The sites of the Pheasant Inn and 'Beardshall's Pop Factory' etc. - what do you know?

This is a bit late I know BUT do you have anything to share about these sites on the High Street in the middle of the village?

I know that Sykes has something to say about them in his work in Dodworth Library (it is referenced elsewhere in this blog) including that in the vicinity was a place named Delf Garth which may have been the original site of the settlement that became the village. The site was apparently investigated by archaeologists soon after the Pheasant Inn was demolished but they found little of interest - their report was presented at the annual South Yorkshire Archaeology day (open to the public) the year following the investigation.

Delf Garth was long ago but perhaps you know something about more recent events at the Pop Factory that would interest others. Was it for instance associated with the impressive house adjacent, perhaps a stables or home farm of some sort?

I recall that as a small child I was on a bus that stopped at the scene of a fatal motorcycle crash just below the Pheasant Inn. I remember getting off the bus, seeing someone lying and not moving some distance away (probably covered up); that a local man who survived with serious injuries was involved; that adults stood talking asking each other what had happened and who were those involved; and that no (what we now call) emergency services had yet arrived.

There were cottages on the bend just above Pheasant Inn.

Opposite the Pheasant Inn was a farm - just above the footpath to the Keresforth area - and at some point a child was accidentally drowned there in a well. Also there was talk of a death possibly there due to a shotgun shooting - was this the incident involving a man from somewhere near the golf course shooting another in 'a dispute about a beast'?

The High Street was apparently at one time notable for the number of public houses on it. They included:

The Horse and Jockey; The Thornley Arms (Fortunes of War); Smiths Arms; The Sun; The Fountain; The Pheasant Inn. Were there others?

Opposite the Pop Factory was Pashley's Farm, and a little lower down the home of the village 'bookie' when such was legalised ...

And - there is an interesting house with the initials T.T.T. prominently displayed on it almost opposite the Pheasant Inn site and just below it.


The Editor

Burial sites in the time before 'the church' was built

Does anyone know where burials were made / took place before St John's church was built, and before the current cemetery was commissioned?

The Editor

Taylor's Farm, Dodworth High Street

On Dodworth High Street is a very useful watch and antiques shop, it is probably called Past Times, and almost directly opposite is the Apollo Court building that houses the Post Office, Chemist, and Health Centre. Next to Apollo is a physiotherapy centre (that may actually be called The Apollo Court Physiotherapy Centre and may now be housed in both the old and the new buildings), next to that is a new building which for this post will be called 'the house'.

A couple of weeks ago; or so, someone was talking to the proprietor of Past Times about the history of the area, and he apparently said that across the road when they were in the process of building the 'new house' the contractors came across a hitherto unknown well. According to the report, he didn't say if the well contained water, but he did apparently say that it was said to be substantial in size and depth, and that it was discovered with some kind of mechanism for raising the water from the depths. It was also reported that it took a lot of truck loads of material to fill the void, which was apparently necessary to permit the construction to continue.

At some time in the past - some decades ago - the site was known as Taylor's Farm. After its life as a farm it was used by a road haulage company and articulated trucks; or lorries as they were then more likely to be known, were commonly seen 'backing out' (reversing) onto the High Street. The trucks may have been a deep blue in colour. At the time the trucks were operated from there members of several families were known to be associated with the operation, including: Taylor, Raynes, Robinson. Where the main Apollo building now stands was a high wall made of what seemed like local stone and it may have been the original wall of a large farm building such as a barn.

What is now the Physiotherapy Centre 'old building' may have been the 'farm house' in which the owners or managers of the farm lived.

This interesting report raises a number of questions that readers may be able to throw light on, the ones that come to mind are listed below, there may be others in which case please share them here for the benefit of all.

It seems likely that at  some time all the local houses got their water from similar wells - does anyone know about this?

Who were those families associated with the site?

Was there really a haulage business operated from the site?

Was it really the site of a farm - and if so how old was the farm?

Was the well 'substantial' because it served a farm, and thus had to be bigger than one that served just a dwelling?

When it was a farm (if it was) then where was the land associated with it? Was it old enough to have been a 'croft' of some sort serving the packhorse trade which is known to have used the High Street.

What happened to the machinery for raising the water from the well - discovered during the recent construction work - was it discarded or destroyed or maybe passed to a museum?

Was any form of archaeological investigation undertaken at the time Apollo Court was built?

Does any reader have any recollection or pictures of what was on the site before it was redeveloped - don't worry you will not be asked to part with the treasured pictures.

Are there any other old wells in the vicinity?

Similarly if you know anything about the matter - including about the site - please share here what you know.


The Editor