Any one know anything about the history of broadfield road, what used to be there in regards to buildings or was it just greenland before.

I used to work at a small engineering works on Broadfield Road cannot remember the name though.

Used to live there in the 50s. Lots of terraced houses both sides of the road with a few corner shops , couple of engineering firms , a nackers yard , heeley baths , Express dairy etc .Anything specific you want to know?
regards Mick

I apparently lived there from 18 months to age 4, but my Auntie continued to live there for another few years - say to 1970 ?
She lived on the same side as the Express Dairy about 200 yards going towards Heeley Bottom. They were nice biggish houses with decent gardens. I remember there was a lad about 3 houses down from us who had what is now called Downs Syndrome, but was then called Mongolism. I think that he died young.
Apparently when I was about 1 year old I had an accident with some bricks and the next door neighbour who stitched my hand up was the Trainer for Sheffield United juniors, I still have a big scar.
There used to be, and might still be, a cut through hilly walkway to Abbeydale Road called, I think, Primrose Hill. It came out where the drinks shop used to be near Abbeydale Pictue Palace.
They knocked many of the houses down to build an effing road that never materialised.

Hi,

I Remember Heeley Baths well. I learnt to swim there and took all my life saving exams when I was at Nether Edge Grammar. It stood me in good stead when I was in Cyprus with the RAF as beach life guard got me out of more onerous duties.

Mike

I There used to be, and might still be, a cut through hilly walkway to Abbeydale Road called, I think, Primrose Hill. It came out where the drinks shop used to be near Abbeydale Pictue Palace.
They knocked many of the houses down to build an effing road that never materialised.

we used to trek on that walkway on our way to- and-from the baths..back in the 70's... ahhhh happy days!

the demolitions were for a ring road, a shedload of housing on queens road, and around heeley (prospect road,richards road, myrtle road, guernsey rd etc) were also clearred in the 1970s for this "ghost-road".

Still.. we benefitted from the marvellous heeley city farm as a result.

we used to trek on that walkway on our way to- and-from the baths..back in the 70's... ahhhh happy days!

the demolitions were for a ring road, a shedload of housing on queens road, and around heeley (prospect road,richards road, myrtle road, guernsey rd etc) were also clearred in the 1970s for this "ghost-road".

Still.. we benefitted from the marvellous heeley city farm as a result.
They did a '' double tap '' on me, we moved to Queens Road near Havelock Bridge, and that later got bounced for the same '' ghost road ''. (and I did mean tap, not top).

Any one know anything about the history of broadfield road, what used to be there in regards to buildings or was it just greenland before.

Much of the land was parkland belonging to a house called Broadfield owned by a Sheffield banker by the name of Samuel Shore. His bank went bust and eventually the land was sold off in lots for building.

It would have been idyllic countryside then...in fact there was a footpath called 'Primrose Walk' that followed the riverbank from Heeley Bridge to somewhere on Abbeydale road. Hard to imagine now :(

A piccy here of Broadfield Toll Bar which I think was close to the bottom of Sheldon road.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s16160

I wonder if anyone remembers the corner shop that was on Broadfield road where it met Saxon road? when the shop was closed we would knock on the back door and buy stuff when we were kids.

I wonder if anyone remembers the corner shop that was on Broadfield road where it met Saxon road? when the shop was closed we would knock on the back door and buy stuff when we were kids.

big double fronted off licence that covered all the corner, I remember that.
Further up Broadfield on the corner of Clyde Rd was Hartleys , and just the other side of Clyde Rd was a dark little house widow shop that sold sweets , then a chippy.Across the road at the bottom of the gennel was Ayres sweet shop, later bought by the Tworek family (Polish ).
I used to live on Markham Terrace with my gran, and she worked at Styans bakery where the alumimium place is.
regards Mick

Having looked at old maps and studied the area.
Broadfield road (Then called Broadfield Park Road) only went part way along from the London road end in 1900. It didn't join up with the Abbeydale road end which at that time was called Rufford Road.

