Hind Wheel, Rivelin Valley, Sheffield, S6 5SB

Hind Wheel, Rivelin Valley, Sheffield, S6 5SB

Former water-powered grinding Wheel and water management system

Hind Wheel and associated water management system are the remains of a water-powered site dating from around 1580, the earliest recorded site in the valley. It was used for cutlery grinding and to make metal inserts for ladies corsets. The site was last used in the 1930s. Later, the ruins of the buildings were removed and the area landscaped.

The water management system extends to the east and west of the site of the former mill buildings. In the early 19th century the mill dam almost doubled in size to the round shape it is today, allowing two waterwheels to be used. The ‘Round Dam’ is now one of the most popular spots in the lower Rivelin valley. There are few traces of the former buildings but in addition to the mill dam, which is full of water, the weir, head goit and tail goit can still be seen

Hind Wheel is located about 300 m upstream of the ‘S-bend’ on Rivelin Valley Road. The site is owned by Sheffield City Council and there is open access. A public footpath (the Rivelin nature and heritage trail) passes the site and runs along the dam wall. The trail can be accessed from various points along Rivelin Valley Road and from surrounding footpaths.

A marker post installed at the site by Rivelin Valley Conservation Group gives a brief history and links to a website where further information and pictures can be found.

Hind Wheel was amongst the earliest of the 20 mills built in the Rivelin Valley (search for ‘Rivelin Waterpower Sites’ on this website for details of the other sites). This sequence of Rivelin mills and mill dams forms an essential part of Sheffield’s heritage. They also have a broader national and even international significance in relation to the history of the Industrial Revolution in Sheffield.

Further information and pictures of Hind Wheel and other sites in the Rivelin valley can be found at https://rivelinvalley.org.uk/rivelin-trails-2/. See also the books ‘Walking the Rivelin’, by Sue Shaw and Keith Kendall (6^th edition, 2019, Rivelin Valley Conservation Group) and ‘Water Power on the Sheffield Rivers’, by C. Ball, D. Crossley, N. Flavell (Editors), (2nd Edition (2006), South Yorkshire Industrial Society).