Shepherd Wheel

Shepherd Wheel is a working museum in a former water-powered grinding workshop situated on the River Porter to the south-west of the City of Sheffield, England. One of the earliest wheels on the River Porter, it is one of the few remaining—and effectively complete—examples of this kind of enterprise, one that used to be commonplace in the Sheffield area. Its 5.5 metre diameter overshot water wheel is powered from a large dam stocked with water diverted from the River Porter. The workshops, dam, goit and wier are a Grade II* listed monument.

Contents

1 History 2 The Museum 3 See Also 4 External Links

History

Works on the site of Shepherd Wheel date back at least as far as 1584 when the wheel was passed to the sons of William Beighton in his will. From 1749 to 1794 the tenant of the wheel was Edward Shepherd—after whom the site is now named. Throughout the 19th century the wheel was held by the Hinde family, who operated it until its closure in 1930.

In 1900 Sheffield City Council bought the land surrounding the wheel from the Duke of Norfolk to make a public park. After a campaign by local history societies, the wheel was restored and opened as a museum in 1962. The museum was briefly closed in 1997, but reopened in 1998 under the management of the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust.

The Museum

Since 1998 Shepherd Wheel has been run as a museum by the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust. The museum includes a water wheel, two grinding hulls and grinding wheels—all in working order. There is also a collection of tools and equipment on display within the grinding hulls. Generally the museum is only opened for pre-booked school and group visits. However, the museum is also opened to the public on selected Sundays and bank holidays throughout the year.

See Also

• Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
• Kelham Island Museum

External Links

• Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust
• Photographs of Shepherd Wheel at TiltHammer
• Photographs of Shepherd Wheel at the Sheffield Family History Society