This was before Heeley baths and between Bedale road in the south and Clyde road in the north was unused land called "the Primrose" with a couple of small ponds, but the main difference was that the main path of the river went on a big meandering loop along the back of where the cinema is now,along the back of the shops of abbeydale road and back to its present course following the path of Primrose walk.
So when they built the Dairy, the river's path had been diverted into it's current fast channel which at the time was a narrow mill race.

I believe that the diversion of the river to this canal was the cause of much flooding during the 20th century, because before the river would have run a much more sedate course around its original natural course with banks and trees. Now it thunders along a canal, especially when the volume increases.

PT you mention all the houses which were demolished opposite the Sheldon road Junction. I suspect this big square area was cleared of buildings to provide space for a large traffic roundabout. Which is why some adjacent buildings were left. Especially the small row of houses at the back of the Seat garage.

Thanks for all the responses.
The main reason for asking is that one of the businesses in particular that a friend works at all the employees have encountered alot of bad luck personally and professionally since joining the company and are begining to become quite suspicious, and they were interested to find out some of the history of the land upon which the building is on.

Thanks for all the responses.
The main reason for asking is that one of the businesses in particular that a friend works at all the employees have encountered alot of bad luck personally and professionally since joining the company and are begining to become quite suspicious, and they were interested to find out some of the history of the land upon which the building is on.


That'll be the ghost of old George Barlow, the shopfitter. His business was (and still is) on London Rd, but his son set up an offshoot, Aluminium Systems Ltd, which started life on Keetons Hill (up behind Barlow's) with many ex Barlow carpenters as fabricators.
When they moved to Cutts Terrace (Broadfield Rd) in 1973, a few of the engineers swore that they saw the ghost of old George wandering around the tech drawing room and in Jock's stores.
They did call in a local medium but I'm not sure what results they found.

Corner shop on corner of Clyde Road and Broadfield was a beer off owned by the grandmother of a friend of mine. Spent many an hour there in the cellar. used to flood frequently from nearby river so nothing was kept in cellar. marks on walls of high water from some flood.

Used to live there in the 50s. Lots of terraced houses both sides of the road with a few corner shops , couple of engineering firms , a nackers yard , heeley baths , Express dairy etc .Anything specific you want to know?
regards Mick

Do you by any chance remember Les and Kitty Ring, they lived there for donkeys years just past the baths towards Abbeydale Road? They were my great aunt and uncle and moved when they were served with a demolition order.

I believe that the diversion of the river to this canal was the cause of much flooding during the 20th century, because before the river would have run a much more sedate course around its original natural course with banks and trees. Now it thunders along a canal, especially when the volume increases.


You're right I think. The large meadow known as The Primrose would have absorbed much of the excess when the river flooded. This and the rights of the occupiers of the Heely Mill were likely the reason The Primrose was the last area to be built on here. I believe Broadfield Park road was extended in 1906, - shortly after the date of the map you have.

Interesting that The Primrose, Little London and Heeley Mill were still in Derbyshire at this time

You're right I think. The large meadow known as The Primrose would have absorbed much of the excess when the river flooded. This and the rights of the occupiers of the Heely Mill were likely the reason The Primrose was the last area to be built on here. I believe Broadfield Park road was extended in 1906, - shortly after the date of the map you have.

Interesting that The Primrose, Little London and Heeley Mill were still in Derbyshire at this time

Gleadless Townend was still in derbyshire in 1960's, cos my ex hubby was born and brought up near the post offic.

His birth certificate states his address as

********** Road
Gleadless Townend
Sheffield
DERBYSHIRE

Gleadless Townend was still in derbyshire in 1960's, cos my ex hubby was born and brought up near the post offic.

His birth certificate states his address as

********** Road
Gleadless Townend
Sheffield
DERBYSHIRE

Good job he's not a good cricketer as it would have been an awful disappointment to him, not being able to play for Yorkshire

Do you by any chance remember Les and Kitty Ring, they lived there for donkeys years just past the baths towards Abbeydale Road? They were my great aunt and uncle and moved when they were served with a demolition order.

