# Engine house, Moss Valley, Sheffield, March 2015



## HughieD (Apr 3, 2015)

A nice easy rural explore this one. The objective of the trip – a 19th century engine house, with the added bonus of a World War 2 bunker. Here’s the history and background.

The Moss Valley was formerly an important centre for the grinding of scythes and sickles. The first Ironworks was set up at Foxstone Wood around 1640 and there where once eight water wheels along the river providing power for grinding stones for the production of flour, cutlery and tree saws, as well as scythes and sickles. The iron trade boomed so much so that by 1800 more iron nails were being made in near by Eckington than anywhere else in the world. Later the move from charcoal to coal for iron smelting led to a need for coal and by the early 19th century collieries had started to appear along with transport links to the Chesterfield Canal and the railway. In Ince Piece Wood can be found an engine house that dates back to between 1855 and 1875. It used to house a winding wheel for Plumbley Colliery. However by 1901 after several fatal accidents and the financial mismanagement the owner, John Rhodes, abandoned it. 
Further on from the engine house can be found a World War 2 air-raid shelter. It was for the benefit of workers in the woods who used to light lanterns to try and fool the Luftwaffe into drop their bombs on the woods rather than the nearby towns and villages.

OK…on with the pictures.

Here’s the engine house:


img8268 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8297 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8295 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8282 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8279 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8276 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8275 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8272 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8269 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And the World War II bunker:


img8310 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8299 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8301 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8304 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img8305 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!


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## flyboys90 (Apr 3, 2015)

Nice to see the chavs aint spoilt it and a bonus shelter! Great set thanks for sharing.


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## RichCooper (Apr 3, 2015)

Nice to see the decoys still in fair condition


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## HughieD (Apr 3, 2015)

flyboys90 said:


> Nice to see the chavs aint spoilt it and a bonus shelter! Great set thanks for sharing.



Cheers Flyboys...yeah, a refreshing lack of chav activity at the Shelter.


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## stu8fish (Apr 4, 2015)

Neat. I'd like to read more about decoy sites, suggestions?


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## krela (Apr 4, 2015)

How much more do you want to know? This is the definitive source but it's kinda hefty! Fascinating stuff though.

[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fields-Deception-Britains-Bombing-Decoys/dp/0413745708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428181179&sr=8-1&keywords=fields+of+deception[/ame]


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## Mikeymutt (Apr 4, 2015)

krela said:


> How much more do you want to know? This is the definitive source but it's kinda hefty! Fascinating stuff though.
> 
> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fields-Dece...428181179&sr=8-1&keywords=fields+of+deception



I have yet to get this book..I like my starfish and KQ decoys sites..so much secrecy surrounded them up till the 80's.


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## krela (Apr 4, 2015)

Mikeymutt said:


> I have yet to get this book..I like my starfish and KQ decoys sites..so much secrecy surrounded them up till the 80's.



The crazy thing is the whole decoy scheme was conceived and partially implemented in the space of 72 hours, then made permanent over the following fortnight or so.


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## Mikeymutt (Apr 4, 2015)

krela said:


> The crazy thing is the whole decoy scheme was conceived and partially implemented in the space of 72 hours, then made permanent over the following fortnight or so.



Now I never knew it was in that short a time..that is amazing..I think the original sites were just k sites..saved a lot of lives though.although they reckon the kq sites,the airfield decoys were so effective that friendly planes sometimes landed there,mistaking them for genuine airfields.the whole set up fascinates me,the things that had to be thought up so quickly for the defence of our country,pillboxes quickly constructed.trenches and traps..I could go on forever


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## HughieD (Apr 4, 2015)

Yup.....fascinating. Was at another decoy bunker today. Pictures coming soon...


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## Mikeymutt (Apr 4, 2015)

HughieD said:


> Yup.....fascinating. Was at another decoy bunker today. Pictures coming soon...


Look forward to seeing them mate..and sorry.love this post,some lovely shots,got carried away ha ha


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## HughieD (Apr 4, 2015)

Mikeymutt said:


> Look forward to seeing them mate..and sorry.love this post,some lovely shots,got carried away ha ha



Hey, not at all mate. Loving the discussion...


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## krela (Apr 5, 2015)

Mikeymutt said:


> Now I never knew it was in that short a time..that is amazing..I think the original sites were just k sites..saved a lot of lives though.although they reckon the kq sites,the airfield decoys were so effective that friendly planes sometimes landed there,mistaking them for genuine airfields.the whole set up fascinates me,the things that had to be thought up so quickly for the defence of our country,pillboxes quickly constructed.trenches and traps..I could go on forever



I agree, that's why it's my specialist subject. It's really the main thing I'm interested in and having covered two stoplines I''d love to explore the rest one day.  If you can get hold of them all three of Colin Dobson's books are excellent (decoy sites, AA sites and radar sites), but they were short print runs and can be incredibly expensive to buy now. Hopefully English Heritage might do another print run soon.


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## RichCooper (Apr 5, 2015)

The decoy one was reprinted last year so fingers crossed


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## UrbanX (Apr 9, 2015)

What a peculiar looking building, fantastic light in there. 
Thanks for sharing


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