetic materials such as tarmac or the creation of vast corridors flanked by fencing in the “natural” areas.
Introduce more vandal proof bench seats, and picnic tables at appropriate points throughout the valley.
Introduce traffic calming measures and speed restrictions on cross valley roads before a major accident occurs.
Review security in critical areas such as Endcliffe Park and continue to encourage the reassuring daily police patrols by bicycle throughout the Valley
Clarify urban planning strategies to alleviate public concerns about losing the green belt: Whiteley Wood Road, at Folkwood School site on Ringinglow Road, and “gentrification” of individual vernacular farm buildings.
Increase the dedicated and identifiable workforce in the Valley
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