The history of Tinsley, an ancient district in northeastern Sheffield, can be traced back to the 1086 Domesday Book. During the ownership of Roger de Busli, it was initially recorded as 'Tirneslawe' or 'Tineslawe'.
Its name originates from the Old English Tingas-Leah, which means ‘Field of Council’, a combination of "thing" (meaning assembly) and the dialectal term "lea" (meaning meadow). A name that would be apt for the use it would later be known.
Fun fact: The area even has prehistoric roots including the discovery of a 3,500-year-old Bronze Age canoe.
Many millennia later the area would come to be transformed dramatically during the Industrial Era, initially in 1732 via the River Don Navigation (between Fishlake and Sheffield) and later the 1819 Sheffield & Tinsley Canal. A network of canals that would pay dividends for manufacturing.
Tinsley evolved into a major working-class hub for coal mining, steel rolling mills, iron, and wire works.
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In subsequent years, the district gained recognition as the home of the East Hecla Works, established in 1897 by Hadfields Limited. The company achieved renown for developing manganese steel, amongst the earliest specialised steel alloys.
Following significant expansion throughout the First World War, workforce numbers reached 13,000, with capital valuation standing at £1.9 million by 1918 – equivalent to roughly £140 million today.
Industrial over-capacity across Britain forced the closure of the Leeds Road site in June 1981, drastically scaling back East Hecla's operations.
The site was demolished in the early 1980s amid widespread industrial closures, and is now mostly occupied by the Meadowhall Shopping Centre.
Do you remember the East Hecla Works?
5. Tinsley sports ground opening
The official opening of Hadfield's Sports Ground, in Tinsley, Sheffield, on May 26, 1923. Sir Robert Hadfield can be seen declaring the new sports ground open for the purpose of recreation.
6. Royal visit
Royal visit to Sheffield by HRH The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) on May 29, 1923. He is seen here starting the new 28inch rolling mill, which was electrically driven, at the East Hecla Works, Hadfields Ltd.
8. Lower Don Valley
Sheffield's industrial Lower Don Valley, viewed from Tyler Street, looking across the L.M.S. Railway towards Midland Place, Midland Lane, Cromer Street, Hadfields East Hecla Works, and Sheffield Tube Works to the Water Cooling Tower of The Electric Power Station some time in the 1920s or 1930s | Picture Sheffield