Population 11,200 (2001) Post town ROTHERHAM | Sovereign state United Kingdom Local time Friday 4:06 AM Dialling code 0114 | |
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Weather 13°C, Wind S at 11 km/h, 78% Humidity | ||
Thorpe Hesley is a suburb of Rotherham with a population of about 11,200. The suburb now falls in the Keppel ward of Rotherham MBC. It lies on the east side of the M1 motorway at junction 35. Described in the late 19th century as an old village 6 miles from Sheffield, it was noted for the manufacture of nails. It lies in the township of Wentworth, except a small part which is in Kimberworth township. It has an Anglican church, Holy Trinity, built in 1840 chiefly at the cost of Earl Fitzwilliam and the Earl of Effingham.
Contents
Map of Thorpe Hesley, UK
There is a post office, petrol station and 4 public houses.
Claim to Fame
John Wesley spent some time in the village where he preached. He lodged at Barley Hall (now demolished).
Older residents and families in Thorpe Hesley, will remember that a Walt Disney film was produced in the village: Escape from the Dark. The film was retitled The Littlest Horse Thieves for its release in the USA.
The BBC TV Series 'Play for Today' had a two part story titled 'The Price of Coal' filmed at the colliery on Wentworth Road; this mine has now been closed and the colliery demolished.
Coal Mines
Coal has been mined in and around the area of Thorpe Hesley for at least 800 years. Monks from the Cistercian Abbey of Kirkstead, in Lincolnshire, had forges and other property in this part of the country and mined coal and ironstone locally. Thorpe Hesley had the distinction of having two modern-day coal mines. Both were closed in the 1970s and have been completely demolished. The land surrounding the area of the Barley Hall site has been landscaped and is now a small nature reserve.
In January 2013 permission was given for the Hesley Wood colliery spoil heap to be processed to recover fuel, and to restore woodland on the site.