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Walkley
Walkley is a charming suburban neighbourhood situated in the northern reaches of the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire. It is close to the suburbs of Crookes and Hillsborough and has a very stately Victorian feel thanks to the unique stone-fronted terraced houses that make up the majority of the homes in the area. Walkley is conveniently situated just a short walk from the University of Sheffield, however despite this it has a very low student population although this is gradually beginning to change thanks to the recent drop in house prices throughout 2009 and 2010. More and more people are looking at buy to let as a viable means of property ownership especially in the Walkley area and gradually more and more houses of multiple occupancy have been springing up in the area. Despite this the area still attracts somewhat higher prices than various other areas of Sheffield due to the unique charm that Walkley boasts thanks to the amount of green space and high quality Victorian era housing.
Walkley has been settled throughout history, in fact the name is Anglo-Saxon and references a man called "Walca" who owned a clearing in the forest in the area. This clearing was made for the purposes of farming when much of the United Kingdom was covered in dense woodland, and a small number of wooden structures were erected to house those choosing to farm the land. Gradually this area was expanded with new clearings being made for the purposes of herding cattle and livestock, and as the settlement grew into a village proper it attracted the attention of more and more settlers who chose to make their homes in the area to take advantage of the fertile soil and excellent grazing potential.
The Norman conquest in 1066 saw Walkley expand even further and by the middle ages it was a surprisingly large settlement that was largely self sufficient. In more modern times Walkley was important as it was a vital throughfare on the road to Sheffield, and a toll booth was erected for the purpose of collecting tolls from passing trade. One of the most historic buildings in Walkley is the Old Heavygate Inn, this was constructed in 1696 and still stands to this day. In modern times Walkley maintains a charming village feel and whilst the majority of the houses are of the Victorian terraced variety there are a large number of semi-detached and detached houses surrounding the village itself on the outskirts. Public transport is frequent and reliable and allows Walkley residents to enter the city centre of Sheffield very quickly, and Walkley maintains a fine balance of charming rural suburb and inner city location that makes it very attractive to potential homeowners, especially those looking to buy to let.
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