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| 1938 map showing all the lanes around Arksey |
Walking Back To The 1830's
Away from the centre of Arksey, the surrounding countryside is criss-crossed by ancient lanes and footpaths.
In this article we look at where the lanes go, their histories, and examine the origins of some of their interesting features and names.
In this article we look at where the lanes go, their histories, and examine the origins of some of their interesting features and names.
Contents
- A Tour of the Eastern Lanes
- Ings Lane, Arksey
- Hemp Pits Road
- The Pinfold
- Common Lane
- Mastall Lane
- Ings Lane South
- Dog Croft Lane
- Marsh Lane North
- Waite House Farm
- Thorpe Marsh
- Power Station
- Fordstead Lane
- A Tour of the Western Lanes
- The Balk
- Shaftholme Road
- Marsh Lane, Arksey
- Round About Moat
- Stockbridge Lane
A Tour of the Eastern Lanes
Ings Lane, Arksey
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| Ings Lane (in red/brown), Hemp Pits Road (in orange) |
The west end of Ings Lane begins in the centre of Arksey, at the junction with Station Road, opposite the vicarage. Mostly residential, it allows access to Ings Way and Brook Way and is coloured red/brown on the above map.
Ings is a Norse word for water meadow and marshes and comes from the areas of Arksey Ings and Bentley Ings, which lie to the east of the villages. Ancient variants in spellings include:
- Ynggs - 1480
- Inges - 1557
- Inghes - 1593
Finally changing to Ings in 1843.
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| Ings Lane in the early 1900's |
Hemp Pits Road
Hemp Pits Road runs between Ings Lane in the north east and Arksey Lane in the south west, shown in orange on the map.
Although called 'road', it is really a lane lying on the perimeter of residential Arksey.
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| Road sign at the end of Ings Lane |
The name Hemp Pits Road, harks back to a time when hemp was cultivated in the area. Once mature, the hemp plants would be pulled from the fields and bound in bundles. The bundles would then be immersed in water filled 'pits' or 'ponds' for a few days until the hemp readily separated from the stem.
A pond can be seen on the map above (the semi-circular feature next to the pinfold, called Town End Pond), so it is possible that at one time it was used in hemp production. Hemp was used for a variety of purposes, from food, to rope, clothing and fuel. Houses now occupy the site of Town End Pond.
The Pinfold
At the junction of Ings Lane and Hemp Pits Road is a round enclosure known as a pinfold. It is eleven metres in diameter and is thought to date from the early 19th century.
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| The pinfold at the end of Ings Lane |
Built of magnesian limestone rubble and sandstone copings, it has a gate in the north side with two large monolithic jambs. The structure is Grade II listed.
Historically, pinfolds provided a temporary enclosure for stray animals, or were sometimes used by drovers taking their stock to market. Pinfolds can be square, rectangular or circular and can vary in size. A similar pinfold is located on Finkle Street in Bentley and has been turned into a community garden.
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| The pinfold seen from above and clear of overgrowth. Google Earth image |
Common Lane
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| Common Lane (in bright green) |
Common Lane and those branching off it were created following an act 'for dividing and allotting the Commons and Waste Grounds in the Townships of Bentley and Arksey' in 1759. The aim of Enclosure was to make agriculture more efficient and meant the gradual change from strip farming to a method of farming in smaller hedged 'closes'.
Many smaller roads, footpaths and bridleways were 'stopped up and discontinued' at this time, and instead, long straight occupation roads were laid out across the common.
For a very long time Common Lane was a narrow, rutted track, but has since been widened and the surface improved as can be seen by comparing the two photos below.
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| Common Lane looking east in 1992 |
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| Common Lane looking east 2009 |
A short distance along Common Lane the track crosses the Bentley and Arksey Commons Drain, shown as a grey line intersecting the lane north east to south west on the map above.
There is a bridge over the drain which has been altered greatly over the years. Once named Stone Bridge it used to have rough stone walls on each side, but these were removed, probably due to collapse, by the 1990's (see photo below). The walls have probably been replaced by now.
