Owlthorpe Lane
This was originally a cinder track located between Staton’s farm and Quarry Hill. On entering the lane there was a duck pond on the left-hand side next to the field owned by Mary Buxton which was parallel to the main road. Continuing further along there was a lane off to the left which led to a coal mine, but the main lane continued to rise past the white painted detached resided. On the crest of the hill on the right was a row of terraced cottages one of the occupants being Mr & Mrs Speed and their son Michael. Beyond these cottages the lane led to the house “White Gables” where Mr & Mrs Colin Attmore & sons Roy and Clarence and daughter Kathleen lived.
Overflow water from the duck pond flowed through a stone lined land drain which ran under the lane down the field and across Staton’s stack yard where the water entered from a dyke which ran at the side of the farmhouse. The drain continued passing below the outbuildings of Britannia House (10 Mosborough Moor), and the front gardens of the semi-detached stone fronted houses before the water fed into a second pond located in the Fitzwilliam stack yard. Excess water from this pond flowed through an open dyke alongside the stone boundary wall before returning underground once more until entering the main drain in Station Road (approx. where the bus turning point is now).
The first new property to be built was a brick detached house for Mr & Mrs Dick Freeman in 1947. From the beginning of digging the foundations to completion took 16 weeks.
Following this development, a second brick built detached house with double bay windows was constructed on the site of the old pit area for Dick’s brother Charlie who owned a motorcycle shop in Eckington. It was adjacent to this property that pikes transport was eventually located.
Carlton Wheel Sickle Works Mosbro Moor
This was sited on land behind where Britannia House which was originally a stone-built property stands. One of the previous owners being Septimus Staton.
Mr Cardin (from Eckington) was the originally owner of Britannia House but during the 1940’s & 50’s the Watford family owned the property and the associated land.
When the property was placed on the market by his family it was purchased at auction for £1500 by Mr Fenwick a build who had the exterior pebble dashed and registered it as the company’s head office, using the land as a builders yard. The property was then purchased by Sheffield City Council and rented to Dennis & Joan Reville who after a number of years purchased it as sitting tenants.
During the negotiations, the council wanted to retain ownership of the land but when Dennis approached my dad he was advised to hold out and purchase not only the house but also the land. Eventually the City Council capitulated thus leaving the house and land as one entity.
The Semi-detached stone fronted houses immediately below this property were build in 1928 by Mr Buxton.
There was enough stone let over from the demolition of the cottages next door to face out the frontage, hence the brick wall sides and backs. He and his wife lived in No 16 until 1939 when Joe and Edith Godhard moved in as Tenants. Mrs Buxton eventually left Mosbro and went to live in Heysham.
Britannia House is No 10, Staton’s Moor Farm No. 12
The Semi-detached properties are numbered 16 8c 8b 8a
How confusing for the postman.
Collated by Terrence Godhard and retyped by Linda Staton 2019
