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Crosspool
Crosspool is a suburb of Sheffield that sits four kilometers from the centre of the city itself. Primarily a residential area Crosspool is actually a very recent addition to the city and it is located slightly elevated above both the Porter and Rivelin valleys. The A57 provides excellent transport links to other areas of Sheffield and further afield from Crosspool. This link to an excellent road network also allows for quick travel to the countryside making Crosspool a much sought after area in which to purchase housing to rent or to live in. Crosspool has no real historical legacy and unlike many suburbs of Sheffield that were once villages or small collections of houses Crosspool remained unnamed in history even though it was settled by a small amount of people. Historians have attempted to piece together the history of what we now know as Crosspool and discovered that an ancient track and later a Roman highway passed through, and this route was well travelled throughout history by packhorses and caravans. The area was also famous in mediaeval times as a deer hunting park, a large swathe of countryside was set aside for local Lords and dignitaries to indulge their hunting urges after the Norman invasion in 1066.
What we now know as Crosspool was also home to a large manor house that served as the home of Horation Bright, a gentleman who made his fortune in steel in the late 1800's. The house has since been demolished to make way for housing. Thanks to the large amount of passing trade even though few chose to settle the area a number of blacksmiths shops sprung up prior to the industrial revolution, these made a tidy profit making horseshoes for passing trade caravans. Major housing development began after World War I and holds the accolade of being the first area of Sheffield that was granted a public transport bus license, something that was vital for the further development of the area as the cities trams did not travel to the suburbs. Present day Crosspool is situated close to Crookes, Ranmoor and Fulwood and is relatively sparsely populated considered the large amount of land that makes up Crosspool. The vast majority of houses are detached or semi-detached and the area is considered to be largely middle class with further education figures and other statistics outperforming the city of Sheffields average by a large margin. Houses in Crosspool are now much sought after thanks to the close links with the city centre but relatively rural and idyllic countryside that surrounds the area.
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