The 74th Sheffield (Heeley) Cub Scouts buckled down to a sponsored dish washing session at Heeley Parish Church Hall in 1979The 74th Sheffield (Heeley) Cub Scouts buckled down to a sponsored dish washing session at Heeley Parish Church Hall in 1979
The 74th Sheffield (Heeley) Cub Scouts buckled down to a sponsored dish washing session at Heeley Parish Church Hall in 1979

Sheffield history: 15 pictures looking back through the years in Heeley

Heeley is a community with a long history.

The Sheffield suburb, just to the south of the city centre, was originally several villages and has existed since around 1343.

It still has distinct areas today although in the past these were more individual with Upper Heeley or Heeley Top at the junction of Myrtle Road and Heeley Green, Middle Heeley on Gleadless Road at Well Road, and Lower Heeley or Heeley Bottom on London Road between Lidl and the railway bridge.

Heeley Parish was formed in 1846 from part of what had been St Mary's Parish on Bramall Lane.

Heeley is known by many who just pass through along the A61 Chesterfield Road and London Road as they travel in to Sheffield city centre. This route was built as a turnpike road in 1757 with a toll bar over the Meers Brook on the Yorkshire and Derbyshire boundary. Over the years this boundary has moved further south as Sheffield has increased in size.

Other transport links to the suburb have included both train and tram with the railway station at Heeley Bridge which is now used as a car scrap yard.

Heeley railway station opened in February 1870 along with the main rail route from Chesterfield to Sheffield. Initially it had two platforms but when the line was widened between 1901 and 1903 this was increased to four. The station closed in 1968.

The tramway through Heeley linked the city centre with Woodseats and was one of the first to open in the 1870s. The tramway depot still stands on Albert Road.

In recent years there has been talking of reopening the railway station along with others on the Sheffield to Dore line and also calls for Sheffield’s Supertram to be extended through Heeley towards Woodseats or as a tram-train alongside the rail line.

We’ve been taking a look through the archives and discovered pictures of Heeley dating back to earlier last century. Take a look through the pages and see if you recognise any of those people or locations pictured.

More retro: Through the 1980s – our galleries of pictures from 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986

Heeley Parish was formed in 1846 from part of what had been St Mary's Parish on Bramall Lane.

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