Rockley in the olden days....

The old beauty spot before the M1 went splat. Note the fella on the left with his gun. I get called sinister for that!!

 

As an old Birdweller, I remember it well....happy days!

 

nice card from 1909

 

Great pic as always Mr C.

What exactly is Rockley? I've seen various references to it, Rockley Lane, Rockley Dene and so on but I've no idea what or where Rockley itself is

 

Ah, great. More coming and question or two.

 

I was brought up on Rockley Avenue in Birdwell and I'm ****** if I know where it is.

 

It's the area of farmland between Tankersley and Stainborugh/Dodworth on the west side of the M1 between 36 & 37. Borders Stainborough Park and is overlooked by Wentworth Castle. I don't know prior to the motorway coming obviously but hopefully GeorgeRobledo will share some memories!

 

Rockley bottom, near the Grange and deer park.

 

Is that the water that is at the side of greenspring caravan site? Or is it something that was wiped out by the m1?

 

Parkwell House. Maybe George remembers this building? Pretty sure it's gone now, but likely built by Strafford as it has the obelisk motifs. Which means it must have been located on the west side of Sheffield rode as Rockingham owned everything to the east.

This card is 1904 and already the windows are bricked up and the bell has gone. The family had lost their money and the title had died many years before.

 

I think that went with the motorway, Andy.

 

Some cows in a field in Rockley around 1910. They'll be dead by now, but it's a nice card.

 

Nice early colour litho of the woods.

 

Sorry, misread that. The reservoir is better known Worsbrough res nowadays as Wuz has spread out in the 20th c. Rockley Dam is on the south side away from the mill. I think the bridge is still there.

 

Comparing some old and recent maps I think it is where Greensprings Holiday Park is. On Streetmaps there's a triangular feature (not necessarily water) right beside the caravan park that matches Rockley Dam on older maps.

 

I'm not too familiar with Greensprings and it's rare that I get down there.. It makes sense though that it occupies the same area.

 

Obviously another busy day in the office for me.
Incidentally, the pictures I posted the other day were of Mitchell's Main looking from Aldham Bridge.
Here's one of mine (pun absolutely intended), taken "only" 30 years ago.

 

Rockley Woodhouse, early 1900s. Built on the south banks of the Serpentine, in Green Spring woods.

 

Put up in 1747 by the 2nd Earl of Strafford, during the great building feud with Rockingham at Wentworth. Rockingham responded with Hoober Stand, the Lady's Folly at Tankersley and Law Stand at Hoyland so he could keep an eye on what was going on at Stainborough. I love all this stuff. Geoffrey Howse wrote about the famous building war, then his computer crashed and he lost it.

 

People forget just how powerful the two Wentworth families were. Rockingham was twice Prime Minister. Many of the follies have been lost and the M1 makes it hard to imagine what a grand place Stainborough Park was. But our little bit of South Yorkshire still has a high density of fine 18th century building as anywhere in the country.

Rockley Woodhouse went during open cast mining on the estate in the 1950s.