Blackbrook Road Playing Field, Blackbrook Road, Lodge Moor, Sheffield.

The first Children’s Playground was erected by Sheffield City Council in the mid-1960’s, and consisted of swings, a roundabout, a slide, a rocking horse and a climbing frame. Because the climbing frame was in the form of a large spider, the local children quickly started to refer to the Playground as Spider Park. The name stuck. Over the years the equipment wore out, and, because of financial constraints, was removed but not replaced. It was a day for great sadness when the old spider was finally cut down, leaving only the swings and the slide.

In 1999 The Hallam Community & Youth Association decided to try and refurbish Spider Park as its Millennium Project. An appeal was made for funding, and in 2001 the Community Fund (National Lottery Charities Board) awarded a grant of £137,000 to the Association to allow the project to proceed.

The park was formally opened on 23rd March, 2002 by the Chairman of the Association, Mr. Alan Bone, in front of a massive crowd of over 500 local residents. Balloons and Badges with the Spider Park motif were given to all children in attendance. 

Although the playground itself was funded by the grant from the Community Fund, Hallam Community & Youth Association commissioned and paid for a wrought iron archway to welcome everyone to the playground. They also produced a small plaque to be displayed on the site, giving the history of Spider Park.

The new playground has been designed to cater for all ages. Within a fenced off area, safe from dogs and other animals, a wonderful range of equipment suitable for toddlers and juniors has been provided, including a large spider’s web climbing net erected over a picture of Webster, our playground’s guardian spider.

Outside of the fencing, there are football goals, a basketball apron with shooting net, and a teenage meeting area with modern seating accommodation.

The Association has leased the area of land from Sheffield City Council for a term of 15 years and will act as caretakers of the site. They hope to make other improvements, plant flowers etc, from time to time. Sheffield City Council will provide maintenance and insurance services.

Anyone with comments (good or bad) about the Park, or wishing to know more about it, and the Association's plans for further improvements, is invited to contact any member of our Committee.

We are keen to meet needs that are identified by people who use the park.   The Committee has discussed concerns about road safety at both entrances to the park.

An early need was for additional seating, and we now have the money, through fundraising and donations, for a picnic bench (or two).   We are very grateful for two new seats that have been donated - one, a memorial bench in the playground, and a bench at the top of the field donated by the South West Area Panel.

Finally, there are a number of local dog walkers and others who regularly clean litter from Spider Park and the field, and generally keep an eye on it, and we thank them most warmly for helping to maintain a safe and pleasant environment for everyone to use.

Website created by Tina Bell
as part of the Sheffield Community Information project