Middlewood Hospital Church, Sheffield

History

The hospital was declared open on the 21st of August, 1872 and has had several names over the years including the South Yorkshire Asylum, the West Riding Asylum, Wadsley and the Wadsley Mental Hospital. It was originally one of four hospitals that made up the West Riding General Asylums Committee. At its peak it was the designated mental health accommodation in South Yorkshire, with 2,000 beds.

The hospital finally closed its doors in 1996 and is now a private housing development called Wadsley Park Village. There were several Grade II listed buildings that avoided demolition including the Kingswood Ward, now converted in to 85 apartments and known as Kingswood Hall, the administration and clock tower building, now converted in to 38 apartments and known as Middlewood Lodge, the Porters Lodge which now forms part of a children's nursery and the church.

The church held its last service on 6th of November, 1996 to mark the closure of the hospital. In March 2012 plans were submitted by architectural design consultancy Coda Studios that may see the imposing Victorian church converted into a mixture of town houses and apartments. The scheme which needs approval from Sheffield City Council also contains proposals for a selection of partially underground eco-friendly bungalows beneath the building. 

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlewood_Hospital

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Esoteric Eric

Environmental Services, Sheffield

History

The environmental services building appeared to have been the hub for Sheffield City Councils' branches of rubbish collection, recycling, noise and pollution, pest control, stray dogs and food safety. I cannot find evidence as why the council closed this building or where they have relocated to. The roof of the office building features an active Vodafone mobile phone signal mast.

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Esoteric Eric

Weston Tower, Sheffield

History

It is not clear when this building was closed but it appears as though it's last use was as rented office space for different companies on each of it's floors.

During an economic boom, many proposals were made for several areas around Sheffield to undergo significant refurbishment, creating a 'skyscraper city'.

Weston Tower was to become a 23-storey residential tower that also comprised of office space, restaurants and bars, at a cost of £60 million.

Permission was granted in 2006 but the company due to undertake the redevelopment was later dissolved and in 2013 the building as it stands, built in the 1960's, was sold for less than £1 million, with the intention of being redeveloped in to student accommodation.

Source:

http://www.thestar.co.uk/features/sheffield-s-missed-opportunity-or-a-lucky-escape-1-6160227

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Esoteric Eric

Pit-Head Baths & Offices, Maltby, Rotherham

History

The first shafts at Maltby Main Colliery were sunk in 1910, and the first coal produced four years later. Situated in a wooded area on Tickhill Road the colliery was some distance from the township of Maltby and in order to gain a workforce the colliery company commissioned the building of Maltby Model Village, an estate of 1000 houses. The colliery was opened by the Maltby Main Colliery Company, a subsidiary of the Sheepbridge Iron and Coal Company. Prior to nationalisation the owners were given as Amalgamated Denaby Collieries Ltd.

An explosion in the pit occurred 28 July 1923, resulting in 27 deaths.

The two shafts were deepened in the ten years from 1951 and this allowed horizontal access to the Barnsley seam. This also gave access to a new Swallow Wood seam. By 1969 the Barnsley seam was considered exhausted and production went over to Swallow Wood. In 1981 a major project commenced to mine the Parkgate seam. Costing £180,000,000 the first coal was brought to the surface just one year later.

The colliery was mass picketed during the 1984-1985 miners' strike during attempts by contractors to carry out building work at the pit.

The colliery was bought by RJB Mining, later renamed UK Coal, in 1994. Silverwood Colliery, the adjacent mine, closed in 1994 but had good reserves which could be worked from Maltby. Uncertainties with contracts, notably with the electricity generators, production was stopped in 1997. The pit recommenced operations and coal was gained from both the Parkgate seam, which is estimated to be exhausted by 2014, and the Silkstone seam, which will extend the life of the pit beyond that date.

In 2007 Maltby Colliery was sold by UK Coal to Hargreaves Services plc for £21.5 million, resulting in the continued employment of 500 people.

Access to the reserves is gained by two shafts, No.2 984m deep and No.3 991m deep, with the capability of winding up to 1,500 tonnes of mineral an hour to the surface.

In May 2012 unusual and dangerous geological conditions (oil, water and gas ingress) were discovered in workings of the T125 block that was to be exploited in 2013, resulting in abandonment of the tailgate for that block, and was expected to cause an gap in production of 1.5 to 3 months. In late 2012 the 540 employees were given redundancies notices, and the pit owner announced it was to mothball the colliery due to dangerous underground conditions.

On December 2012 Hargeaves announced that the colliery was to close due to the geological problems.

The mine was closed in 2013, and the above ground structures demolished in 2014.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltby_Main_Colliery

All photographs are available as prints or canvas with or without the border. Message for sizes/ prices.

Esoteric Eric