| Thorpe Hesley | |
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Thorpe Hesley
Thorpe Hesley shown within South Yorkshire |
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| Metropolitan borough | Rotherham |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan county | South Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ROTHERHAM |
| Postcode district | S61 |
| Dialling code | 0114 |
| Police | South Yorkshire |
| Fire | South Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament | Rotherham |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Thorpe Hesley is a suburb of Rotherham. It lies on the east side of the M1 motorway at junction 35. Described in the late 19th century 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.
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: "Escape From The Dark". The film was retitled for its release in the USA: "The Littlest Horse Thieves".
The BBC TV Series 'Play for Today' had a two part story titled 'The Price of Coal' filmed at the coliery on Wentworth Road, this mine has now been closed and demolished.
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 1970s 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.