When this area of South Elmsall was first mapped, with the 1854 Ordnance Survey map, what is now known as Ash Grove was known as Back Lane and was much shorter in length than it is today. From it’s junction with what is now High Street, Back Lane lead over fields a short distance, towards the north west. This junction with High Street was known as Old Hill, in 1854, and today Old Hill forms part of Upper Ash Grove. Old Hill was the location of another pump and was a built up area.

However, not all locals knew of Back Lane as such. In January 1922 the belongings of the late Joseph Wiley Esq. of Ash Grove were auctioned, as advertised in the the Yorkshire Post that month. In October of 1923 the South Yorkshire Times named their local South Elmsall correspondent as being Cyril Bewley, of 23 Ash Grove. The same address was used by a number of correspondents for the newspaper for many years. In June 1925 the wedding of William Athron, son of Mr and Mrs Athron of Ash Grove, was noted in the Penistone, Stocksbridge and Hoyland Express. In less joyful news, in December 1927 an inquest found that the death of eighteen year old John Leslie Allen, of Ash Grove, whilst playing rugby at Wakefield Grammar School, had been a tragic accident.

This short selection of mentions of Ash Grove in the archives is clarified when in August 1929 a South Elmsall local resident wrote a letter, published in the South Yorkshire Times which gave a curious insight into the confusion regarding Back Lane and Ash Grove. At this time the Northcroft estate was under construction and Back Lane was still not much more than a dirt track. However, at this time a new initiative was underway to add street signs, or plaques, to aid people in navigating the area. The letter writer bemoaned the fact that Back Lane had been given a sign, and argued that although they were aware that the lane was named as Back Lane on Ordnance Survey maps, they argued that locals preferred to use Ash Grove. As the unknown resident stated, “Ash Grove is certainly more picturesque and poetic.”

The Ordnance Survey map of 1930 shows that the locals got their wish, Back Lane was indeed renamed to Ash Grove. Despite this change, in July 1932 plots of land on Ash Grove were still being sold at auction, for development for housing and were being advertised in the South Yorkshire Times as being on Back Lane! Perhaps they never got the memo?