Old Photos For No Reason Whatsoever

[corkysbeard]

That was off School Street wasn’t it?

Bottom of Duke street next to Tony's chippy and the embassy court flats.

 

[corkysbeard]

Yes, it's the nets we played football in.

That's just before my time,because we used to play football in the school playground,before they had the rubber floor and floodlights fitted and when they got fitted it fantastic,we used to play parkhill v bard street...

 

[BushBlade]

Now that's what I call an open-top bus (Blades 1899)
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Wilder would definitely have fallen off that.

 

[bromtom]

I think Sheffield has lost a lot of ground over the years on similar sized cities. But it's still a wonderful place to live, if you can afford to live in a nice area. And the thing that has held Sheffield back most, i.e. the parochial nature of the people, is one its charms!

I don't live in a nice area, but it's still great. My life isn't in immediate danger from fellow residents or anything but there's a lot of weed merchants and speeding on the top road from the yoofs, but the area is great. As I get older I appreciate being surrounded by woods and fields a lot more. Could never live in a city centre.

Even my local shop, one of those little precincts, is lined by trees, hillocks and a stream.

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

That's the first time I've heard anyone give any sort of rationale as to why Sheffield developed as it did and I really enjoyed reading that - thank you. I am just about old enough to remember it as a mucky city in the early to mid 1960's. By the time I reached teenage years though we had all this modern stuff, like "hole in't road" (with the fish tank of course) and escalators in the street! And Sheffield did have a modern, progressive vibe to it.

I thought it was great as a teenager and it's only in later years that I began to feel that it was dying off and falling behind other cities. When I started work in the early 1970's the city had about half a dozen big department stores, Robert Brothers, Schofield's, Paulden's (later Debenhams), John Walsh (later "Rackhams then "House of Fraser"), Atkinson's and Cole Brothers. The Castle Market end of town was buzzing with shoppers. My mother never liked Sheffield for shopping because she said it was "too spread out" - citing the distance for example from the Castle Market to the end of the Moor. Well, that little problem has solved itself over the years as the Castle Market area has died and fallen off like a necrotic limb and the city centre has moved to Barker's Pool.

I didn't like the "eggbox" and a lot of the modernist culture that followed, but I can understand your old fella's perspective on this if he'd lived through the grimy past - it must have been like someone opening the curtains and letting the sunshine in.

I spent quite a lot of time in and around Leeds during the summer holidays, in the late 60's and early 70's. I agree with you that Sheffield appeared to have stolen a march on Leeds back then with it's progressive, modernist culture. Leeds had one obvious advantage though - the airport at Yeadon - which has been one very good reason why the city has benefited from attracting commerce. The thing that has held Sheffield back more than anything though is the negative, parochial outlook towards business and commerce, of those in charge of such things. It has improved a bit over the years, but it's still a problem. Meanwhile, Leeds has continued to attract commercial investment and it's miles in front of Sheffield in terms of its city centre and the sheer range of places to shop and eat.

I like a lot of the new stuff that is happening in Sheffield though. I like what they've done in the Devonshire quarter, the cheesegrater, the Winter Gardens and that whole area around St Paul's Hotel is really great. I'll hold my breath on the new "shopping area". It's definitely an improvement but I don't see the city attracting big flagship retailers and I think that area will just end up being filled with your usual chain stores. What I don't celebrate is the latest tower block of flats, apartments or offices, or the latest out of town shopping centre, one of the reasons why life has been sapped from the city centre in the first place.

I think Sheffield has lost a lot of ground over the years on similar sized cities. But it's still a wonderful place to live, if you can afford to live in a nice area. And the thing that has held Sheffield back most, i.e. the parochial nature of the people, is one its charms!

leeds might have a trendy centre but who would want to move there? The suburbs are pretty awful and soulless, I’d even prefer to live in Bradford and that’s saying something.

 

[Sean Thornton]

That was off School Street wasn’t it?

Wasn't that Stepney Buildings?

 

[BadgersBigToe]

Wasn't that Stepney Buildings?

What was the kind of yellow(?) clad maisonette type building?

 

[Sean Thornton]

What was the kind of yellow(?) clad maisonette type building?

At the top off School Street?

 

[BadgersBigToe]

At the top off School Street?

I seem to remember it being about halfway up School Street....I think

 

[BadgersBigToe]

At the top off School Street?

Or was it just off the bottom of Duke Street?

 

[BadgersBigToe]

Bottom of Duke street next to Tony's chippy and the embassy court flats.

Sorry Corks....only just seen this.....

 

[Sean Thornton]

Or was it just off the bottom of Duke Street?

That was, I think, Crown Place. Blue panels?

 

[Sean Thornton]

I seem to remember it being about halfway up School Street....I think

Yes, halfway to the top. Seemed posh at the time.

 

[BadgersBigToe]

That was, I think, Crown Place. Blue panels?

