Rotherham
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| Rotherham | |
  Rotherham shown within South Yorkshire |
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| Population | 117,262(2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Metropolitan borough | Rotherham |
| Metropolitan county | South Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ROTHERHAM |
| Postcode district | S60–S63, S65–S66 |
| Dialling code | 01709 |
| Police | South Yorkshire |
| Fire | South Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| European Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Rotherham (pronunciation ) is a large town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, close to its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at 6 miles (10 km) from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham. The population of the Borough of Rotherham is 248,175, and that of the Rotherham urban sub-area 117,262.[1]. The town is home to football team Rotherham United but the team currently playing at Don Valley Stadium in neighbouring Sheffield.
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[edit] History
While there were Iron Age and Roman settlements in the area now covered by the town, Rotherham itself was not founded until the Early Middle Ages. It soon established itself as a key Saxon market town, lying, as it does, on a Roman road near a forded part of the Don.[2]
In the 1480s the Rotherham-born Archbishop of York, Thomas Rotherham, instigated the building of a college (The College of Jesus) to rival the colleges of Cambridge and Oxford. This and the stylish new parish church of All Saints made Rotherham an enviable and modern town at the turn of the 16th century. But the college was dissolved under the reign of Edward VI, its assets stripped for the crown. By the end of the 16th century, Rotherham had fallen from a fashionable college town to a notorious haven of gambling and vice. Nevertheless, the history of Thomas Rotherham and education in the town continues to be remembered in the name of Thomas Rotherham College.
[edit] Industry
The region had been exploited for iron since Roman times, but it was coal that first brought the industrial revolution to Rotherham. The seams were the driving force behind the improvements to navigation along the Don, the various cuttings eventually forming the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation. Rotherham
[edit] Iron and steel
Rotherham iron was very highly regarded for its strength. Iron, and later steel, became the principal industry in Rotherham, surviving well into the 20th century. The Walker family built up something of an iron and steel empire in Rotherham. Throughout the 18th century, the Walker foundries produced high quality cannon including some manufactured for H.M.S. Victory, in addition to several early cast iron bridges, one of which was commissioned by Tom Paine.[3]
The 1800s saw a massive expansion of Rotherham's cast iron industry, starting with the opening of the Effingham Ironworks in 1820, later becoming Yates Haywood & Co. Other major ironfounders included William Corbitt and Co.; George Wright and Co. of Burton Weir; Owen and Co., of Wheathill Foundry; Morgan Macauley and Waide, of the Baths Foundry; the Masbro’ Stove Grate Co., belonging to Messrs. Perrot; W. H. Micklethwait, and John and Richard Corker, of the Ferham Works.
The Parkgate Ironworks was first established in 1823 by Sanderson and Watson, and changed ownership several times. In 1854 Samuel Beal & Co produced the cast iron armour plating for Isambard Kingdom Brunel's famous steamship the SS Great Eastern[1] In 1864 the ironworks was taken over by the Parkgate Iron Co. Ltd, becoming the Park Gate Iron and Steel Company in 1888. The company was purchased by Tube Investments Ltd in 1956 and finally closed in 1974.
Steel, Peech and Tozer's massive Templeborough steelworks (now the Magna Science Adventure Centre) was, at its peak, over a mile long, employing 10,000 workers, and housing six electric arc furnaces producing 1.8 million tonnes of steel a year. The operation finally closed down in 1993.
Joseph Foljambe established a factory to produce his Rotherham plough, the first commercially successful iron plough.
Rotherham continues to be amongst the leaders in advanced manufacturing in the UK. The Corus Engineering Steels (CES) plant in Rotherham produces steel for a number of products worldwide, including Renault Formula 1 cars and the new Airbus A380 "super jumbo" aeroplane. It currently produces approximately 1.1 million tonnes of engineering steels each year.
[edit] Other industries
The first Rotherham glass works was set up in 1751, and went on to become Beatson Clark & Co. one of the town's largest manufacturers, exporting glass medicine bottles worldwide. Beatson Clark & Co. was a family business until 1961, when it became a public company. The glass works is still operating on the same site, although the family connection has ceased and the company is now owned by TT Group plc. Its main activities are still the manufacture and sale of glass containers for the pharmaceutical, food and drinks industries.
In the 19th century other successful industries included pottery, brass making and the manufacture of cast iron fireplaces.
Other precision manufacturing companies in the town include; AESSEAL, Newburgh Engineering, Precision Magnetics and Orkot Composites. Rotherham is also the location for the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).
[edit] Buildings
Despite its history, Rotherham is rather short on old (secular) buildings. The only surviving timber-framed structure is the empty, dilapidated, and much altered former Three Cranes pub (16th century). In fact much of Rotherham's town centre was knocked down and modernised during the course of the 20th century.
