Why is Hunters Bar called Hunters Bar?

Just interested to know if anyone knows the reason behind Hunters Bar having it's name...? Anybody?

Not sure about this, but I think there was a toll house there where travellers had to stop to pay a toll to use the road - I seem to think the 'bar' was (or still is) in the middle of the traffic island. Hunter maybe the name of the tollkeeper (or whatever the right name is for someone who collects tolls) - I'm sure there must be someone who'll confirm this or come up with another explanation

Hunter's Bar is a suburb of Sheffield, named so because of the toll gate (bar) that used to be in effect on Ecclesall Road, in the late 19th Century, which now resides on Hunter's Bar roundabout. The district includes a large park, and Hunters Bar Infant and Junior Schools, as well as many shops, restaurants and off-licenses.

Same thing with Wakefield, where I'm from.

Eastgate, Westgate, all down to where there were gates and bars into the town. And thats not drinking bars!

It was a toll bar/toll gate on the Sheffield to Chapel-en-le-Frith turnpike road close by an old house called Hunter's House which later became a hotel.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s16140

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s16162

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=u02625

Hunter House Hotel, No 685-691, Ecclesall Road. Built 1700s as a three-storey stone house. Plain front with three windows. Past owners include the Hunter family.

Similar thing in York, the gates through the city walls are called bars, Micklegate Bar, Monk Bar, Bootham Bar.

Isn't the 'original' gate still on the roundabout?

It is - and I know some people who "kidnapped" it for a few days during rag week when I was at University. It spent a few days in someone's back yard. Strangely, the Police spotted it over the yard wall and gently suggested that it be taken back!

One reason the original bar itself might have been placed on the traffic island is that that is , more or less , its original site . I know the entrance to the park , up to about the 1960's [ ?] was much , " further out " i.e. , about where the island is now . Obviously , the powers-that-be decided that Ecclesall Road and Brocco Bank needed widening at the junction and so the park lost some space .

I think on old photographs , the tram-lines are shown exactly where you'd expect them to be i.e going up [and down] the middle of Ecclesall Road . Then they went straight across the junction and naturally passed the Hunter House hotel on the left . I think as you wnt up the tram-lines , there was a house on the right , where the island is now , and that's where the man lived who collected the tolls .

The photograph I saw was dated 1905 and I often used to think that one of the little lads depicted in the photograph could have been my father , who was born very near Hunter's Bar in 1899 .

Isn't the 'original' gate still on the roundabout?

The original gateposts are, I think the gate is a replica.

dont ask the artic monkeys

they dont know the distance but they are sure its far!

the ZC

The photograph I saw was dated 1905 and I often used to think that one of the little lads depicted in the photograph could have been my father , who was born very near Hunter's Bar in 1899 .

Some more photos

This is the only late view of the toll house I can find looking up Ecclesall road, - Hunters House can be seen on the left and beyond it the chimneys of houses at the back of it (probably Hunter House road) which suggests a date of 1880s. Tolls weren't collected after October 1884.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s16163

I think the Toll house was demolished when Ecclesall road was widened to accomodate the tram. Nothing to be seen of the old toll house in 1900 -

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s17478

the gateposts were used at the entrance to Endcliffe Park for many years and can be seen in this photo

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s11180

which is very much as I remember in the 40s/50s.