Question from Gary
webmaster January 2006
I
have a
photograph of Barnsley Road
Brierley which I am informed is dated 1934, but it says on it Shafton
Lane, could this be a mistake by the photographer or was Barnsley Road
called Shafton Lane at any time? Also how can I verify the date? I will
enclose the photograph for your inspection.
Reply
from Richard
The
old name for Barnsley Road here was Oak Tree Lane. By the
Three Horse
Shoes
it was Cross Hill from a stone cross that once stood near there.
On towards Hemsworth the road was called Brighty Lane. So someone made
up the name Shafton Lane on this photograph. Regarding the date, the
photo said about 1910 to me due to its style, but it is only a guess.
Adding tar macadam to the surface of roads started in the late 1800s
and was completed on main roads by the 1930s.1890 to 1914 was the golden
era for this kind of photo. The houses on the photo you have sent me
were built after a survey made in 1906/7. Houses (Mackay Crescent) near
Mackey Lane built about 1930 are not on the photo but the terrace just
past them is. The best way to date buildings is to note date stones on
similar ones and learn the architectural periods.
Park estate
Brierley
is in the style of 1920/30. Living memory is a good starting point but
must be treated with caution.
Further to the above, I have just found
the houses on your Shafton Lane photo on a map dated 1919.
