Birley ward — which includes the districts of Base Green, Birley Estate, Charnock, Frecheville, Scowerdons and part of Hackenthorpe — is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the southeastern part of the city and covers an area of 5.1 km2. The population of this ward in 2011 was 16,943 people in 7,393 households. It is one of the five wards that make up the Sheffield Attercliffe constituency. Birley Estate is a housing estate in the southeastern part of Sheffield. It is built on what was Birley Moor just to the north of the small hamlet of Birley. Birley Spa to the northeast was a hotel and spa built in 1842 around a spring of mineral water. The building was restored in 2001/02 and is Grade II listed.
Base Green
Base Green is a housing estate to the west of Birley and east of Gleadless. It is built on the land that was formerly Basegreen Farm, with the remains of an old orchard still evident within the playing fields of what is now Jaunty Park. What was Base Green Junior School, for pupils in between Frecheville Infant School and Frecheville Comprehensive School, is now housing. Quarry Vale Road and Quarry Vale Grove sit behind what was once a quarry, along the ancient border of the Shire Brook. The hill above Quarry Vale Road and Quarry Vale Grove used to be Frecheville Comprehensive School and its extensive school fields, where Manchester United footballer George Best once filmed a series of short football programmes for BBC TV.
Charnock
Charnock is a housing estate to the south of Basegreen. The estate was built on the former Charnockhall Farm which stood where Farm Close is today.
Charnock Hall Primary School is a primary school which currently educates around 400 pupils, aged 5–11. The report of the Ofsted inspection, in June 2010, assessed the school as being Good, point two on a four-point scale. The school has the Healthy Schools Award, the Artsmark Silver, and the Green Flag Award.
Charnock Recreation Grounds
Situated on Carter Hall Lane, and next to Charnock Hall Primary School, The Charnock Recreation grounds is a large community park. In January 2006, The Friends of Charnock Recreation Grounds group was launched. Through the work of the group, the park has been subjected to a range of improvements including the addition of new playground equipment, a running track, and outdoor gym equipment.
Frecheville
Origins
Frecheville is a housing estate to the north of Birley Estate developed in the 1930s by Henry Boot Limited. The firm constructed around 1,600 private houses, mainly traditional brick built 2 or 3 bedroom semi-detached family homes for rent and gave the Frecheville estate its name. A local pub's signboard shows the coat of arms of the Frecheville family, who were lords of the manor at Staveley but there is no evidence that the Frechevilles ever owned land on Birley Moor, so the name given to Frecheville remains something of a mystery. Frecheville was historically in Derbyshire, until 1967. Frecheville is home to the well-known Frecheville Pond, with ducks, swans, and fishing, and also houses the parish church, library, and community centre provided for the neighbourhood by the builder which still has an active forum, and has run the Frecheville carnival every year between 1937 and 2006 with the exception of during the war years. The majority of homes on the estate are now owner-occupied after being handed over to residents in the 1950s.
1955 RAF Crash
On Thursday 26 May 1955 a Gloster Meteor F8 piloted by 21-year-old John Alexander Cohen from Cardiff on a night flight training exercise from RAF Worksop crashed in Frecheville when he apparently lost control whilst undertaking a controlled descent through cloud. The plane came in low over Stradbroke Road and the pilot was killed instantly as the plane dived steeply into the ground and exploded on impact in the field at the bottom of Silkstone Crescent at 11.22 pm. There was speculation at the time that he had deliberately stayed with the plane to steer away from the houses and into an open area. A memorial stone was placed in the garden at the top of the footpath down to the housing estate but it has since been removed.
Famous Inhabitants
Ex-Sheffield United football managerNeil Warnock was born on Youlgreave Drive in Frecheville Sheffield. Coronation Street actor Ian Reddington also grew up on Youlgreave Drive in Frecheville Sheffield. Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall of The Human League both attended Frecheville Comprehensive School. Mark Pearson who went on to play for Manchester United attended Frecheville Comprehensive School. Wayne Furniss of Pulp attended Frecheville Comprehensive School, while lead singer Jarvis Cocker of Pulp grew up in neighbouring Intake. Crime Novelist Simon Beckett attended Frecheville Comprehensive School. 1970s History Teacher and Head of Sixth Form at Frecheville Comprehensive Alan Farmer went on to teacher training in Lancaster, before writing dozens of definitive history text books, with a special interest in the United States Civil War.
Hackenthorpe
Most of Hackenthorpe is in the Beighton ward. The significant historic site here is Birley Spa.
