It is a middle class residential area[2] in an elevated position above the Porter and Rivelin valleys and stands at around 660 feet (200 m) above sea level.

[3][4][5] The area of Crosspool is a fairly recent creation and, unlike some Sheffield suburbs, does not have any ancient history as a village stretching back over the centuries.

W. Fairbank's “Map of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York” published in 1795 shows it as a thinly populated unnamed area sprinkled with a few buildings.

[7][8] Crosspool is a suburb with vague boundaries; it merges with the adjacent neighbourhoods of Crookes, Fulwood and Ranmoor and has sub-districts within it such as Tapton Hill, Sandygate and Hallam Head.

Another pub, the "Hallamshire Hotel" on Lydgate Lane was demolished in the summer of 2011 and has been replaced by four houses, two apartments and a detached garage block.

Tapton Hall, a Grade II listed building is situated on Shore Lane, it was built in 1855 and has been the home of the industrialist Edward Vickers and the snuff mill owner George Wilson; today it is a conference and banqueting centre which is licensed to conduct weddings.

Because of the pressure from housing developers present day Crosspool has been left with very few open spaces for recreation with the small park/play area on the north side of Lydgate Lane being created on re-claimed land when an extensive quarry was filled in the first half of the 20th century.

A prominent landmark, also on Lydgate Lane, is the Crosspool transmitter, officially known as the Tapton Hill transmitting station, which stands on the site of a covered reservoir and is well seen from many parts of Sheffield.

The 57-metre-high mast takes advantage of Crosspool's elevated position to provide TV pictures and radio signals for Sheffield by the “line of sight” method.

[15] Sebastian Coe, the Olympic Games gold medal winning middle distance runner, was brought up in Crosspool, attending Tapton School and being a member of Hallamshire Harriers.