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Ecclesfield 'village'


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I remember the old WMC in Church Street (same site as present one). It was a series of old wooden army huts fastened together. One night it mysteriously burned down. I think this was around 1953/5. The business of the club carried on in the upstairs room of the Arundel, until the new premises were ready.

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Thanks nigel & redfire ,i never heard that bit of village history before. i will ask my dad if he remembers the incident,i know he was concert secratery for a while in the late 50,s/early 60,s b.t.w my sister informed me alan denial was given a good send off yesterday.

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NIgel, the fire that destroyed Ecclesfield WMC occurred on January 5th 1951. It was a good story for old Percy Brummitt!

 

Thanks for that. I honestly thought it was later than that. My memory must be better than I first thought. I do remember the fire. My Dad told me not to go near the site, but as we all know, we think we know best. I stank of burning ashes when I returned home, so he knew I had been there.

 

Do you remember the old wooden hut in Mill Road, being burned down? After the first world war, the Wortley Rural DC erected four ex army huts on the present site of the prefabs. They were used for housing (just like the old Potter Hill camp). When they were demolished, one was left standing and it was used by WRDC as a store for old newspapers retrieved from the dustbins. One night it was set alight, by a person or persons unknown. I am confident that this was Saturday 4 July 1953.

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Hi mh01 the pond as been sold for 64,000 pounds ive been told club not for sale yet

 

Do you know if The Willowgarth (next to the dam - left as you go up the steps at the back of the club) was included in the sale? Supposedly, this was the site of an Anglo Saxon stockade - notice the 'island' in the middle. The stockade being on the middle island and surrounded by a moat. I have always thought that site ought to be excavated. Who knows what would be found.

 

Local legend has it that the stone for building the Church was taken from the ground, thus creating the dam. I have always preferred to believe that it came from the Hunshelf quarry. I would think it easier to take stone from a hill side than to dig it out of the ground. No doubt an expert stonemason would be able to confirm/deny my theory about the quarry, by examining both the quarry face and the church. I am probably wrong.

 

Another story tells of a horse and cart being drowned in the dam, during the early years of the last century. Supposedly the horse and cart was being used to clear snow off the iced dam, when the ice cracked and swallowed both horse and cart. Firstly - why would people want to clear the frozen dam of snow? Secondly - how did they get a horse and cart on to the ice?

 

I think there is truth in the story that divers were sent down, to see how deep the dam was. They were unable to find its bottom as it was so deep. Of course modern day techniques would be able to find this out very quickly.

 

I do know the dam was used to drive the machinery of the old paper mill next to the WMC. This is now a transport firm.

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