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Whirlow
Whirlowdale Road, Whirlow Park Road and surrounding roads are the hunting ground for those looking for a modern mansion rather than a mere house. Whirlow
is chock-a-block with individual detached properties. From ranch-style
to mock castle and Elizabethan fantasy, they are all to be found on the
leafy streets of Whirlow. Some Whirlow properties are
adorned with towers and other architectural one-offs. Generously
proportioned gardens surround most of Whirlow’s homes and they are screened from the road by walls and gates.
Situated on the southwestern edge of Sheffield, Whirlow centres on the distinctly upmarket Whirlowdale Road. As well as being close to the Peak District, Whirlow
borders Ecclesall Wood to the east and is extremely green in itself,
with two parks and a city farm. It is very much a residential area and
there are few shops or restaurants in the immediate vicinity, though
the amenities of both Ecclesall Road (including the Hunter’s Bar area,
with its numerous boutiques and eateries) and Abbeydale Road are within
striking distance. The eastern end of Whirlowdale Road, past Ecclesall
Wood, emerges conveniently close to the large Tesco off Abbeydale Road.
Whirlow falls within the S11 postcode. In Sheffield postcodes can, however, be misleading. Well-heeled Whirlow is a world away from a more central S11 postal district like Sharrow.
The burglary rate is below the Sheffield average, although many Whirlow properties are, sensibly enough, well protected with alarm systems. Whirlow’s streets are quiet and generally safe.
Whirlow’s
state primary school, Dobcroft Junior, is rated by Ofsted as very good.
Silverdale, one of the local secondary schools, has very good results
at GCSE. Abbeydale Grange, the other secondary school, has a more mixed
intake and performs less well. Several high-achieving private schools
in western Sheffield are also within easy reach of Whirlow.
Whirlowbrook
Hall stands in stunning rolling grounds, with trees, flowers and ponds,
that now form Whirlowbrook Park. The house was built in 1906 by Sir
Walter Benton-Jones, a Sheffield industrialist, and hosts a smart
little café open daily in summer.
Whirlow’s
residents are mainly wealthy couples and families. Designer labels –
those Luis Vuitton bags and Prada shades - are par for the course here.
It could almost classify as the “Footballers Wives” territory of
Sheffield. Yet, apart from the odd shiny Mercedes or Range Rover
Sport gliding by, there is often little visibly going on in Whirlow, apart from gardeners sprucing up their clients’ grounds.
Hunter’s
Bar is a five-minute drive away down Ecclesall Road; Sheffield’s city
centre is ten to 15 minutes’ drive, depending on traffic. Buses are
also available on this route into town. Dore BR station is a short
drive away on the southern.
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