THE GLEADLESS VALLEY
Until the middle of the 19th century, the Gleadless Valley was an isolated rural area lying between the small villages of Heeley and Norton. At least four farms are known to have existed in the Leeshall area since before the 17th century. As Sheffield grew to take in Heeley and Meersbrook, the valley began to be used by residents of nearby urban areas for walks and recreation. In order to serve these people, recreational facilities including allotments, sports grounds and Leeshall Golf Course were established in the western part of the valley from the 1920s onwards.

This wildflower-rich meadow between Herdings and Rollestone Woods clearly indicates the way in which areas of the Gleadless Valley with dense housing are often close to open spaces.

Although the nearby Arbourthorne estates were built in the 1930s, the Gleadless Valley continued to be farmed until the 1950s, retaining a rural landscape of hedge-lined fields, woodlands and scattered farms. Urban development of the valley began in the late 1950's and continued into the 1960's, with the valley's housing estates being built to accommodate approximately 17,000 people. This development was remarkable for the way in which a network of open spaces based around the valley's existing mature woodlands was retained, both within the development, and between it and neighbouring built up areas. Most of these open areas have remained to the present day.

The Meers Brook, the major watercourse in the Gleadless Valley, which originates within Herdings Wood is of historical importance as it once formed part of the boundary between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. The name of the river dates from this time, 'meer' being the Saxon word for boundary. The river continued to form part of the county boundary between Yorkshire and Derbyshire until as late as 1933.

ARCHAEOLOGY
Archaeological surveys of the valley's woodlands have revealed extensive evidence for the production of a range of woodland products. Charcoal, an important raw material and fuel for the early South Yorkshire iron and steel industry is known to have been produced within some of the woodlands because of the presence of charcoal burning platforms.

Pits and depressions thought to be the result of surface digging for coal can be found in parts of Herdings Wood. Another depression, close to the south-eastern tip of the wood is thought to be the remains of an old well. In addition, the remains of trackways can be found in some parts of the wood.

ANCIENT WOODLAND STATUS
As for many other woodland areas, the history of the Gleadless Valley woodlands can be deduced from a variety of sources. Much of this evidence makes it clear that the valley's woodlands are 'ancient woodlands', meaning that they have been in existence since at least 1600 and in all likelihood for far longer than this.

There is clear evidence that Herdings Wood is of ancient origin. The earliest known documentary evidence for woodlands in the Gleadless Valley, which dates from 1462, refers to 'Herdyng Wood', the name given to the then more extensive area of woodland now split up to produce the two woodland areas of Herdings Wood and Rollestone Wood and The Lumb.

Another way in which ancient woodlands can be distinguished from more recently established woodlands is by their diverse flora and fauna. Indeed, certain plant species, usually those that spread relatively slowly by vegetative means, are known to be either entirely restricted to, or only rarely found outside, ancient woodlands. These are known as 'ancient woodland indicator species'. Where a number of these species are found together, there is a high likelihood that the wood in which they occur is of ancient origin. A wide range of ancient woodland indicator species occur in woodlands in the Gleadless Valley, including Bluebell, Dog's Mercury, Ramsons, Wood Anemone, Wood Sorrel and Yellow Archangel.

WOODLAND MANAGEMENT
Archaeological features and documentary evidence indicate that many if not all of the valley's woodlands were coppiced over several centuries in order to produce charcoal and other woodland products. Coppicing is a form of woodland management in which deciduous trees are cut back to just above their base to form coppice stools. These then sprout quickly, forming numerous poles, of value in construction and as a fuel. The process can be repeated again and again, usually at about 15 to 20 year intervals. Coppicing for charcoal production within the Gleadless Valley woodlands is known to date back to at least 1492 when a record referring to Herdyng Wood states that this was leased by its owner for charcoal production.

Having lasted for hundreds of years, coppice management died out in the Sheffield area during the latter half of the 19th century as a result of a decline in demand for coppice products, particularly by the steel industry in which coal replaced charcoal as a fuel. Like the other woodlands in the valley, Herdings Wood became managed purely for timber and was converted to high forest by the planting of non-native species such as Sycamore, Hybrid Poplar and Larch. Some of the Oaks in the wood are also thought to date from this time,

FURTHER INFORMATION
More general information on the history of the Heritage Woodlands is available elsewhere on this website.