Thorpe Hesley

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Thorpe Hesley
Thorpe Hesley shown within South Yorkshire
Metropolitan borough	Rotherham
Metropolitan county	South Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ROTHERHAM
Postcode district	S61
Dialling code	0114
Police	South Yorkshire
Fire	South Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
European Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Rotherham
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Coordinates: 53°27′N 1°26′W / 53.45, -1.44

Thorpe Hesley is a village in the metropolitan borough of Rotherham. People who live in the village have been referred to as "Muttontowners" due to the fact that rustled sheep were hidden in babies cradles in the village to conceal them from the local constabulary. It lies on the east side of the M1 motorway at junction 35. Described in the late 1800s as an old village 6 miles from Sheffield, it was noted for the manufacture of nails. It lies in the township of Wentworth, except a small part which is in Kimberworth township. It has a church, built in 1837 chiefly at the cost of Earl Fitzwilliam and the Earl of Effingham.

A new community centre was built in 2007, following the design of the old school and the old community centre knocked down, it was then replaced with a car park serving Thorpe Hesley trinity church and the community centre.^[clarify]

[edit] Claim to Fame

John Wesley spent some time in the village where he preached. He lodged at Barley Hall (now demolished).

Older residents and families in Thorpe Hesley, will remember that a Walt Disney film was produced in the village;

"The Littlest Horse Thieves aka Escape from the Dark"

[edit] Coal Mines

Coal has been mined in and around the area of Thorpe Hesley for at least 800 years. Monks from the Cistercian Abbey of Kirkstead, in Lincolnshire had forges and other property in this part of the country and mined coal and ironstone locally. Thorpe Hesley had the distinction of having two modern day coal mines. Both were closed in the 1970's and have been completely demolished. The land surrounding the area of the Barley Hall site has been landscaped and is now a small nature reserve.