River Loxley

The River Loxley rises on Bradfield Moors, 16 kilometres north-west of Sheffield, where streams converge in Bradfield Dale before passing through Low Bradfield. It flows east through Damflask Reservoir, meets the Storrs Brook near Stannington and the River Rivelin at Malin Bridge, then joins the River Don at Owlerton in Hillsborough. The valley once carried the Great Sheffield Flood after the Dale Dyke Dam failed in March 1864, killing 250 people and destroying mills and businesses below. The river powered twenty-four mills, forges and cutlers’ wheels between Low Bradfield and the Don, descending eighty-five metres in under ten kilometres. Low Bradfield Corn Mill dates from 1219, rebuilt after the flood despite receiving only £3,505 of a £5,000 claim. Low Matlock Wheel, first mentioned in 1732, became a rolling mill with tilt hammers and forges, rebuilt in 1882 and still using water power until 1956. Today the upper valley holds Damflask Reservoir, built to maintain river flow after earlier leakage problems. Several weirs and dams remain along the course, and water wheels survive at Malin Bridge corn mill and Low Matlock rolling mill. The Environment Agency aims to restore the river’s ecological status by 2027, though chemical pollution from industrial compounds still affects the water.