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Neepsend
Neepsend is situated a brisk walk (some 1.5 km) from the city centre of Sheffield in South Yorkshire making it a very attractive prospect for housing for those who work in the city area. Neepsend itself is part of the S3 postcode district and lies to the north east of the city centre, and it occupies the flood plain areas of the River Don. The historic origins of Neepsend are somewhat murky, however it is believed that the name comes from Old Norse with "neep" representing a peak or hill, and "end" being an Anglo-Saxon addition to the name to signify the terminus of the Shirecliffe ridge. Neepsend has been referred to as this since written records began, albeit with various spellings representing the many nations who settled the United Kingdom throughout history. Despite these historical records existing describing the place there is actually no record of any settlement at Neepsend until relatively recent times.
As with much of the country it would have initially been heavily forested, with gradual clearings in the 10th century making way for farming and agriculture. Gradually this gave way to deliberate land clearings to create wild flower meadows and in more recent history even more surviving woodland was stripped back to allow for the creation of charcoal. During the industrial revolution as with many areas of Sheffield Neepsend was a vital centre of industry with a number of major companies setting up factories and workshops in the area. A large tannery was opened in 1821 and a brewery was attached to the local tavern. Nearby Kelham Island was something of a centre for industry and this obviously had a major effect on Neepsend with many businesses setting up there once Kelham was full to capacity. After the end of the industrial revolution Neepsend was reinvented as a housing area that provided homes for the tens of thousands of new residents who flocked to Sheffield each day.
Local employers for the many new residents included the Neepsend Gas Works and the Neepsend Rolling Mills that produced a large amount of steel for Sheffield. Neepsend even had its own engine shed and railway yard that produced and maintained trains for the nearby Sheffield, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Manchester Railway! In many ways this industrial heritage continued on into the 20th century thanks to the opening of the Neepsend Power station in 1902, that was not finally closed until 1976. In modern times the 2007 flooding of the River Don caused many residents and businesses to re-think their flood protection plans, however lessons were learned from this experience and Sheffield have taken steps to ensure that it does not happen again in the future.
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