Bolsterstone is a lovely little picturesque Village that lies approximately 10 miles to the North West of Sheffield City Centre. It is located at the top of a hill at almost 1,000 feet above Sea Level and has splendid views across two different Valleys.
Bolsterstone occupies an enviable location situated on the edge of heather clad moorland. The boundary of the Peak District National Park runs along Heads Lane on the Southern edge of Bolsterstone.
The town of Stocksbridge, now incorporated within the City of Sheffield lies to its North and this occupies the Eastern Valley below. The neighbouring Villages of Bradfield, Midhopestones, and Wharncliffe Side all occupy the Valley to the West. These Villages however belong to the Parish of Bradfield. Whilst Bolsterstone comes under the jurisdiction of Stocksbridge.
The Village of Bolsterstone has a history that goes back much further that of Stocksbridge, which is now the dominant settlement in this area.
It is known that there was an Anglo Saxon settlement here and the Village also lies on one of the main Salt trading routes between
Yorkshire and Cheshire.
There are several theories regarding how Bolsterstone derived its name. One of the more plausible ones being that it was from a corruption of the name Walder. Walder was a local Saxon Chief that was prominent in this area and there is a mound of earth to the South East of the Village that is called Walder's Low. Another possibility is that its name come from two large Stones (or Boulders) that are now located in the Churchyard. The locals generally refer to these as the "Bolster Stones."
For such a small Village there is a surprisingly lot to see and do. The best way to explore the place is definitely on foot and I would suggest that you start at the Village Hall right in the middle of the Village. There is a board located outside the Village Hall that shows the route of a Heritage Trail that start from here.
This Heritage Trail takes you past the Church and Churchyard with its "Bolster Stones" as well as some Medieval Stocks and Whipping Post in the Village Square. From here you go onto the Lych Gate, the Jubilee Tree, the Porter's Lodge and the Village's oldest building the Castle College.
This walk is only short and will take no more than 20 minutes to complete. It is a relatively flat route but some of the footpaths are narrow and can get messy during or after bad weather. There are information boards outside all of the key points along the route giving a detailed description of it.
There is an area within the Village that is referred to by the locals as the "Castle." Whilst there is nothing here now other than open land it is thought that a large Manor House owned by the Earl of Shrewsbury once occupied this spot. It is also thought that the name "Castle" may have remained in local folklore and could refer to some kind of fortification that may have stood here.
There is a letter held in the Sheffield Archives written by Gilbert, the Earl of Shrewsbury to his Brother in law, John Manners. This letter is dated 17th August 1587 and proves that the Earl certainly spent some time in Bolsterstone. In this letter he writes, "I have come here to Bolsterstone to try to see if a change of air will ease my gout".
Also held in the Sheffield Archives is a letter from Captain Adam Eyre, a prominent Gentleman, from 1627. In this letter he writes that he came to Bolsterstone to play Bowls. This was probably on the level area of grassland known as Court Fields. He also adds that although he lost the game he did have Dinner and spent 4d on Ale. This would suggest that there was some kind of Inn in the Village even back then, although this date pre-dates the origin of Bolsterstone's only current Public House, the Castle Inn by over a century.
St Mary's Church is the most prominent feature of the Village of Bolsterstone. It stands on elevated ground above the Village and can therefore be seen from many miles around. This current Church dates only from 1879 but stands on a site that has been used as a place of Worship for many centuries.
Historical records show that there was a small ancient Chapel on this site that was in a bad state of repair by the mid 1700's. Consequently this Chapel was demolished in 1790 and a rather plain looking Church was built in its place. In 1879 this was replaced by the present Church in 1879.
Bolsterstone may have had several Churches but it has also had several different Schools as well. The Village's first School was a purpose built School known as the Free School. This was built in 1686 and has now been converted into Living Apartments.
In 1852 Bolsterstone National School, colloquially known as the Bolsterstone Church School was built. Since Lessons here had to be paid for it was not as popular as the Free School. In 1886 these two Schools merged with the Free School being used for Infants and the new School for older Pupils. This School was in use until 1992 when it finally closed after much local protests.
In the year following the closure of the Village School the local residents turned into the Village Hall to ensure that the building was preserved and not demolished. At the same time this same group of residents also took control of the Court Fields and turned them into a Public Recreational Area.
Today Bolsterstone is still a very close knit community where everyone knows each other (and their business) but it most famous now for its Choir. This is known as the Bolsterstone Male Voice Choir. This was founded in 1934 and has since become World famous, winning the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2002.
If you are ever in the area I would definitely recommend a visit to Bolsterstone. It is easily accessible by Bus and Car. The number 58 Bus runs from the main Sheffield Interchange every hour.
By Car it is most easily approached from Junction 36 of the M1 Motorway. From here take the A616 sign-posted Manchester and after about 2 miles watch out for a left hand minor Road that is sign-posted Bolsterstone.
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