Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet: Moves to secure future of Sheffield industrial heritage museum

Members of the council’s charity trustee sub-committee agreed to grant a 25-year lease for Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet to Sheffield Museums Trust. The committee acts as charity trustee for the buildings and surrounding land on behalf of the council.

A report to the committee, which met on Thursday (October 19), said a 25-year lease is needed so the museums trust can pursue funding to improve the overall offer to visitors and boost the hamlet as a tourist destination.

Committee chair Coun Ian Auckland stressed that the granting of a long lease does not mean the council has disposed of the building. The decision to grant a 25-year lease to an activity hub and tennis courts operator in city parks has been criticised as ‘privatisation’ by Graves and Hillsborough Park Friends groups, a position the council rejects.

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a preserved scythe and steelworks dating back to the 1700s, sited near Millhouses Park and Ecclesall Woods. Attractions include the waterwheels that powered the site in its early days, as well as the last complete surviving crucible steel furnace in the UK, plus a grinding hull, tilt forge and steam engine.

Visitors can also see inside the manager’s house and a worker’s cottage.

The museum will be closed from November 1 until next spring for improvement works to take place. The Joni cafe is still open, according the venue’s website.