Reconstruction & development | Rejuvenating Forge Dam
Rejuvenation of the heavily silted Forge Dam in Sheffield, England, is finally underway. After ten years of hard work, volunteers from the Friends of the Porter Valley will see this historical, and much-loved, amenity preserved for future generations. Suzanne Pritchard reports
Below: The banks of an old millpond in the Porter Valley, Sheffield
“FORGE DAM IS A great destination which has become all the more popular during lockdown,” said Ann le Sage, Chair of Friends of the Porter Valley. “I am really delighted that this long-anticipated work is finally moving forward. This is a very exciting project that will make a huge difference everyone who enjoys visiting the area.” Forge Dam is a remnant of the remains of Sheffield’s
early industrial heritage which took advantage of the area’s fast flowing rivers. It is now part of a park and owned by Sheffield City Council. The mill pond is fed by the Porter Brook which rises on the moors above Sheffield, flowing 10km into the heart of the city, where it meets the River Sheaf before joining the River Don. During the 18th century the Porter Brook was one of Sheffield’s intensively used industrial streams, driving 20 mills for the manufacture of cutlery and other metal products. Forge Dam is the most upstream of the six remaining mill ponds. These structures form a green corridor, known as the Porter Valley Parks, between the city centre through Sheffield’s western suburbs and rural fringe, up and onto the open moors of the Peak District National Park. Built around 1765, Forge Dam pond provided water and power to a forge and rolling mill. The earliest sketch map in a 1779 Fairbank Field Book shows the dam as belonging to Thomas Boulsover, the inventor of the technique known as Sheffield Plate. By 1885 industrial operations had ceased and the dam became a recreational boating pond and was widely used for fishing. It was gifted by the Graves Trust to Sheffield Corporation in 1939 and the forge buildings were converted into a café. However boating activities gradually ceased as the pond become increasingly silted up.
Rich heritage The Porter Valley Parks are valued for their rich
heritage, ecology and archaeological interest and as a group are designated as a Grade II registered landscape by Historic England. In addition to its heritage listing, Forge Dam is a registered Local Wildlife Site, falls within the Fulwood Conservation Area and is part of the Porter Valley Local Nature Reserve. Forge Dam and the remaining mill ponds on the
Porter Brook contribute significantly to the ecology of the valley. The watercourse supports endangered native crayfish and other freshwater invertebrates, while the meadows and hedgerows are home to many species of butterfly and moths. The trees support many birds, including woodpeckers and a longstanding rookery at Forge Dam. Mammals include foxes, water voles, several badger communities, plus several species of bat which are conspicuous flitting over the dams. Popular with families, walkers, cyclists, dog walkers and horse riders, Forge Dam is also used by schools and organised health walking groups from across the city. It has been particularly busy during Covid-19 lockdown periods, with many people discovering it for the first time. Estimates suggest that approximately 500,000 people a year visit. It is anticipated that its importance as a visitor hub will continue to
18 | March 2022 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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