Crosspool: We visited the Sheffield neighbourhood with two secondary schools, and history on its doorstep
Tucked away between Sheffield city centre and the Peak District, lies a Sheffield neighbourhood which boasts two of the city's best known secondary schools.
It's also just a few minutes walk from the world’s oldest football ground, Hallam FC, a club which still play at their nearby Sandygate ground, as they have since 1860, now in non league football.
This is Crosspool, home to both King Edward VII lower school and Tapton, as well as a selection of pubs, restaurants and shops.
Next year it will have a high profile, when the BBC drama Reunion, filmed in Sheffield, is aired. Marsh Lane, one of Crosspool’s residential streets, was one of the locations used for filming.
With a compact shopping centre, residents say Crosspool is also a friendly place to live, with plenty to do.
Morgan Sparks is landlord of one of Crosspool's pubs, The Sportsman, at the junction of Manchester Road and Benty Lane.
He’s been there for several years, and feels it is a great place to be based.
Serving a pint of the Abbeydale Brewery-produced Moonshine ale, he said: “It’s the area. it’s beautiful, on the edge of the countryside.
“We’ve got quite a few shops down the road here, with a Tesco Express and a Spar, local shops, and you’ve got Bakewell just down the road. It’s very beautiful countryside round this area. I would highly recommend it.
“And it’s only about 10 minutes into town.”
Resident Brian Roebuck felt that the neighbourhood had pretty much everything that he needed within the area.
He added: “There are very good doctors, and it’s walking distance from the Hallamshire Hospital, which for me is a big plus.”
He also felt there was little crime, and described the restaurants as very good.
Michael Hilton, another resident, described it as a very good community. Michael is involved in the running of the local scouts group, which is thriving.
He said: “It’s very close to the countryside, but we’ve got all the facilities. We’ve got good shops, we’ve got a nursery, we’ve got a scout headquarters, and generally, the shops are very good. I can even get my hair cut at a reasonable price!”
He added both local schools had pretty good reputations.
Sally Turnbull agreed Crosspool had good facilities, but added there were not as many as it used to have.
She is also a fan of the village’s annual festival, which is held in the last week of June and the beginning of July.
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She said: “It has a well dressing, a street marking, and activities all through the week, finishing with a sort of joint churches service or picnic, something like that. All the organisations get involved with open gardens, a scarecrow competition.”
She said the some elements were more popular than others, but the festival’s street market was very popular, as was the open gardens, and the fashion show.
What does she like most about Crosspool?
“It’s friendly,” she said. “People help each other, and there’s quite a lot going on.”