What's in a road name?

After a number of years without publishing any new titles, the DVS has launched a significant new publication. The A to W of DORE describes the background to the naming of every road and street in Dore. The book also records the history of many of the roads’ historic features and buildings. Whilst not intended as a history of the village, it contains much information that has not been widely published before and should therefore appeal to new and old residents alike.

The project to produce the book was begun by Roger Millican over two years ago but it was only when co-author, John Dunstan, returned to take up residence in the village, that it gathered momentum. John, a former committee member, produced earlier DVS titles and has extensive knowledge of Dore’s history.

David Heslop, the former Lord Mayor of Sheffield and current DVS committee member has revealed another of his many talents by producing 50 new sketches for the book as well as preparing its four maps. Many of the illustrations show some new angles on well-known features in the village – some of which, through familiarity, we tend to ignore.

The book, priced at a modest £4.95, was launched at the DVS AGM on May 29th when the authors gave an illustrated talk on the subject of Dore’s road names.

The book is from Green's on Causeway Head Road or by post from 0114 236 9025.

Jean Recalls

I suppose it’s a sign of the times but when I was younger, there were four butchers shops in Dore. Mrs Wolstenholme ran Colin Thompson’s. She was a big woman but she must have been really strong, because handling sides of beef and chopping up meat didn’t seem to be a problem to her. She used to chop meat on a wooden trestle which had a deep crack in it. Half-crowns, coppers and other detritus lurked down the crack. Most hygienic! The floor was covered in sawdust.

Jack Thorpe and his son Bill, ran the butchers which was on the end of the Hare and Hounds building. They used to have the entrails hanging up near the door. Over the door were two big hooks and carcasses were suspended from these and chopped in half.

Levesleys was next to Hubie Frith in the row of lock-up shops long since demolished to make way for Dore to Door Catering and the rest. Steve Oakes worked for Mr Levesley who lived up Causeway Head Road and had another shop in Ecclesall.

The fourth shop was the Co-op. Originally the butchers was a separate shop to the grocers. Dick Wragg managed this for many years. Dick lived on Drury Lane and in his youth was a member of the Dore cricket team.

The controversy over the Dog and Cat kennel on Newfield reminded me that we used to have two ladies who took in cat and dog boarders. Laura Taylor lived in the cottages on Vicarage Lane. She had some kennels in Ryecroft fields across Dore Road, but her favourites she kept with her at the cottage. Janet and Mary Souter used to help her walk the dogs, when they were school girls.

The other lady was called, if my memory serves me right, Miss Douglas. She lived in the bungalow at the top of Long Line on Houndkirk Road. She had a bigger business than Laura with lots more kennels. When she left the Gibbs family moved to the bungalow and replaced the dogs with hens. They were poultry farmers.

Their daughter Nancy, still lives in the bungalow. I don’t remember there being any complaints about noise, but I suppose they were much more isolated than Newfield and people were much more tolerant then, or seemed to be.

What’s the betting that when the Corporation alter the road in front of the Causeway Head Road shops, someone is killed. It’s sods law. What is really needed is somewhere for all day parking, especially for the shop assistants who nearly all seem to have cars and for those who park up all day and go on the bus. I wonder also, why so many with drives and garages insist on parking on the road. I’ve heard the excuse that they do this because they are afraid they will be blocked in by other car drivers, but that seems a feeble excuse.

Jean Dean

Dore Millennium Play

The winter issue of Dore to Door explained that the aim behind this July event was to bring the history of Dore alive. The organisers stress that this will be a community event with local stories acted by local people. A good deal of preparatory work has been carried out already and one of the most important moves has been to retain the services of Sheffield-based professional playwright Caroline Small.

Following a number of meetings with local people and various professionals, Caroline suggested that the play would be in three parts performed on three separate days so that although they would be linked each part would stand alone as a coherent piece. She described the play as a piece of storytelling drama, as historically accurate as possible, based on real characters and events, and performed in different locations within the village.

The ‘umbrella’ title is Dore Tales and the sub-titles are Part One ‘Ecgbert and After’, Part Two ‘Masters and Men’, Part Three ‘Pillars of the Community’.

Caroline has produced a ‘framing device’ to link the three sections together and writes "In the old days of the Dore Feast, Feast Week began on the Sunday closest to 6th July (the date of our first performance).

There are records of a traveling fair coming to the village during Feast Week and setting up on a croft (which is now a garage) on Townhead Road. Our play begins when two traveling performers attached to the fair arrive with their wagon on the Town Green". They are, among other things, ballad singers and storytellers and they have with them a rag bag (inspired by one of Richard Furniss’ poems of that name), which contains a bizarre collection of objects conjuring up characters and stories from the past.

Of course King Ecgbert will appear and his emblem the Wyvern, a winged and two-legged monster has been adopted as the logo for Dore Tales.

Come and see for yourselves these fascinating stories as they unfold over the three days of Saturday 6th July, Wednesday 10th and Friday 12th.

More details will be publicised locally through posters and in the Dore Gala programme. In the meantime help is required at each play with stewarding, moving chairs etc. Whilst most parts are filled there is a need for a few more male actors, and we would welcome strolling musicians e.g. guitarists and fiddlers. If you are interested in lending a hand please contact Dore Millennium Play on 235 3801.

Of course this ambitious project would not have been possible without financial support. A grant was provided by the Local Heritage Initiative, a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency.

Brian Edwards

John Betjeman’s Dore

There can be few readers who have not come across poetry by John Betjeman during their lives.

But how many know that he refers to Dore in ‘An Edwardian Sunday’ published in his ‘Collected Poems’.

The relevant extract reads:-

         Serene on a Sunday
         The sun glitters hotly
         O’er mills that on Monday
         with engines will hum.
         By tramway excursion
         To Dore and to Totley
         In search of diversion
         The millworkers come......
		 

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