Welcome back to Abbeydale this spring

Over the last few months, we’ve:

• Carried out significant restoration work on the huge blowing engine waterwheel, removing the old timber shaft and installing a brand new one. The shaft was positioned back in place and precisely lined up and is now bearing the weight of the waterwheel for the first time.
  
  
• Consulted with visitors, schools and local stakeholders to get their input and shape the improvements taking place, including the new play area, the stories we tell on site and the new schools workshops we’re creating.
  
  
• Welcomed the team from the Sheffield office of York Archaeology to carry out archaeological investigations on the proposed site of the Hamlet’s new play area, ensuring proper care is given to safeguarding Abbeydale’s rich history.
  
  
• Introduced the first of the new display signage in several of the key historic spaces, highlighting their stories and those of the people that worked in them.
  
  
• Installed artificial swallow nests in key areas around the site, providing more places for these much-loved birds, whose population is declining, to breed.
  
  
• Carried out work alongside the main project to convert the Davy Bros steam engine to run on an electric motor. Thanks to the expertise of Sheffield Transmissions, more visitors can now see the engine, which marks its 170^th anniversary this year, in action.
  
  
• Developed a new series of bookable family workshop activities taking place on Saturdays during the school holidays, inspired by the Hamlet and its history. These join our popular Baby-Friendly Art Club sessions, which return to Abbeydale from Tuesday 15 April.

Over the coming months, progress will continue onsite with several more project milestones, including:

• Creating a new workshop space for volunteers, who by generously giving their time will support the care and upkeep of the site.
  
  
• The introduction of atmospheric new soundscapes and films, offering an even richer insight into the site and its history.

Then later in the year, we’ll be applying for the relevant planning permissions and Scheduled Monument consent to progress the development of:

• A welcome hub for the Hamlet in the former All About Abbeydale space, introducing visitors to the site and its history, and including a new retail offer.
  
  
• A new nature-inspired play area – this will also be dependent the results of the archaeological investigations mentioned above.
  

Looking further ahead, the project will ultimately conclude with final restoration work on the waterwheels, which visitors will once again be able to see in action, and improvements to the Hamlet carpark. Work on both the waterwheels and car park can only go ahead once Sheffield City Council have carried out repairs to the historic dam.

Currently, the water level in the millpond has been temporarily reduced to stop a leak in the dam posing a risk to the historic buildings, in particular the Grinding Hull. Sheffield City Council are in the process of finalising plans to carry out the repairs, which are complex due to both the logistics of the site and its historic significance, scheduled to begin in spring 2026.

You can find more about the improvements to Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, as well as information from Sheffield City Council on the planned repairs to the dam, in the FAQ document below.