The town centre does, however, contain one of only four surviving bridge chapels in the country: the 15th century Chapel of Our Lady of Rotherham Bridge (or "Chapel on the Bridge") on Chantry Bridge. The chapel was restored in 1923, having spent a good period of time as the town jail and a tobacconist's shop.
Other buildings of note include the 15th century Minster (formerly All Saints parish church), the 18th century Clifton House, which now houses Clifton Park Museum, and the remains of the 16th century College of Jesus.
Boston Castle, which stands in the grounds of Boston Park, was originally constructed as a hunting lodge in 1776 by Thomas, 3rd Earl of Effingham to mark his opposition to British attempts to crush the American War Of Independence. It is named after Boston, Massachusetts, the scene of the Boston Tea Party.[4]
On the outskirts of Rotherham, a brick built glass making furnace, the Catcliffe Glass Cone, is the oldest surviving structure of its type in Western Europe and one of only four remaining in the United Kingdom. Threatened with demolition in the 1960s, it has now been preserved as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and stands as a focal point in a sheltered housing complex
Beyond the town centre and away from the Don Valley, the Rotherham district is largely rural, containing a mixture of farming and mining communities as well as the large Wentworth Woodhouse estate, where the last surviving kiln of the Rockingham Pottery may still be seen.
At Maltby near Rotherham, the medieval ruins of the Cistercian Roche Abbey are a popular tourist destination.
[edit] Town centre
While the developments of the "Rotherham Renaissance" (see below) are expected to attract major high street stores, the town already has well-known brands such as Primark, Woolworths, W H Smith, McDonalds, Burtons and Tesco. The town square (All Saints Square) uses a big screen to show major sports and cultural events.
For a large town, Rotherham has a small catchment area, lying close to Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley. The large Meadowhall shopping centre is a couple of miles from the town centre, just over the border in Sheffield in the Lower Don Valley; the Valley Centertainment complex, which includes a cinema and other entertainment facilities, is also based there. As a result, Rotherham town centre is smaller and less busy than the centres of many other towns its size.[citation needed] Just outside the centre is Parkgate Shopping Park, which has 34 shopping and food outlets and is one of England's busiest retail parks.
[edit] Rotherham renaissance
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The town centre is currently undergoing an extensive urban regeneration project known as the "Rotherham Renaissance": the proposed buildings include apartments, retail units, outdoor cafés, and a new theatre. The Guest and Chrimes factory site will form a significant part of the project, incorporating residential space, commercial space and council offices. Forge Island (current Tesco site) is planned to form an anchor project containing a new Cultural Centre, retail & apartments. In June 2007 construction began on the new St. Anne's Leisure Complex and is currently well into construction with all the frame work up. In October 2007 plans were announced for a new rail station which is planned to open in 2010[citation needed]. The Renaissance will take up to 25 years to complete.
The project is well into work and is starting to show. As of March 2008 one of the main apartment shopping buildings on domine lane is well over half completed with the most of the structure up and making its mark on the skyline. The other building next to it started construction recently and the frame work is now appearing. The Imperial Buildings are well into its renovation. The Guest and Chrimes site is almost cleared, and the All Saints Building has been prepared for demolition.
[edit] Culture
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The comedian Sandy Powell was born in Rotherham and the town has produced several entertainers who started on the Working men's club scene, such as Duggie Brown, brother of Coronation Street actress Lynne Perrie, Zulu 440, Paul Shane, Christopher Wolstenholme of Muse and the Chuckle Brothers. Dean Andrews, star of 'Life On Mars' lived in Rotherham and still visits the town on a regular basis. Arsenal and England goalkeeper David Seaman also originates from Rotherham.
Rotherham has many Classic and Progressive Rock bands, helped by the Classic Rock Society, and has spawned many bands, such as Deadline, Saxon, Jive Bunny, Bring Me the Horizon and This Girl. The poet and author A. R. Monday was born in Rotherham.
Professor John Lee, known for the television shows Anatomy for Beginners and Autopsy: Life and Death is a consultant histopathologist at Rotherham General Hospital.
Since the late 1990s Rotherham has consolidated its reputation as a popular and exciting clubbing destination. The principal clubbing area runs from the "Synergy" nightclub on Ship Hill down to "Liquid".
Rotherham is home to the Snafu Rock bar, a prime location for the Rock and Metal Community within the area.
The town has a Civic Theatre and an Arts Centre. Sean Bean made his stage debut at Rotherham Civic Theatre whilst still a student at Rotherham College of Arts and Technology.
Jarvis Cocker and Pulp played their first gig at Rotherham Arts Centre in 1980.
The Magi, an Indie Minimalist Punk band, were all brought up in and around Rotherham.
