Free Entry | Please Donate £5
Opening Times:
Thu–Sun 11am–4pm
Closed Mon–Wed including Bank Holiday Mondays
Joni, the Hamlet café is open 7 days a week, all year round
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Abbeydale Road South
Sheffield
S7 2QW
© Andy Brown
© Andy Brown
***The Grinding Hull is currently closed for a building inspection and maintenance. We look forward to welcoming you back to as soon as we're able***
See where edge tools were sharpened to a fine cutting edge in the Grinding Hull.
The Hull was built in 1817, and originally housed 6 grindstones and 2 glazing stones, all powered by a waterwheel. The stones were 6 feet in diameter when new and hung in a trough filled with water to keep the stone wet when grinding.
Grinding was a very dangerous occupation, with the grinder sat astride a wooden horsing, or saddle, over the stone and held the blade against the stone as it spun round.
Everything we do is made possible by you – please donate £5 to help safeguard and celebrate Sheffield’s rich, unique heritage
Grinding Hull
© Andy Brown
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Grinding Hull
© Richard Connolly
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© Richard Connolly
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© Ian M Spooner
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© Ian M Spooner
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More to see and do at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
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Things to See and Do
Guided Tours
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Thu 26 March - Sun 1 November 2026
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Event
Family Workshop: Clay Tile Making
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Sat 4 April 2026
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Event
Family Workshop: Bird Buffet – Ceramic Plate Painting
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Sat 11 April 2026
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Event
Family Workshop: Sunken Designs – Metal Embossing Swifts and Swallows
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Sat 23 May 2026
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Event
Family Workshop: Printing Patterns – Personalise a Tea Towel
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Sat 30 May 2026
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See Sheffield’s knife grinding history brought to life at Shepherd Wheel Workshop.
Experience the working waterwheel and machinery in action, see the tools of the trade and hear stories about the grinders who worked here over the centuries.
Find out more
