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Abbeydale Industrial HamletAbbeydale Industrial Hamlet is an industrial museum in the south of the City of Sheffield, England. The museum is a former steel-working site on the River Sheaf, with a history going back to at least the 13th century. It consists of a number of dwellings and workshops that were formerly the Abbeydale Works—a scythe-making plant that was in operation until the 1930s—and is a remarkably complete example of the kind of works that were once common in the Sheffield area. It is Grade I listed and a scheduled ancient monument. History The site has been used for iron forging for 500 years, although there is evidence of other metal working prior to 1200 AD. Its early history is intimately tied with the nearby Beauchief Abbey, which operated a number of mills on the River Sheaf. From the 17th century the site was used as a scythe works until it closed in 1933. At this time it was bought by the J. G. Graves Trust who donated the site to the city. Following restoration it was opened as a museum in 1970. Sheffield City Council closed the museum in 1997 as a cost cutting measure. It was then leased to the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust who reopened the museum in 1998. The museum Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is run as a working museum, with works and buildings dating from between 1785 and 1840. The museum demonstrates the process making steel from iron and coke using techniques that originated with Benjamin Huntsman's invention of the crucible steel making process. The river provides water power via a water wheel. The wheel drives a tilt hammer for the initial forging of the scythe blades, and grinding machinery (which is also powered by steam). The blades are also hand forged. The museum is open to the public Sunday–Thursday between April and October. See also External links
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