I lived in Markham Terrace which was (is?) about halfway along Broadfield road where Clyde Road joins. Didn't know anyone from the top of Broadfield, and I was only about seven anyway.
regards Mick

:confused: I lived in Markham Terrace which was (is?) about halfway along Broadfield road where Clyde Road joins. Didn't know anyone from the top of Broadfield, and I was only about seven anyway.
regards Mick

i remember a sweet firm called dixons thay made mint rock and lots of other sweets.also heeley slipper baths .me my brother and my dad got bathed once a week.for 3pence.remember a ally way from broadfield rd to little london rd.some houses over a bridge.a dog called skippi followng us all the way home to rydal rd.my dad says you cant keep the dog take it back,i did but the dog kept comming back:confused:

i lived on Broadfield rd in the late 60s the corner shop was Richies i remember playing on the gararges behind our house and playing on the river bank climbing on the old Red bridge which was closed some years later.
I remember the gearlands and Baylies who lived on Beadale rd.

My grandma lived on Cutts Terrace when Ali Systems was there. In fact she was one of the last to move out from the area. She'd lived there during the war time as had my dad. I remember it being all terraced houses and somewhere abouts there was a great chippy. Wasn't there a Fine Fare on Heeley bottom back and the river used to flood?

there was indeed a fine-fare. when it closed, Howells solicitors took it over, and then it became (I seem to think) some sort of Hire-place for plant (mixers, rotvators etc)

IIRC, there was a cinema on the site of the fine-fare, before it was the fine-fare.

It was the Heeley Coliseum, PT, locally known as the bug-hut :D

The area alongside the river was always called the Prim when I was a kid, and the little gennel onto Abbeydale Road was called the Primrose Walk, iirc.

When the planning was given for the all the recent development alongside the river, I'm sure there were conditions attached asking for some access to the river to be provided. This somehow seems to have been interpreted as "cut down the hedge and build a 6 foot high stone wall all the the way along the road" :rolleyes:

I priced up some demolition work for a company just off Broadfield Road called ,I think, Wolff Lighting. As part of the pricing up I had access to plansd which showed Wolff Lighting superimposed on an old map of the area.
This showed all the original streets, houses and shops as a "ghost" outline under the present day. It was fascinating.
We also had to dig some trial pits which revealed some of the debris from the old houses that had been used to infill the shelters.
Nothing too exciting - pottery, slates, bricks, tiles etc but still really interesting

I have liked to have seen that, billyhill. According to the family history which we've had dug up, and then paid to have buried again lol, my maternal great grandparents lived in Broadfield Park Road, on two separate occasions, separated by a number of years living in Leeds :o .

Unfortunately, along with most other properties in Sheffield that my forebears ever lived in, the houses were demolished before we were aware of the fact.

I use to live near the junction of broadfield rd and abbeydale rd there was a paper shop and a cobblers at the top.on the right the was a rag and bone yard with ponies. lot of the houses had small walls and there was sighs that the railings had been removed.Between the laundry and the milk depot the was a childrens clinic where you got weigh, orange+ milk tokens.

I use to live near the junction of broadfield rd and abbeydale rd there was a paper shop and a cobblers at the top.on the right the was a rag and bone yard with ponies. lot of the houses had small walls and there was sighs that the railings had been removed.Between the laundry and the milk depot the was a childrens clinic where you got weigh, orange+ milk tokens.

Crumbs, you've just started me off. There was a Washhouse near Heeley Baths where women would go to do the family laundry ; next to it was the clinic that would dish out NHS orange juice and Cod Liver oil in those peculiar bottles with the high shoulder.

I wish my dad was still alive, if he was I'd come back and buy this town.:mad:

Crumbs, you've just started me off. There was a Washhouse near Heeley Baths where women would go to do the family laundry ; next to it was the clinic that would dish out NHS orange juice and Cod Liver oil in those peculiar bottles with the high shoulder.

