Project: TINSLEY TIME AND TRAVEL
Tinsley's heritage group is aiming to bring together the new community of Tinsley – through their shared history - in the way that its pub and religious buildings once did.
In recent years, Tinsley has been portrayed negatively within the press with reports of the area possessing one of the poorest air pollution rates as a result of the M1 being so close to residents. Walking down the main high street, locals reminisce about the school, place of worship and pubs that once lined the pavement. Other issues affecting its community are high unemployment rates and deprivation.
But as its history has proven, Tinsley's community is resilient through change which can be demonstrated today by its local history group who are picking up the slack that these amenities once held responsible.
Tinsley Time and Travel project is the second of its kind, set up and led by Sally Rodgers from Heeley Community Farm. The project is based around nine heritage milestones in Tinsley’s past.
From the Bronze Age right up to the 1970’s, the milestones allow members of the local community to take part in uncovering parts of history that have never been discovered before. The group plays an active role in the community by hosting events, talks and opportunities where those with an interest in history can learn how to handle ancient artefacts and conduct archaeological excavations.
Families were invited to learn about Tinsley's lost railway stations at the Family Arts Day hosted by the group during the Easter holidays:
Where it all began...
It all began when teachers at Tinsley Junior School discovered Tinsley Manor Farm was buried underneath their classrooms. With backing form the Heritage Lottery Fund and Wessex Archaeology, the team conducted an excavation in 2014 which uncovered the farm that was demolished in the 1960’s to make way for the new school. As the demolition was prevalent in the living-memory of some local residents, the community were able to come together with archaeological experts to carry out the project.
The second project takes a focus on the ways in which travel and transportation in Tinsley has adapted over time. The area's geography takes up a large focus of the project as this has largely shaped the characteristics of the economic, social and population changes of the past.
Bookie, parent to five-year-old-lego enthusiast, Eddie who attended the Family Arts Day said, "There are very few events like this around here. It's great to be able to bring my son along, to socialise wth other local children and learn interesting and positive things about where he is growing up. I've really enjoyed the event."
Key areas of historical interest in Tinsley
Interact with the map below to find out what Tinsley heritage group has discovered in pinned areas.
A timeline of Tinsley's history
The most recent discovery: Medieval Court rolls.
The project also supports Richard Gilbert a PHD student from the University of Sheffield who is currently looking at official Court documents dating back to 1290's about the way people once lived in Tinsley.
Richard’s expertise in Medieval Latin has been essential to discovering more about people living in Tinsley between the 14th and 15th Century which is where the bulk of the information lays.
"My job is made easier by having interested, local people with expert place knowledge to help me with my findings." Richard says,
“Having a Heritage group like this one is essential to finding and keeping local history alive. It is rare to find documents containing such localised information that date this far back. That’s thanks to local people having an interest in history that they have managed to survive right up until today. That and the preserving animal-skin parchment that the information is written on!”
The court rolls give an insight into just how important the landscape and environment was at this time. Lots of the punishments and fines are down to the way people looked after their environment. For example, landowners were fined for not keeping nose rings on their pigs – which prevented them from destroying borders and hedges - and therefore taking heed on their neighbour’s growing capacity. Back then, the physical environment place in Tinsley drew people together as a community and today their combined history draws people together in the very same way.
This is just one of the many exciting projects that is ongoing thanks to Tinsley's heritage group.