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| Bridge over the Bentley and Arksey Commons drain in 1992. |
Common Lane branches off to Almholme a little further down, but continuing along the main stretch the lane crosses the Fur Water Drain (Far Water Drain on some old maps) at Creek Hill Gate. The name Creek Hill Gate comes from Creakhill Close, a field name dated to 1726. The name itself is derived possibly from the Old Welsh creic 'cliff' and hyll, a 'hill or piece of naturally elevated land'.
Once over Creek Hill Gate the lane meanders around what remains of the sand banks, once belonging to the Pilkington Glass factory, which was nearby.
Mastall Lane is a short lane off Common Lane which serves as a road to Dockhills Farm before terminating in a dead-end just beyond the farm, (another short lane just before the entrance to Mastall Lane is just a relatively new access road and is not marked on the maps).
The name Mastall Lane is probably a compound of mersc 'marsh' and dal 'share of the common field', and was probably constructed for the farmer to access his fields at the time of Enclosure.
Dock Hills, after which the farm is named is an area to the south of Mastall Lane, near to Bentley Ings. The name is from the Old English docce a 'dock' or possibly a 'water lily', and hyll a 'hill or piece of naturally elevated land'.
The lane doesn't appear to have ever been any longer in length as can be seen on this map of 1854 (below). A small bridge is shown on this map over the Commons Drain, and while the drain and bridge still exist, they are less obvious now.
The southern Ings Lane lies off Common Lane and is unrelated to the one in Arksey village. Running south east towards the river, the lane is featureless apart from a crossing over the Bentley Bank Drain or Fur Water Drain, called Fur Water Bridge ('Fur' is often spelled as 'Far' on some old maps).
The lane terminates at the Doncaster to Hull railway line, at which there is a foot crossing. This crossing leads to the flood banks and drains of the river Don. This route can be followed south west to reach Bentley Ings.
It is said that the Cooke family of Wheatley Hall used to cross the river by boat in order to attend church services in Arksey. The map below shows the close proximity of the Wheatley Estate to Arksey, and with the presence of Arksey Landing at the end of Ings Lane, it is possible to imagine them disembarking here and using the lanes as a route to Arksey church.
The origins of the name Dog Croft are not documented, but it seems likely that it was named after a parcel of land of that name.
Dog Croft Lane has long been no more than a grassy track, but today seems to have been eradicated by farming and only traces of it are visible now in the tree line and in the opening onto Ings Lane, as can be seen in the photo below.
Marsh Lane (not to be confused with the Marsh Lane in Arksey) runs from the end of Common Lane at Grumble Hurst Bridge, crosses Fordstead Lane and terminates at the entrance to the former Thorpe Marsh Power Station, which was demolished in 2012.
Grumble Hurst Bridge crosses Grumble Hurst Drain at the end of Common Lane coming up from the south. The name Grumble Hurst is possibly derived from the Middle English 'Grimbald', a name, and 'hyrst', a 'wooded hill' and first appears in records of 1765.
There has been a dwelling on the site for over 475 years, but it hasn't always been the same property. Up until the 1990's the house which stood there was a large, red brick house, with outbuildings, probably built in the mid 1800's.
The Parkin-Coates family owned the farm from at least 1913. They brought up a family there and their association with the farm lasted into the 1960's.
One of the Parkin-Coates' family died in tragic circumstances at the farm in 1968, and the property was abandoned shortly after this occurred. It was eventually demolished in the 1990's after falling into dereliction.
Today, a new farm stands in the footprint of Waite House Farm continuing the long history of farming in the area of Grumble Hurst.
For a full history of Waite House Farm go to the article Waite House Farm.
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| Creek Hill Gate on Common Lane, 1854 |
Once over Creek Hill Gate the lane meanders around what remains of the sand banks, once belonging to the Pilkington Glass factory, which was nearby.
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| The sand banks in 2002, from Google Earth |
The photo above shows an aerial view of the old sandbanks in 2002, standing out in white irregular squares. The glassworks, which closed in 2008, used to be situated on the very left of the photo, where the cars are parked.
From ground level these banks towered quite high, the tops accessed by long ladders. Common Lane is shown coming in from the left, below the lower sandbank, before turning sharp left and skirting the riverbank on the right before continuing on to its end at Grumble Hurst Bridge, which we will come to later.
