What's Stocksbridge like to live in?

[Skatiechik 10]

Originally posted by muddycoffee

Stocksbridge was basically a hulking great ugly steel works which is 4 miles long with houses dotted around it. At the far end is what looks like a colossal pig sty of a muddy field and called slag reduction company. I don't know how the air is at the moment but near the works you could never have hung out washing as it would be black.

 

It is an electric arc furnace

[tara 10]

ddolly i really think you should visit stocksbridge and not take to heart some of the bad comments about it .

mostly from people who have never lived there.

It is surrounded by countryside and despite that one area it is mainly quiet.

Stocksbridge doesnt just consist of manchester road.

If you like countryside then this is the place to be.

pubs are ok. theres around seven and some more next door in Deepcar.

Also one up the road in Bolsterstone.

Then about three to four minutes drive in to wharncliffe side there are some there too.

 

theres nice woods too. in stocksbridge.

Also theres the south Yorkshire forest at the bottom.

[Avalon 10]

Originally posted by tara

Yes i agree with Avalon.

Deepcar is the better of the two.

 

Im glad someone agrees! I was begining to think i was the only person who liked Stocksbridge!!

[muddycoffee 10]

I am really pleased some people have come on to defend the village. And while I have never lived there, I used to work in the steel works about 15 years ago, and enjoyed my time there and liked the people.

Originally posted by Skatiechik

It is an electric arc furnace

So I can confirm that it was a very large steel works (4 miles long, I still have a detailed site map) and not just an electric arc furnace. There were 4000 people working there when I was there and there were 2 standard electric arc furnaces I went inside them to repair some thermocouples. Also there were vacuum furnaces and other high temperature furnaces for melting steel down, and hundreds of annealing and other heat treating furnaces and ovens. There were rolling mills, stockyards, stainless division, chemical labs, scrap yards, training centre, etc.. etc..

 

For ten years My best mate has worked in a technology company based in the village, and they all call the locals The Pointyheads because they are just so strange. Every week he tells me of stupid things he has seen the local people doing, sometimes I get the impression he works in a circus.

[Skatiechik 10]

Originally posted by muddycoffee

I don't know how the air is at the moment but near the works you could never have hung out washing as it would be black.

 

Telling people what a place was like 15 years ago, doesn't mean it is exactly the same now does it?

 

Your first post read in so many words (well it is the way I read it) "Stocksbridge has a steel works and is belching out black smoke all time, you'll never be able to go outside and breathe fresh air or even hang your washing out" Which is so untrue!

 

The quality of air is probably far cleaner than you will ever find in the city centre.

[muddycoffee 10]

Originally posted by Skatiechik

Your first post read in so many words . . .

Yes I know. I used to visit, and work on the fume plant in the melting shop (no.4 melting shop - old name!), so I was always acutely aware of the air quality in the village. I arrived on my motorcycle, and the visor would need cleaning because of the dust on it. When the fume plant had a fault, often the air was so thick with dust that you felt as though you had a sore throat.

 

It's true that this was 15 years ago, there were 5 massive furnaces in a line in that huge filthy factory building. And a fume plant sucked it all in like a giant hoover with lots of filters on the roof.

I am not aware that they have closed down all the arc furnaces, so the system must be similar today.

[foo_fighter 10]

Originally posted by tara

...If you like countryside then this is the place to be...

I can think of much better places.

[sndrsc633 10]

STOCKSBRIDGE is fine, if you can get used to the noise from the steelworks on a night time!!! took me ages to get used to it but I belive the bit that makes all this noise is being knocked down, it will improve the area then cos it is a bit of an eyesore, although from my bedroom window I look on to Underbank reservoir which is very scenic.

[tara 10]

When i first moved up here I remember a local chap telling me that if id have moved here ten years ago then i wouldn't have been accepted, as the locals didnt take kindly to new people on their patch.(so to speak)

But he said its different now.

So i see what you mean muddycoffee about the strangeness 15 years ago.

I live on the Deepcar side but my postal address comes under Stocksbridge- dont know why.

But people are quite normal at my end anyway.

 

I can assure you though the higher you go up from manchester road the more beautiful it gets- scenery wise.

[Longcol 602]

"The Friendship" in Stocksbridge was probably the most misleading name ever given to a boozer.

 

If you were a stranger (ie not inbred) going in there in the 70's the whole pub used to go quiet and everyone would turn and look at you, just like the saloons in the old cowboy films.

[rothschild 10]

We moved to Deepcar 19 years ago but have since moved to Stocksbridge. Can't be as bad as some describe because we are still here. Ok......there used to be a noise problem. Firstly from the amount of traffic on the main road, but then they built the bypass. The steelworks used to make a noise, but I hardly hear any noise off them at night anymore.

The surrounding areas are breathtaking and we benefit from all the local wildlife. We have loads of birds in the garden.......hedgehogs and visiting foxes.

The shopping centre is good and is in the process of being re-developed right now. I see this area as very much on the "up". With the re-development of the redundant steel work premises will come much new housing. That in turn will attract new blood into the valley and I can visualise a situation where people will be queuing up to move out here. That in turn will cause a rise in housing prices............so if anybody is thinking about moving here.......now is the time to do it before it becomes unaffordable.

As for the people.........I personally have never had any problems about being excepted at all. I have allways found people to be friendly and welcoming. I suppose a lot depends on your own attitude to others. Of course there will be the few oddballs but that isn't solely down to any one area..........you will find them all over any city. I don't think that crime and youth nuisance is any worse here than anywhere else.........and in fact as somebody has allready pointed out, we now have community policing back again.

Somebody mentioned the local veg shop on Manchester road. Now that is the best veg shop ever and if you want a snapshot of local friendly people.........just go in there.

Whatever you decide Ddolly..........visit the area first and have a good drive around both Deepcar and Stocksbridge and all the surrounding countryside.

[neeeeeeeeeek 10]

I know someone who has a room in stockbridge in a nice house with all mod cons, off road parking and a garden. 45quid a week plus share of bills. Share with easy going young female owner. PM me for more info.