Rob McVeigh, a contestant on the BBC's 2007 show Any Dream Will Do, hails from Rotherham, as well as Richard Morgan who reached the finals of ITV s Grease is the word and can now be seen on the club circuit.
Rotherham is also the hometown of the Chuckle Brothers who are famous for the children's comedy programme 'Chuckle Vision' Which has aired for over 20 years on the BBC.
[edit] Sport
Rotherham is a football town and is home to Rotherham United F.C. who play in League Two. Their home ground is now the Don Valley Stadium after a dispute with their landlords (the Booth Family) over perks the Booths were demanding be included in any deal to lease the ground, which include tickets to the FA Cup final, VIP access to home and away games and free use of the club physio up to three times a week, lead to the club announcing that they will no longer play at their historic home ground, Millmoor Stadium. [2] Rotherhams manager is Mark Robins.
The town also has a Rugby union team, the Rotherham Titans, who reached the Guiness Premiership in 1999 and 2003 before being relegated. They play at the Clifton Lane Sports Ground. Hurdler Chris Rawlinson, Olympic silver medallist Peter Elliott and former England goalkeeper David Seaman are from Rotherham. ChampCar and ex-Formula 1 driver Justin Wilson is from Woodall, which is in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham.[3] Speedway racing was staged in the town in the pioneer days of the late 1920s / early 1930s.
Freddie Truman, the late cricketer for Yorkshire and England hailed from Maltby, a mining town in Rotherham.
[edit] Politics
Denis MacShane is the current Member of Parliament for Rotherham. The politician William Hague is also from Rotherham.
[edit] June 2007 floods
A large part of Rotherham was hit by the floods in the summer of 2007. The floods brought huge disruption to the town, closing many of the roads, local schools, and the local transport system, as well as damaging personal and commercial property. Rotherham's neighbouring town and cities Barnsley, Doncaster, and Sheffield were also badly flooded. Rotherham's Parkgate shopping centre was badly damaged, with most of the shops suffering damage, and some losing a large amount of stock to the flood water. The Meadowhall shopping centre on the border of Rotherham and Sheffield was also affected.
The nearby Ulley reservoir caused major concern for the town as the front centre section of the dam collapsed, threatening to break and release the water into nearby areas of Treeton, Whiston, Catcliffe, and Canklow, as well as a power station serving the city of Sheffield. The local radio station, Rother FM, also had to evacuate from their studios based in the danger area leaving the local area without a source of information. Therefore, its sister station, Trax FM, was broadcast on the Rother FM frequency (96.1fm) along with the usual Trax FM frequencies providing information for the Rotherham area as well as Bassetlaw (107.9fm) and Doncaster (107.1fm), the normal target areas. Rotherham's fire brigade worked for hours with thirteen high-powered pumps to remove some of the water and lessen the pressure on the dam wall. Eventually they were able to lower the water level by several feet and reduce the immediate danger. The dam, however, remains damaged, and even with more rainfall following in the following weeks the dam held, thanks to the efforts of the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service
[edit] Twin towns
Rotherham is twinned with, among others:
Rotherham has a partnership agreement with Riesa in Germany
[edit] Notable people from Rotherham
- Nazir Ahmed, politician
- David Artell, footballer
- Donald Bailey, civil engineer
- Nick Banks, musician
- Ian Breckin, footballer
- Chuckle Brothers, comedians
- Brian Chapple, radio broadcaster
- Frank Brown, footballer
- Jo Callis, musician
- Lucy Clarkson, model
- Ebenezer Elliott, poet
- Peter Elliott, athlete
- Scott Flinders, footballer
- Charles Sydney Gibbes, tutor and monk
- Dave Godin, anarchist and musicologist
- Justine Greening, politician
- Simon Guy, cricketer
- William Hague, former leader of the Conservative Party
- Matt Hamshaw, footballer
- Joe Hunter, cricketer
- Daisy Makeig-Jones, sculptor
- Laurie Millsom, footballer
- Lynne Perrie, actress
- Gervase Phinn, author
- Frederick Brian Pickering, metallurgist
- Sandy Powell, comedian
- Chris Rawlinson, athlete
- Frazer Richardson, footballer
- Jon Rosling, film director
- Archbishop Thomas Rotherham, cleric and minister
- Bishop Robert Sanderson, minister and logician
- David Seaman, former England national football team goalkeeper
- Paul Shane, comedian
- Raymond Unwin, town planner
- Colin Walker, footballer
- Michael Walsh, footballer
- Howard Webb, football referee
- Liz White (actress), actress
- Chris Wolstenholme, musician
- Stephen Brogan, footballer
- Ryan Sampson, Actor
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
- Rotherham Renaissance Website
- Know Rotherham local directory
- Rotherham Web community, genealogy and more
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