Stairfoot

Stairfoot is a ward[1] in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It is perhaps so named because it lies at the bottom of a valley in between the undulations of two small hills on the old road from Barnsley to Doncaster. Stairfoot is surrounded by the villages of Kendray and Ardsley.[2]

Stairfoot

A row of shops on Doncaster Road
Stairfoot
Location within South Yorkshire
Population11,510 (ward.2011)
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBARNSLEY
Postcode districtS70
Dialling code01226
PoliceSouth Yorkshire
FireSouth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament

Stairfoot is known widely throughout South Yorkshire for its roundabout. Controlled by traffic signals, it is notorious for its delays to the local traffic system[3] and has inspired a local song.[4] The ward used to have its own railway station, but this closed in 1957 due to competition from local buses.

The area supports over 300 businesses,[1] including retail outlets such as McDonald's, Dunelm Mill and Tesco, along with various restaurants and convenience stores.

The Trans Pennine Trail also passes through Stairfoot using the old railway bridges which cross the roads leading to the roundabout, and the old railway bedding which has been mainly tarmacked. It is suitable for cyclists, pushchairs and wheelchair users, and some parts are open to horse riding.

Hope Glass Works

In 1867, Ben Rylands founded the Hope Glass Works at Stairfoot on what is now derelict land alongside the Aldi supermarket. During 1873, Rylands was heavily involved in perfecting the manufacture process for Hiram Codd's new globe-stoppered mineral water bottle.[5] Codd rewarded him with a licence to manufacture the bottle in April 1874 and the business took off. Orders for the new bottle were so good that Rylands could not meet demand from his original works, so work was commenced on a second factory on land that was occupied by Beatson Clark.[6][7] Hiram Codd joined Ben Rylands in partnership at Stairfoot in May 1877.

In 1881, after four years together, Ben died leaving Codd to carry on the business alone. In 1882 Codd admitted Ben's son, Dan Rylands as a business partner.[8] Dan Rylands took over the partnership after his father's death but this new alliance was doomed to failure, even though in 1882 they patented 'the crystal' (valve codd). On October 6, 1884, probably resenting the young Rylands inventive intrusion, Hiram Codd allowed his partner to buy him out of the business and left to pursue other interests. The Hope Glass Works under the stewardship of Dan Rylands was now the largest factory of its kind in the world.

References
  1. "Stairfoot". Barnsley Council Online. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  2. Heald, Tony; Chance, Michael (2008). Ardsley & Stairfoot revisited : a photographic record. Wadhurst: Greenman Enterprise. ISBN 978-0-9545-8029-2.
  3. Cotton, Mike (18 July 2014). "Stairfoot roundabout to be overhauled". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  4. Cherry, Dave (2012). "Stairfoot Rounabout (Live version)". Youtube.com. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  5. "An act of Codd". Bottlebooks.com. Digger Odell Publications. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  6. Kangsanant, V. (1973). A Study of Shift Workers at Stairfoot Works, Beatson Clark & Co. Ltd. University of Sheffield.
  7. "Glass's sparkling past". The Star. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  8. Robinson, Andrew (22 January 2015). "In Barnsley, where there's muck, there's glass". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 9 May 2015.

Media related to Stairfoot at Wikimedia Commons


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