I wish my dad was still alive, if he was I'd come back and buy this town.:mad:

I remember the clinic. my youngest sister, when she was a baby, used to go there for her health-visitor checkups, and we'd pick up the SMA baby-milk and vitamin drops for her there.

I remember the clinic. my youngest sister, when she was a baby, used to go there for her health-visitor checkups, and we'd pick up the SMA baby-milk and vitamin drops for her there.

You have got me '' up and running again '', PT.

I recall that hot choccy, and those ice drops from the machine at Heeley Baths. Thinking on, I can still smell the pink jollop that the powers that be used to put in the pool.

When I was a little lad I always wondered what '' Slipper Bath '' meant.

If I had discovered this forum years ago, I would have come back home. I've never really settled down south.

I might still try and buy this town, but I think that it's a bit too late.

Lost for words.:sad: :cry:

Has anyone mentioned the Broadfield Road Club?

I went on a trip to the coast with the club once. Must be 30 old years ago, I got a bottle of pop, a bag of chrips and 50p.

Steve.

I think the Newsagents Shop on the corner of Broadfield & Abbeydale road was Chadwicks,on the oposite corner was a Cobblers,just down from there was Dixons Chip Shop,across the road was a Photographers Shop owned by Mr Marsh.A couple of names I remember were the Guite Family & the Congreaves,do you remember Tyzacs Dam ?.Mind you I am going back to the late 1940s,early 50s.

Behind what is now Red Lion Garage ,was a row of buildings .One of which was a blacksmith by the name of Tonks

I remember Broadfield Road from about 1950 onwards but, sorry, never lived on the road and can't provide any details.

However, one thing stands out when people talk about how Broadfield Road
[ and similar places ] used to be.....and that is the wealth of characters and trades, shops and businesses there were in such a small area. As late as the mid-1960's, the area, roughly from William Street [ off Ecclesall Rd.] to about Carver Street was still like that :- little corner shops and pubs, tiny workshops tucked away up little alleys, smallish schools, various churches ......and loads of people milling around ; there was always something odd, dramatic, funny or interesting happening. It wasn't all that far removed from Dickens.

Sheffield was full of such areas. The ' Heeley' thread is a good example. How it's all changed ! I realise that things DO have to change but was it not possible to replace old interesting areas with new interesting areas instead of car show-rooms, soul-less shop fronts and concrete monstrosities ?

Anyway, Broadfield Roaders, keep it rolling ! At least we can talk about the past even if we've lost it !

Like to also mention there was a petrol station on Broadfield road near to heeley bottom. As school kids we would catch the number 8 or 9 circular bus for 2 pence there and stay on the bus hours instead of attending school :)

big double fronted off licence that covered all the corner, I remember that.
Further up Broadfield on the corner of Clyde Rd was Hartleys , and just the other side of Clyde Rd was a dark little house widow shop that sold sweets , then a chippy.Across the road at the bottom of the gennel was Ayres sweet shop, later bought by the Tworek family (Polish ).
I used to live on Markham Terrace with my gran, and she worked at Styans bakery where the alumimium place is.
regards Mick

i worked at styans bakery as a van driver in 1960 i got the sack for hitting another van in the depot.we live & learn

PT you mention all the houses which were demolished opposite the Sheldon road Junction. I suspect this big square area was cleared of buildings to provide space for a large traffic roundabout. Which is why some adjacent buildings were left. Especially the small row of houses at the back of the Seat garage.

I think the same thing, muddy. There was going to be a roundabout there. The only reason those four houses are still there is that (iirc) they refused to take the council's valuation on the compulsory purchase and then the council changed their minds about the roundabout, and the new road that was supposed to bypass Heeley Botton. So the house were just left there.

Plain Talker mentioned the Fine Fare on Heeley Bottom, It opened as a supermarket in the early 60's, Sammy Brookbond the chimp opened it, he cut the ribbon, and got hold of my hand to take me in the shop before anyone else, only being about three years old and never seen a chimp before I screamed and scared the poor animal to death.

