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Millhouses
Millhouses is an area of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, and it is a major component of the Ecclesall ward. It lies in a leafy green area to the south west of the city centre, and it sits on the banks of the River Sheaf and is a popular area in which to live. Recent estimates have placed the population at just under 4,500 people living and working in the one and a half kilometre area along the Sheaf. Millhouses itself used to be an area of agriculture and a number of tertiary industries sprung up throughout history to support the farming endeavours of members of the local communities. Gradually the smaller farms gave way to larger more intensive farms situated further from the city and Millhouses was reinvented as a residential zone with excellent amenities, a stunning park, a number of pubs and shops, churches and supermarkets.
Millhouses is situated in the S7 postcode district of Sheffield and makes up a part of the Sheffield Hallam parliamentary constituency. Excellent transport links coupled with the stunning parkland nearby make house prices in Millhouses higher on average than in other areas of the city. The main A621 road runs through nearby Abbeydale providing direct access both into and out of Sheffield, and the Midland Main Line runs directly through Millhouses. Many of the houses in Millhouses date from the turn of the century and any modern development that has taken place has been designed in such a way as to fit in with the existing architectural style of the area. Millhouses is also famous for being mentioned in the Robin Hood legends, originally the thick forest that covered the area was Barnsdale Forest that bordered the famous Sherwood Forest, and the River Sheaf was an important ancient boundary between the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria making the area where Millhouses now lies a historically significant border community.
One of the major things that Millhouses is known for is the large area of parkland that is situated in almost thirty nine acres of green space along the River Sheaf. Historically this area was also used for farming and small scale industry such as corn milling, however the land that now makes up Millhouses Park was purchased by Peter Wigfall in the 1800's. This land remained undeveloped but passed to Thomas Whitehead however a number of legal battles over ownership of the land proceeded to take place. When the disputes passed the land was developed as a parkland area and by the 1930's a number of new additions such as a boating lake and swimming pool helped to attract up to 50,000 people each weekend. The open grasslands and wooded areas of Millhouses Park give way to a variety of actitives, from football and bowling to boating and skating. Children are well catered for with a large play area and adventure playground, and car parking, toilet facilities and a cafe ensure that everyone is catered for making Millhouses Park an excellent day out for the whole family.
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