From ground level these banks towered quite high, the tops accessed by long ladders. Common Lane is shown coming in from the left, below the lower sandbank, before turning sharp left and skirting the riverbank on the right before continuing on to its end at Grumble Hurst Bridge, which we will come to later.
Mastall Lane
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| Mastall Lane shown in yellow |
Mastall Lane is a short lane off Common Lane which serves as a road to Dockhills Farm before terminating in a dead-end just beyond the farm, (another short lane just before the entrance to Mastall Lane is just a relatively new access road and is not marked on the maps).
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| Mastall Lane and Dockhills Farm, from Google Earth |
The name Mastall Lane is probably a compound of mersc 'marsh' and dal 'share of the common field', and was probably constructed for the farmer to access his fields at the time of Enclosure.
Dock Hills, after which the farm is named is an area to the south of Mastall Lane, near to Bentley Ings. The name is from the Old English docce a 'dock' or possibly a 'water lily', and hyll a 'hill or piece of naturally elevated land'.
The lane doesn't appear to have ever been any longer in length as can be seen on this map of 1854 (below). A small bridge is shown on this map over the Commons Drain, and while the drain and bridge still exist, they are less obvious now.
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| Mastall Lane in 1854 |
Ings Lane South
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| Ings Lane (in red brown) and Dog Croft Lane (in light brown) |
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| 1854 map showing Ings Lane and Fur Water Bridge |
The lane terminates at the Doncaster to Hull railway line, at which there is a foot crossing. This crossing leads to the flood banks and drains of the river Don. This route can be followed south west to reach Bentley Ings.
It is said that the Cooke family of Wheatley Hall used to cross the river by boat in order to attend church services in Arksey. The map below shows the close proximity of the Wheatley Estate to Arksey, and with the presence of Arksey Landing at the end of Ings Lane, it is possible to imagine them disembarking here and using the lanes as a route to Arksey church.
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| 1854 map showing the river route between Wheatley Hall and Arksey |
Dog Croft Lane
Dog Croft Lane is marked on some old maps as a lane running north east off Ings Lane, and may even have crossed Ings Lane from the west at one time, as indicated on the 1854 map (below).The origins of the name Dog Croft are not documented, but it seems likely that it was named after a parcel of land of that name.
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| Dog Croft Lane on the 1854 map |
Dog Croft Lane has long been no more than a grassy track, but today seems to have been eradicated by farming and only traces of it are visible now in the tree line and in the opening onto Ings Lane, as can be seen in the photo below.
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| Location of Dog Croft Lane. google Earth |
Marsh Lane North
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| Marsh Lane (in dark blue) |
Grumble Hurst Bridge crosses Grumble Hurst Drain at the end of Common Lane coming up from the south. The name Grumble Hurst is possibly derived from the Middle English 'Grimbald', a name, and 'hyrst', a 'wooded hill' and first appears in records of 1765.
Waite House Farm
Just to the east of Grumble Hurst Bridge, and marked on many maps, is the site of the former Waite House, or Thwaite House, a place which dates back to the sixteenth century. |
| Grumble Hurst Bridge and Thwaite / Waite House, 1854 |
There has been a dwelling on the site for over 475 years, but it hasn't always been the same property. Up until the 1990's the house which stood there was a large, red brick house, with outbuildings, probably built in the mid 1800's.
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| A closer view of the map image of Waite House in 1854 |
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| Waite House Farm in 1935 |
The Parkin-Coates family owned the farm from at least 1913. They brought up a family there and their association with the farm lasted into the 1960's.
One of the Parkin-Coates' family died in tragic circumstances at the farm in 1968, and the property was abandoned shortly after this occurred. It was eventually demolished in the 1990's after falling into dereliction.
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| Google earth image of the Waite House site in 2002 |
Today, a new farm stands in the footprint of Waite House Farm continuing the long history of farming in the area of Grumble Hurst.
For a full history of Waite House Farm go to the article Waite House Farm.
Thorpe Marsh
Power Station
Located just west of the river Don near Barnby Dun, Thorpe Marsh is an area of land named as such since an enclosure award in around 1766, and probably so called after the nearby village of Thorpe in Balne. This low-lying area liable to flooding is probably where the Marsh element came from. The area is best known for the power station which dominated the skyline for miles around for over fifty years.