My mum lived on bedale rd (runs between abbeydale road and broadfield rd) during the war. She told me that during the blitz a Jam factory in the area got hit and they had hot jam running into the cellars. Don't know if anyone can confirm?

i worked at styans bakery as a van driver in 1960 i got the sack for hitting another van in the depot.we live & learn


You might have know her , name of Doris Wilson , worked there for donkeys years.
regards Mick

I spent some of my childhood in Heeley and went to Lowfields School. In the top juniors, we used to go to Heeley Baths and then afterwards, if we'd been good, we used to go to the Sasparilla (sp?) shop or Temperance Bar on Abbeydale Rd on the way back to school. The prices for a "half" started at 1/2d, I think, and we all pretended we were in a pub. Ah, innocent days. I think the shop is an antique shop now-surprise, surprise!:|
Whatever happened to Sasparilla? I loved it.

When we attended Carfield Junior School in the 1950's we were marched two by two to Heeley Baths on Broadfield Road to learn to swim. I believed one of the instructors (more like Gestapo) was a Mr.Wall who terrified me. Hitting someone under the chin with a thundering great long pole whilst they are trying to learn to swim the breast stroke does not inspire the pupil with confidence!
We used to walk through a steel firm which had a pathway through to allow you to reach Broadfield Road.
After we'd finished our swimming lesson we were marched back up to Carfield via Little London Road passed the sweet shop on the corner where we were allowed to go in two at a time to buy a "traffic light lolly" what joy!

Duffems

We used to walk through a steel firm which had a pathway through to allow you to reach Broadfield Road.


I remember that pathway well - over the footbridge and into a dark tunnel through the works. My grandfather worked at Little London works and they used to have an annual Christmas party in the works canteen for the employees' kids and grandkids.

First one I went to was 1945 or 1946 and I remember that tunnel really spooked me !

Am I right in thinking that the chip shop at the top of Bedale Road,
"Bedale Fisheries " ?, used to have a spicy/peppery batter ?.
I can certainly remember a different taste from other chip shops.

Hi
I am on the hunt for some interesting stories about past experiences at Heeley Baths. I am working on the re-opening which takes place in January and would love to hear about anyone who met the love of their life there, learnt to swim, maybe you or a family member went with their school for lessons?

Does anyone have any photos of Heeley Baths too?

Thanks

:)

alw, I have a heeley baths story...

Thirty-odd years ago, when I was 10, (4th year Juniors) I dived into the baths, and managed to strke my head on the tiles on the bottom of the pool, knocking myself out. I still have the "cob" on my forehead, after all this time.

Just seen your comments about Barlow's ghost....... To my knowledge it didn't appear in the ASL works, but it was seen in the basement of the old Figidaire building in London Rd., which has formed Barlow's office entrance since around 30 years ago. The drawings of old shopfitting schemes were filed away there, and one of the junior designers asked who the old man was he'd seen when he was sent down in the basement to search the records. Honest! I never dare go down and always sent someone else! Certainly not GB, the building wasn't used in his day.

I remember Dixons sweet factory because we used to throw snowballs at the neon signto stop it working.The corner shop at Broadfield and Abbeydale was owned by Tom Sabin then his nephew. I lived in the same back yard two doors away from Marshes Photo shop opposite Gwyneths wool shop below the cobblers.I also remember the congreaves and the warburtons on Tamplin road

I remember Dixons sweet factory because we used to throw snowballs at the neon signto stop it working.The corner shop at Broadfield and Abbeydale was owned by Tom Sabin then his nephew. I lived in the same back yard two doors away from Marshes Photo shop opposite Gwyneths wool shop below the cobblers.I also remember the congreaves and the warburtons on Tamplin road

I used to go to school with Maureen Congreaves.Do you remember the Guite family,went to school with ian.Do you also remember Dixons Chip Shop,across the road from you & Walkers Chippie just round the corner on Abbeydale Road.

I thought you may like this extract from Chantry Land by Harold Armitage.

