Plumber in Walkley, Sheffield

Walkley's Victorian terraces were built plot by plot by freehold land societies from the 1840s, so no two rows are quite the same underneath. Plumbing jobs here often involve shared supply pipes, back yard drains on steep slopes and cellar stop taps. A local plumber can trace the pipe, fix it and tell you who owns it.

Sheffield, photo for illustration

Homes in Walkley

Walkley was built up from 1848 onwards by freehold land societies, which bought land and sold plots so working people could own a house. The Freedom Hill Land Society formed here in 1851. The result is a patchwork of stone and brick terraces, short rows and odd single houses along streets such as South Road, Heavygate Road, Freedom Road and Industry Street, many with long gardens behind. Most have cellars. Supply pipes and drains were laid row by row, so shared pipes and unusual routes are common.

Steep streets and shared pipes

Walkley is uphill from almost every direction, and its streets drop steeply into the Rivelin valley. On a slope, drains and supply pipes do not always run where you would expect. A supply pipe might come in from the street above and cross a neighbour's garden. A back yard drain might serve the whole row before it reaches the sewer.

Yorkshire Water's supply pipe leaks page explains that older homes may share a supply pipe, and owners of a shared pipe are jointly responsible for it. It will tell you whether your supply is shared if you ask. For drains, a pipe shared with neighbours or running outside your boundary has been the water company's responsibility since October 2011. If two houses in your row are blocked at once, call Yorkshire Water first.

Soft water and old pipework

Walkley is in Yorkshire Water's Fulwood supply zone. Its 2025 report averages 9.5 mg/l calcium, which is very soft. Much of this water comes from the Rivelin reservoirs and treatment works just up the valley.

Soft water means kettles stay clean and combi boilers rarely scale up. But the Drinking Water Inspectorate notes that soft water can be more corrosive to pipework, and many Walkley houses still have old lead supply pipes or early copper. Yorkshire Water says homes built before 1970 may have lead pipes, and it will test your water free. If the result is high and your pipe is lead, it replaces its section in the street when you replace yours.

The jobs we expect most in Walkley are leaks in cellars, slow drains in back yards, weak showers at the top of the hill and old boilers in small kitchens being swapped for combis.

Before you call in Walkley

If water is escaping, go to the cellar and turn off the stop tap on the front wall. If it will not turn or does not stop the water, the leak may be on a shared pipe, so try the outside stop tap or ask the neighbours. Open the cold taps to drain the pipes.

If a drain is backing up, look at the shared manhole if it is safe to lift. If it is full, the blockage is further down the shared run and Yorkshire Water should clear it. If it is empty, the blockage is between your house and the manhole.