The entrance to the power station lay off the northern side of Marsh Lane. At one time Marsh Lane ran right up to the village of Thorpe In Balne, but ceased to be a through road when the power station was built.
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| Thorpe Marsh Power Station under construction in 1959. Photo courtesy of Ann Singleton |
Built in 1959, this coal powered station, consisting of six cooling towers, was producing electricity commercially by 1965 although it wasn't officially opened until the 2nd of June 1967.
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| Thorpe Marsh Power Station in 1961 |
Affected by picketers during the 1972/3 miners' strike, the site had to close down temporarily.
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| Thorpe Marsh Power Station in 1966 |
In 1989 following privatisation of the energy industry, the site was taken over by National Power (now Npower), however Thorpe Marsh closed down in March 1994 when the gas fired power station at Killingholme came online, a move which coincided with the decline of the coal industry and a switch to greener energy. The decommissioned site was slowly dismantled over the next two decades, but plans to turn it into a site for holding new cars before being sent out on car transporters was turned down by planners due to insufficient roads in the area.
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| Thorpe Marsh Power Station |
In 2007 severe flooding in the area threatened the electricity substation and the army had to airlift sandbags in to keep the flood water at bay.
The cooling towers were finally demolished in 2012 and the skyline of the area west of Barnby Dun was altered forever.
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| Demolition in 2012. |
Fordstead Lane
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| Fordstead Lane (in olive green) |
Fordstead Lane runs in a north-east direction from Almholme to Barnby Dun. Today, this lane is somewhat taken for granted as a through road from Arksey to Barnby Dun, but up until around 1959 it only existed as a short lane running from the Barnby Dun swing bridge to Marsh Lane.
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| 1956 map showing the original length of Fordstead Lane |
The extension to Fordstead Lane undoubtedly came about with the construction of Thorpe Marsh Power Station in 1959. With heavy materials to transport to the site, the route through Barnby Dun would not have been suitable. The extension also had the added advantage of providing a through road between Arksey and Barnby Dun.
The only disadvantage of this road is that it is notorious for becoming flooded and therefore has to be closed after particularly wet weather. Gates have been installed at two points along the road to prevent drivers getting caught out. The area affected is usually around the cross-roads of Fordstead Lane and Marsh Lane, where the land is at its lowest point.
The only disadvantage of this road is that it is notorious for becoming flooded and therefore has to be closed after particularly wet weather. Gates have been installed at two points along the road to prevent drivers getting caught out. The area affected is usually around the cross-roads of Fordstead Lane and Marsh Lane, where the land is at its lowest point.
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| Flooding on Fordstead Lane |
Returning to Arksey via Fordstead Lane, there used to be an interesting fallen tree in a farmers field, just near the last bend in the road before the Almholme turnoff. It looked like a giant man or monster crawling across the field towards the road and was quite well known in the area in the 1970's and 80's. Eventually the farmer removed the tree after he decided it had been there long enough.
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| The 'giant' tree. |
The tree meant quite a lot to some locals, as was the case with Dave Northmore, who wrote the following poem.
GRANDAD'S TREE
It lay in a field, a broken tree
Like a body with arms, bit like a man you see
As a boy my grandad would always point it out to me
Like a stranded giant in its own cemetery
It lay in snow through winters and the warm summer sun
In a field at the side of the road, to Barnby Dun
I passed it in cars for years, a familiar friend
I would always look for it, just beyond the bend
It survived throughout my childhood, the years of hard weather and all
A grey strong silent figure from what I recall
But one day I looked and it was gone
An empty field, no tree, after so long
The farmer had removed it, just a broken tree
Unaware of all that it meant to me
Still I have this old picture that I one day took
Not sure if it was fate or just pure luck
Still treasured in a frame, it remains with me
Though nothing can remove its memory
I'll never forget you, Grandad's tree.
Many thanks to Dave Northmore for the photo and poem.
A Tour of the Western Lanes
The Balk
Having examined all the lanes lying north and east of Arksey, we now look at those lying on the north and western side, beginning with The Balk (pron. Bork), which branches off Almholme Lane.