It was first published in 1910 and contains the memories of an old gentleman. A wonderful read if only for the beautiful use of language.

Over the Sheaf, at the bottom of what until recently was Sheaf Street and is now Gleadless Road, was a stone bridge, whence the loiterer might see pleasing views of cornfields and wooded hills, meadows, and, under alders, enchanting pools where the trout leapt for the May fly.
It was indeed early on a fine May morning that Ebenezer Rhodes came this way to write his last tour for "Peak Scenery," and he mentions, " the little village of Heeley, the River Sheaf babbling and sparkling amongst shades of elms, poplars and alders."
In those days Little London Dam was very much larger, and Rhodes's reference is to, " a noble sheet of water, of many acres."

Given the history of flooding in that area is this a natural flood plain?

As lads,we went to Meersbrook park via the steep hill down by the Abbeydale cinema,and across the river,passing on the way Little London Place. Is that still there?Must be at least 50 years since I was last in that area. Glad to read that Heeley baths are still going strong,I learned to swim there as a school boy,and had a few slipper baths later on.

Keithwbb :Yes I remember the Walkers chip shop and the sweet shop further up where I used to buy spangles and fruit salad.I went to school with Lynne Congreave her dad worked at the rag and bone yard on Tamplin Road Just below me in the next yard down The Foggs The Mccleans and The Greens lived.The more you write the more you remember good times!

is the dairy still there with the cow in the window we used to think it was real and thats where all the milk came from and the clinic it was always cold big old fashioned scales.

Once again I read the posts on a thread that triggers places and events in my memory banks of forty-some years ago.

I was apprenticed to a small motor trimming firm by the name of (Leonard) Jones & (John) Robey. This was one of those businesses someone previously referred to that was tucked away up one of those 'alleys'. While I'm not 100% sure I believe it was located in Tamplin Road. The street name had previously escaped me until someone mentioned it on the thread. I remember being told that the premises of the business were once a horse stable back in the days of yore.

From memory there was a 'canal' of sorts at the end of Tamplin Road. During a flood that occurred around 1961, I was one of scores of sightseers who were held spellbound as a home on the flood eroded embankment broke up like a doll's house and fell into the raging waters below. We all looked on, helpless to do anything except to be absolutely stunned to silence as the remains of home and interior washed away downstream. Oh my.

I've looked at maps of this area and I can't seem to locate Tamplin Road at all. Does it exist any more? I also can't make too much sense from the map as to the route I used to take every weekday morning to and from work. Yes, since I was young at the time and life since then has taken me all over the world my memory is rather vague on place names. Usually my recall IS pretty sharp but I'm having real difficulties correlating places on the map with my actual memory of them. At the same time I feel a strong desire to know. I’m not sure why.

On my way home from work to my home in Gleadless Valley (and, of course, a reversal of this routine on my way TO work from home) I would walk down (was it Broadfield Road?) and cross a stone (?) bridge on the right that spanned the canal. This led to the two rather grotty looking industrial buildings - I believe they have already been mentioned on this thread - and the rather grim pedestrian walkway between them. This then brought me to a road which swung to my immediate right (there was a dead-end on my immediate left as I recall) and a train track and a bridge directly ahead of me. I would pass underneath the bridge and soon came to …was it Little London Road?

From there I would cross over Little London Road (?), branch right briefly and then turn left at an adjoining road (no idea of the name) where, further up, a kindergarten or a nursery school was situated on the right. I seem to remember that the school was situated in or beside a smallish park or similar. It was here that my little sister would spend most of her weekdays. At this point I would generally meet up with my mother, who also worked. From here we three would continue on until we came to a rather steep hill on the right …Scarsdale Road perhaps? Once at the top we would wait for the bus to take us to Gleadless Valley. I seem to recall that Graves Park was only a ten minutes or so drive away at this point.

Does this particular route ring a bell with anyone? It could be that I have some or all of the street names wrong. Anyway, I’d be much obliged if someone can help with any information that they can provide. As I say, I have a need to know.

