Frecheville is a suburb south-east of Sheffield’s city centre. The estate was built in the 1930s when the area was in Derbyshire. However, due to expansion, Frecheville and a number of surrounding villages became part of the city of Sheffield in 1967 and thus the West Riding of Yorkshire. History Frecheville was built as a housing estate to the north of Birley Estate developed in the 1930s by Henry Boot Limited. The firm constructed around 1,600 private houses, mainly traditional brick built 2 or 3 bedroom semi-detached family homes for rent and gave the Frecheville estate its name. A local pub's signboard shows the coat of arms of the Frecheville family, who were lords of the manor at Staveley but there is no evidence that the Frechevilles ever owned land on Birley Moor, so the name given to Frecheville remains something of a mystery. Prior to the 1940s, Birley Collieries provided employment to much of the surrounding area. The site of the colliery was later transformed into the Shire Brook Valley Local Nature Reserve at Normanton Spring. On Thursday 26 May 1955 a Gloster Meteor F8 (No. WE916) piloted by 21-year-old John Alexander Cohen from Cardiff on a night flight training exercise from RAF Worksop crashed in Frecheville when he apparently lost control whilst undertaking a controlled descent through cloud. The plane came in low over Stradbroke Road and the pilot was killed instantly as the plane dived steeply into the ground and exploded on impact in the field at the bottom of Silkstone Crescent at 11.22 pm. There was speculation at the time that he had deliberately stayed with the plane to steer away from the houses and into an open area. A memorial stone was placed in the garden at the top of the footpath down to the housing estate but it has since been removed. Amenities Frecheville features a shopping area along Birley Moor Road, known locally as 'Frecheville Shops'. There are a number of public houses including The Birley (formerly the Birley hotel), The Sherwood, and the Jack in a Box located to the south. Another pub, named The Frecheville, once operated to the west of the area, however this has since closed. Frecheville Pond, a popular fishing site is located behind the main shopping area, close to the parish church of St. Cyprians, and the Methodist church. A library and community centre were also situated