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| The Balk (in purple) |
The name The Balk has been in use since 1848, although the 1854 map (below) still has the old names of Carr Gap Lane and Riddings Lane. Carr Gap Lane is the part running from Almholme Lane to the left turn at the top, and Riddings Lane is the part running from the top to the junction with Shaftholme Road.
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| 1854 map of The Balk area |
The only feature of note is the Sandall Nooking Drain which runs east to west right through this area.
Shaftholme Road
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| Shaftholme Road (in light red) Marsh Lane (in dark blue) |
The junction of Shaftholme Road with The Balk lies near to the Shaftholme level crossing, once over the crossing it becomes Shaftholme Lane, but heading south it ends at the junction with Marsh Lane.
The map below shows how the route of Shaftholme Road had to be altered to accommodate the railway line.
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| Map of 1854 |
Looking to the lower right of the map Shaftholme Road is seen in green coming up from Marsh Lane to where it meets the railway, the old route is shown in red, while the new route is shown in blue. By taking the road up the side of the railway and creating a sharp left turn, it was possible to create a straight level crossing (ringed in brown), rather than having to put one on the diagonal.
Further down Shaftholme Road we come to the Willow Garth fishing pond. This pond was created out of the old Tuffield Brick and Tile Yard, which was operational during the 1850's and seen here on a map of 1854.
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| 1854 map of Tuffield Brick and Tile Yard |
More on the brick yard can be found in the article A Brief History of Arksey - Part Two.
Marsh Lane, Arksey
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| Marsh Lane, Arksey (in dark blue) |
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| Marsh Lane looking towards railway, 2009 |
Today, the western end of Marsh Lane terminates at the railway line, where a foot crossing takes you over to Stockbridge Lane on the other side. Originally however, this lane extended all the way up to Shaftholme as can be seen on this 1854 map (below).
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| Marsh Lane from Almholme Lane in Arksey to Shaftholme in 1854 (in green) |
More on this can be found in the article Arksey and the Railway.
By 1915 the Marsh Lane route to Shaftholme had been cut off by the Bentley Colliery railway and although the gatehouse remained occupied up to the early 1950's, the lane became the rough track that we know today. This 1950 map below shows how Marsh Lane became split in two by the colliery railway (ringed in red).
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| 1950 Map of Marsh Lane (in green) |
Since Bentley Colliery was demolished in 1994/95 a community woodland was created in the area of the old pit railway. As a consequence of this, the old route between Arksey and Shaftholme has been opened up again via a footpath through the woods.
More on this can be found in the article Local Hamlets Part One - Shaftholme.
Round About Moat
One feature not mentioned so far is the moat which lies just off Marsh Lane, close to the railway line. At one time it could be accessed from either Marsh Lane, or via the field behind High Street, but since it has been fenced off, there is no access now.
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| 1891 map showing the moat and lanes near the railway line at Arksey |
The Round About Moat consists of a central platform measuring about 30m x 50m, surrounded by a water filled moat with an opening on the north side. It is probably to site of a medieval moated farmstead, although this has not been proved. Other moated sites of similar appearance exist in the area and more about those can be read in the article Moated Sites.
Stockbridge Lane
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| Stockbridge Lane (in dark red) |
The lane becomes a proper road, accessible to vehicles at the mid-way kink (see map above) and passes the properties of the hamlet of Stockbridge.
Back up near the top of the lane, there is a footpath which runs east to west, from Arksey to Bentley. A foot crossing at the railway line provides the route back to Arksey (shown in lilac on the map above), while a straight footpath heads west to Bentley (shown as a grey broken line on the map above) emerging at Elm Crescent in the New village.
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| Arksey Fishing Pond in the 1960's. Photo courtesy of Janice Lowe |
The lower end of Stockbridge Lane emerges at Arksey Lane, and roughly opposite is the entrance to Hemp Pits Road, where we started our tour of the lanes.
So now we have come full circle, exploring the lanes and their histories. So whether you are walking the dog, or just out for a stroll, hopefully you'll know a little more about them now.
Alison Vainlo
First Written 2013, updated 2016, re-written and updated 2019.
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