Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet

The people of Sheffield are very proud of their steel heritage. The Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet teaches us more about our local history. Go along to understand how Sheffield has evolved and how important Sheffield's role as a steel provider was.

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet Kelham Island Museum Alma Street (off Corporation Street) Sheffield South Yorkshire S3 8RY Telephone 0114 2722106 Facsimile 0114 2757847

Historic Steel Works Works Gallery Education Services Museum Shop Museum Cafe Preserved Machinery

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a steel working site with a very long history. Visitors can discover how steel was produced, how the machinery was powered and how workers and their families lived their lives at Abbeydale. Visitors can now learn more about the site with our audioguide system, new site interpretation and new Works Gallery.

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a unique eighteenth century industrial works. Originally called Abbeydale Works, it was one of the largest water-powered sites on the River Sheaf. The main products of the works were agricultural scythes, but other edge tools were made too, such as grass hooks and hay knives. At the Hamlet, you can see waterwheels, tilt hammers, a grinding hull and the only intact crucible steel furnace surviving in the world today. The site is a Grade 1 Listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument

The recorded history of Abbeydale dates from 1714, but it was possibly occupied earlier. The industrial history of the area goes back at least 800 years.

In the thirteenth century, the monks of Beauchief Abbey nearby had a smithy in the area, probably just across the river from the Hamlet. In 1685, Hugh Stephenson rented "New Wheel" at the site. After this, the site was run by various people, in particular the Dysons from 1829 to 1846 and the Tyzacks from 1849 to 1933.

The dam was enlarged in 1777 during the Goddard family's tenancy of the site. The Tilt Forge was built in 1785, the Workers' Cottages in 1793 and the present Grinding Hull in 1817. The Crucible Furnace had been built by the 1830s, as had a number of hand forges, warehouses and offices. The Manager's House, built in 1838, and the coach house and stabling from about 1840, were the last buildings, apart from the first floor warehouse above the Blacking Shop. This was added in 1876.

Abbeydale was also the scene of many an industrial incident. In 1842, the Grinding Hull was blown up with gunpowder, destroying the two gable ends and dislodging all the roof tiles. The Grinders' Union at the time was in dispute with John Dyson, the joint-manager of the works, for employing non-union labour. 20 years later, Joshua Tyzack, joint manager at the works, was shot at 5 times whiles on his way to Abbeydale. The dispute again concerned employment of men who did not belong to a union.

Abbeydale closed as a working site in 1933 and was bought by the J G Graves Trust, who donated it to the City of Sheffield. The site was restored to working order by the Council for the Conservation of Sheffield Antiquities. It was then developed as a museum by the City Council, opening to the public as Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in 1970. The crucible furnace was briefly reopened during the Second World War to make high grade steel for the war effort.

The Works were restored and developed as a museum, opening to the public as Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in 1970. It was one of the first industrial heritage sites to open in the country.

As an integrated water-powered works, there are many different features to Abbeydale. Water from the dam powered four waterwheels, which drove massive tilt-hammers, bellows for the forger's hearth, giant grindstones and a boring lathe. Almost all the processes used in the production of blades were carried out here on one site. The only process carried out off site was rolling crucible steel bars flat before they were forged. This was done at Totley Rolling Mill.

The main industrial features of the site are the crucible furnace, where crucible steel for the tools was made, the tilt forge where the large hammers forged tools flat, and the grinding hull, where the blades were sharpened.

The Crucible Furnace at Abbeydale is the only one of its kind in the world which still survives intact. It was built in around 1830, and supplied the works with quality steel for toolmaking. The building also houses a Pot Shop, where clay crucible pots were made for the furnace, and a Charge Room where the ingredients for the steel were prepared and weighed. Temperatures in the crucible furnace reached 1600°C and the strength of the 'puller out', who lifted the weight of molten steel from the furnace was legendary. The 'teemer' was also a highly skilled worker, carefully pouring the steel into ingot moulds with strength and precision.

The Tilt Forge was built in 1785 and houses two massive tilt hammers inside. The hammers were driven by the site's main waterwheel, and the forgemaster and hammer man sat before them, making crown scythes. This was done by forge-welding a piece of crucible steel between two pieces of wrought iron, like a sandwich.

It was in the Grinding Hull that edge tools were sharpened to a fine cutting edge. The Hull was built in 1817, and originally housed 6 grindstones and 2 glazing stones, all powered by a waterwheel. The stones were 6 feet in diameter when new, and hung in a trough filled with water to keep the stone wet when grinding. The grinder sat astride a wooden horsing over the stone, and held the blade against the stone as it spun round.

The Manager's House was built around 1838. The ground floor has been furnished to show a lower middle class home from the late 1800s. The manager and his family would have lived in surroundings of this kind. There are also stables adjoining the house and just opposite, showing the importance of horse-drawn transport for a works of this size and location.

The row of Workers' Cottages were built between 1786 and 1793 and traditionally housed the 'forgemaster' and his 'heater lad' who worked in the Tilt Forge, amongst other people. One of the cottages has been furnished to show a worker's living conditions in about 1840.

The Boring Shop was the place for drilling holes in patent riveted scythes. These were different from the crown scythes forged under the tilt hammers. Patent riveted scythes were made by riveting the steel blade to an iron back. They were quicker to produce and lighter to use, but less robust than the crown scythe.

In the Blacking Shop the scythes were painted to protect them from rust. After drying in front of the fire, they were stored in warehouses on site. Straw rope was used for packing the blades, ready to be sent around the country and the world.

In the Counting House the Works Foreman and his clerk carried out all the administrative work for the site. Piece work produced by the workers was counted here, and payments were made to them.

Also on the site is a Steam Engine, built by Davy Brothers of Sheffield and installed in 1855. The engine was an additional source of power to the grinding hull, if the water levels fell too low to run the waterwheel.

You can find out more about the buildings and stories of Abbeydale by taking an audiotour around the site, visiting the Works Gallery, or spending some time imagining the heat from the furnace and the hammering from the forge.

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a beautiful setting for a day out. As well as the fascinating buildings and features of the site, there are activities and facilities to add to the enjoyment of your visit.

Information panels around the site will help you find your way around and tell you more about the people who worked at Abbeydale and the jobs they carried out. We also have a handheld audioguide available free of charge which will give you a wealth of information about the site. We also have Trails for our younger visitors. To view and print our Activity Trails, click here.

The Works Gallery at Abbeydale is a public exhibition area with displays and activities for you to find out more about the Hamlet. Object and photograph displays, together with interactives, CD-Rom and research folders with extra information provide something for everyone. There is plenty to touch and handle, and Braille labels on all of the object and interactive displays.

You could also combine your visit to the site with one of our Living History Sundays - click here for details of this season’s special events.

If you are bringing a group of people, we can arrange a tour of the site for a small fee. Please contact us in advance to arrange this.

Free access is available to the Gift Shop and Café at Abbeydale