That’s the one.....cheers

 

[Stretch]

 

[Stretch]

 

[Cerberus Blade]

I don't live in a nice area, but it's still great. My life isn't in immediate danger from fellow residents or anything but there's a lot of weed merchants and speeding on the top road from the yoofs, but the area is great. As I get older I appreciate being surrounded by woods and fields a lot more. Could never live in a city centre.

Even my local shop, one of those little precincts, is lined by trees, hillocks and a stream.

Good for you mate. I'm not a city person either. I have lived near to the centre of a city when abroad, but it's not my preference to do that. I've lived North, South, East and West of the city over the years and wherever you live there's usually good access to open countryside and parks.

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

Not weird - entirely down to the likes of Betts, Blunkett, Ashton, Hattersley et al. While our lot were busy turning Sheffield into a 'Nuclear-Free Zone', Leeds made sure they attracted financial services, Look North and Calendar and associated 'leisure' industries. While we had 'The Hole in the Road' - connecting a grim area to an even grimmer area - Leeds made sure they were at the heart of the motorway network - something that is still the case. Our one attempt at a city-centre underpass (Arundel Gate) was a joke, we should have built one on the Bramall Lane/St. Mary's/inner ring road junction, but that would have entailed making Bramall Lane into a dual carriageway with a tram running down the middle. And party/Wednesday politics wouldn't have allowed that (and it wouldn't have given Radio Sheffield something to blather about on 'Jammy Dodgers'...). Plus only a maniac would use a pedestrian underpass after dark in the city centre nowadays.

While I appreciate your dad's sentiments, he was the 'wartime generation' where cities in Germany largely had no choice but to replace bombed-out building with 'brutalist' stuff, here our lot largely destroyed fine old undamaged buildings. Buildings on Fargate/Surrey Street have been undergoing extensive/expensive remedial works on the façades of many old structures and it proves that the old can sit with the new.

As someone has said, Leopold Street provides a stark example of the two approaches. The old 'Education buildings' (now Leopold Square) is a fine example of sympatheric treatment - right down to the new bronze benches containing castings of old school reports they found in the old building.

View attachment 62545

While a lot of the other side is a mess. The old, much-loved Stonehouse had to go for the modern, clean Orchard Square. But that's an exception. Where somebody sat down and actually thought about the long-term impact.

Totally agree. My dad was right in his way, but I didn't agree with all his views on this. Miss the beer and banter with him though!

 

[Hamburg Blade]

Problem was, in the 60s, everyone thought the old city centre buildings were scruffy slum type places only fit for demolition. Only now can we see how wrong we were.

Totally agree. My dad was right in his way, but I didn't agree with all his views on this. Miss the beer and banter with him though!

I'm sure there were reasons for everything that was done, and that's an interesting insight Numpty, but it won't stop me blaming the morons who pulled down beauty and replaced it with ugliness. That example on Leopold Street is typical. I can't believe there wasn't anyone around pointing out the folly of it all - otherwise most of the buildings would have gone all over the country, surely?

 

[corkysbeard]

That was, I think, Crown Place. Blue panels?

Crown place had green panels but the one at top of school street had blue panels exact same buildings just different colours.

 

[Numpty's Dusty Ruts.]

I'm sure there were reasons for everything that was done, and that's an interesting insight Numpty, but it won't stop me blaming the morons who pulled down beauty and replaced it with ugliness. That example on Leopold Street is typical. I can't believe there wasn't anyone around pointing out the folly of it all - otherwise most of the buildings would have gone all over the country, surely?

I do agree Hamburg. I'd never seen a picture of the building on Leopold Street before and it's amazing. Different generations have different ideas and priorities I suppose. I do think Sheffield suffered more than most, but then I've lived in Coventry too, and it was a similar story there.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

......and I think was co-owner of the original Champs with Dave Wickett on Ecclesall Road.

I didn’t know that. Thanks. I thought the old Champs was good and Dave Wickett was a decent bloke who pioneered the real ale revival in Sheffield. And followed the Blades of course!

 

[HighfieldBlade]

 

[HighfieldBlade]

 

[Silent Blade]

View attachment 62610

First half of Blades v Man City in October 1973. We led 1-0 at half time. Marsh broke McAlister's leg

 

[Eyeball]

Yes
The bastard certainly did

 

[Silent Blade]

View attachment 62611

Peter Osgood scoring the winner in our 2-1 defeat in October 1965

 

[Sean Thornton]

......and I think was co-owner of the original Champs with Dave Wickett on Ecclesall Road.

He was.

When starting his career at S6 lived on Long Henry Row on Park Hill. With his parents. Down to earth, nice lad.

 

[BadgersBigToe]

Dave Wickett also opened a bar in Rochester NY called the old toad which was a regular of mine when I visited our factory based in the same city.

 

[bornablade]

Dave Wickett also opened a bar in Rochester NY called the old toad which was a regular of mine when I visited our factory based in the same city.

Sheffield Hallam University students on Hospitality Management courses were offered 12 month placements there.