Shepherd Wheel And Attached Dam Goit And Weir

Shepherd Wheel is a historic grinding hull and museum located on Hangingwater Road in Sheffield. Dating from around 1780 and restored around 1960, it features coursed squared stone construction with a stone slate roof, a single brick gable, and a single stone side wall stack.

The exterior consists of two single-storey ranges with four and three bays. The larger range on the left has a single light window flanked by two-light windows, and a three-light window on the far left, all with glazing bars and plank shutters. The right gable includes a plank door with a stone lintel, while the left gable has an external stair made from discarded grindstones. The smaller range on the right has a central plank door and three renewed two-light barred windows with wooden mullions at the rear. At the back, there is a renewed wooden pentrough feeding an iron overshot wheel approximately 3 meters in diameter. To the west, the dam features a curved retaining wall about 160 meters long, with a narrow spillway near the buildings. An early diversion weir is located at the west end under a road bridge, directing water into a short head goit.

Inside the main hull, there is a cast-iron spur wheel driving five grindstones, with a shaft and belt connection to four similar stones in the smaller hull. This machinery is complete and operational. Historically, a grinding hull has existed on this site since around 1584, and the current buildings were used from the late 18th century until about 1930 for grinding table and pocket knives. Shepherd Wheel is a significant example of the small-scale single process units that defined the Sheffield cutlery industry.