I’ve stuck my head in here a few times over the years, but on a sunny September morning I decided to have another look to see if anything much had changed. This report is made up of some recent film shots supplemented with some older phone pics. Entry to the site used to be a bit easier (there’s a big fence) and some would say it’s not actually worth the effort, but although this could be dismissed as a shell of a derp there’s something I like about it, particularly the way the sun shines through the windows from the river. It’s also good to have a bit of a rummage around in the documents that remain here, many dating back to the 1950s.
It is what it is, but there’s no previous reports from here that I can find so thought I might at least plug a gap.
History
Don Saw Mill was a steam driven sawmill of the mid to late 19th century.
This old pic from early 2000s shows what the front section of the building looked like.
There is an even earlier pic from around 1982 on the following thread, which also includes a few recollections of the area.
Old Building near the Wicker
Heres Four images that I took a year or two back down near the Wicker. Theres one of the Wicker Arch and the others are all of..........well have a look and see. There all gone now I think! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/hjd...heffield066.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/hjd...h...
www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk
There is very little to be found online about when the company was founded or when it closed. This map shows the original footprint of the building. Note the footbridge (F.B.) marked on the map that led from the saw mill to the timber yard opposite. This bridge was called ‘Bailey Bridge’ and although it is no longer in place it was moved and still exists a bit further up the Don. [edit: can’t fully verify this bit about the bridge moving, was a comment on a forum but although it was the same type of bridge it may not have been the same one]
The front section of this building was demolished sometime around 2007, and it’s only the shell of the back section that remains. I’d speculate that this was as a result of the flood in 2007, as I can’t think of another reason how or why part of this would have been demolished, given that the whole site was listed.
The building was Grade 2 listed in 1995 - the description here is for the full site and not just the bit that remains.
DON SAWMILLS, Non Civil Parish - 1271009 | Historic England
List entry 1271009. Grade II Listed Building: Don Sawmills. May include summary, reasons for designation and history.
historicengland.org.uk
It seems there’s a very recent crowdfunding effort to save the building which, having currently raised £0, doesn’t look like being overly successful!
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/thedonsawmill
The photos
One end of the building features this mural by local street artist Phlegm from around 2011 / 2012.
Inside
This door used to have this sign on but it’s been pinched.
Day book entry from 1951 amongst other rotting paperwork including letters, orders and receipt copies.
Delivery note from 1965...
Day Book entry from 1951...
Date scratched into the wood reads ‘1965 NICK’
There used to be a very wobbly wooden staircase that you could climb to the first floor a few years ago but that’s now collapsed so taking a peek at the upper level is a bit of a different kind of climb, with very little reward...
And finally a subtle cry for help I found written on a paper plate...
Attachments
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