Porter brook (eccy rd)

[tony_santos]

I've been spending a few months now studying the history of Hunters Bar and Eccy Rd. Anyways i've noticed that on the section next to frog walk there appears to be gaslamps on the farside banks, also there are old illustrations of some stairs that appeared to exist next to the porter brook pub that led down to the river. my question is this, did you used to be able to walk along (next to) sections of the porter river in days gone by and if so which parts?

[Plain Talker]

There used to be a sort of "gennel" through from Eccy road to Neill Road, by the church.

 

The Porter Brook Pub used to be the offices, for a builders firm, from at least the 1960s onward.

 

I'm not entirely certain about being able to walk along that section. It might have been private land, backing onto the porter.

[Steptoad]

I've been spending a few months now studying the history of Hunters Bar and Eccy Rd. Anyways i've noticed that on the section next to frog walk there appears to be gaslamps on the farside banks, also there are old illustrations of some stairs that appeared to exist next to the porter brook pub that led down to the river. my question is this, did you used to be able to walk along (next to) sections of the porter river in days gone by and if so which parts?

 

There was still a gaslight at the Sharrow Head end of Toad Walk last time I passed. Toad Walk is the path that leads from the bridge at the bottom a long the side of the cemetery up to Sharrow Head.

 

Does anybody remember the Piggy Field at the end of Frog Walk on the left as you head towards Sharrowvale Rd?

[Tooeg]

The Porter Brook pub was offices of an electrical contractor not a builder

Where were the steps, how old are the drawings.

I think the building was originally a dairy

Which was later sold to the coop (now the plumbers merchants) I assume the red brick building is only about a hundred years old, probably built on the site of an earlier farm house. The old stable, now the beer cellar looks older than the pub building

there isn't enough room between pub and river for a footpath, maybe an older building was a bit further away from the river

[Greybeard]

As I remember it we used to go down Frog Walk from Sharrowhead. At the bottom you could cross the river by a bridge then a short path that led out to Cemetery Ave by the gates to the cemetery. Or you could turn left along Toad Walk onto a path that followed the river upstream for a while (I seem to remember railings here) and came out at the bottom of the driveway to Sharrow Mills. You could here turn left up the driveway to Sharrow Vale road - or cross the driveway and through a 'kissing gate' onto a path across the field that again led to Sharrow Vale road, over a stone stile in the wall I think.

 

I do remember there were sheep in that field occasionally. Used to do that walk quite often with my Dad on a Sunday morning in the late 40s.

 

Looking at Google maps the path across the field is still there - it joins Sharrow Vale road opposite the end of Bagshot street.

[Steptoad]

Well, not quite opposite the end of Bagshot St, but near.

 

Grey beard; You're saying that Frog walk runs from Sharrowhead to the bridge and Toad Walk runs from Sharrowvale Rd near Bagshot St. to the bridge and that's what the maps say, but all my friends etc. refer to them as being the otherway round.

[tony_santos]

Well, not quite opposite the end of Bagshot St, but near.

 

Grey beard; You're saying that Frog walk runs from Sharrowhead to the bridge and Toad Walk runs from Sharrowvale Rd near Bagshot St. to the bridge and that's what the maps say, but all my friends etc. refer to them as being the otherway round.

 

Thats how i know of them too!

Well lets say you were walking from the sharrovale rd entrance then, on your left you would see the old snuff mill, as you get further down there is a large slope on your left hand side then the river, if you look on the oppisite bank you can clearly see what i think might of been the path, and also an old gas-lamp.

 

With regard to the picture of the porter brook i believe they might actually have one in the pub itself! Well, good excuse to have a nosey heh heh! I think it pre dates the 1903 ordnance survey map i have seen too!

[Greybeard]

Well, not quite opposite the end of Bagshot St, but near.

 

Grey beard; You're saying that Frog walk runs from Sharrowhead to the bridge and Toad Walk runs from Sharrowvale Rd near Bagshot St. to the bridge and that's what the maps say, but all my friends etc. refer to them as being the otherway round.

 

That's how I remember them, but you know what memory can do.

 

My Dad reckoned Toad Walk should really be T'owd Walk, but I haven't been anywhere near either of them since about 1952.

 

Had a look at the 1903 map and Frog Walk is named as I remember it, but Toad Walk isn't mentioned. The bottom path is just designated as a public footpath. I have a note that both were recognised as public footpaths by the Enclosure Commissioners. That's probably from one of Mary Walton's books.

 

Just found this on via Google...

 

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/sheffield/2005/09/323823.html

 

the top photo looks like the Sharrowhead entrance in spite of the caption !

[tony_santos]

Yeah the first picture is from sharrow head, its intresting to note that the lamp used to stand in the middle of where the roundabout now is!

 

I've consulted the map and there is a path outlined but only initialed as "F.P." which leads to the clearly labeled "Frogs Walk" (sharrowhead to Stalkers lees rd/cemetry entrance) could this be "Frogs pass" maybe? This no poses the question where did the toad come from and when? ha ha ha!

[tony_santos]

There used to be a sort of "gennel" through from Eccy road to Neill Road, by the church.

 

The Porter Brook Pub used to be the offices, for a builders firm, from at least the 1960s onward.

 

I'm not entirely certain about being able to walk along that section. It might have been private land, backing onto the porter.

 

The gennel betwean the church and the traditional herritage museum is still there!