By the way, should Skippy see this post, I wonder if he might be able to PM me? The info I had re his whereabouts died several computers ago.

SputnikBoy,

Your description is correct about the route and the road names. The nursery you mentioned was one which was located alongside Meersbrook Park, lots of younger children went there whilst their mothers worked, it later became a Welfare Clinic or there was a Welfare Clinic at the side of it, this was where expectant mothers would receive their anti-natal care and collect their allowance of orange juice!
Behind the nursery were the tennis courts located in Meersbrook Park and then the park rose very steeply towards Cliffe Field Road where the top entrance to the park was.
The stone bridge over the canal which you mentioned was in fact the bridge over the river Sheaf which often flooded, this route took you through the two works buildings and then out through Little London Road and under the railway bridge (which is still there) and onto Chesterfield Road, once across there your route would take you up Meersbrook Park Road alongside the nursery as I've just mentioned.
Broadfield Road buildings have mostly gone with just the swimming baths remaining and the odd one or two buildings which seem to be used for second-hand furniture.
I can't recall Tamplin Road but, I'll look to see if there are any old maps showing it.
Presumably, when you lived at Gleadless valley it was recently built?
I just thought I'd put your mind at rest that you have the detail correct so that you don't ponder on it all day!
Duffems

Sputnikboy

I think the steep road you refer to after Meersbrook Park may well be Bishopscourt Road.You would have been able to catch a bus to Gleadless Valley at the top.

Yes,
Bishopscourt Road was very steep and there was a bus stop around the corner at the top near Bishops House.
All Meersbrook kids must have had good leg muscles as there were so many steep roads, Kent Road/ Upper Albert Road/Scarsdale Road being such roads.

Just for info Tamplin road was/is at the top of Broadfield Road not far from the Broadfield hotel as a reference ,at the Abbeydale road end.There is a picture of it on the Sheffield library archive.On the Sheffield tram archive is a picture no192 of a tram passing the end of Broadfield Road and Sheldon Road with a view of Sabins paper shop on the corner of Broadfield Road.The internet it's a marvel!!!!!

Wow. Thanks for the responses to my post. One thing I never mentioned – although I did mention this on one or two previous posts from about 18 months ago – is that I’m presently located in Townsville, QLD, Australia. I’ve been here for the past 20-some years but I was previously a long-term resident of the U.S.A., Kansas to be precise. So, it’s been many moons ago since I had anything to do with Broadfield Road or the environs of Gleadless Valley Estate. Hence the problem I have in trying to piece locations together with present-day maps that seem to be incomplete.

DUFFEMS, you filled in one or two memory gaps and I appreciate that. Does that nursery school in Meersbrook Park still exist? The little sister that mom and I would collect from the nursery every weekday afternoon is now a mother herself of two late-teens. They live in a suburb of Melbourne. Mom, unfortunately, passed away about 3 years ago in Caloundra, QLD.

Is the canal in Broadfield Road still there? I guess it would have to be since rivers are not so easily demolished, rebuilt, or diverted. How about the stone bridge and the walkway between the two industrial buildings? Were the buildings themselves demolished?

Yes, we moved to Gleadless Valley as it was in the process of being built. I still recall the address. It was 41 Ironside Road. They had basically only just removed the wrapping paper from the estate. It was a brand new and a very exciting place for kids of my age.

Thanks for the post, royalscam. You are absolutely correct about the steep road I referred to as being Bishopscourt Road. Do you realize that I haven’t seen or heard that name since mom, little sister and I walked it all those years ago? Is it still pretty much the same or have there been some great changes made? Can one still get the bus to Gleadless Valley at the top of Bishopscourt Road?

Hello PeterRM. Is it possible that Tamplin Road could have actually disappeared from the map? I’d love to see the photograph you mentioned of the tram passing the end of Broadfield Road and Sheldon Road with a view of Sabin’s paper shop on the corner of Broadfield Road. When I was apprentice with Jones and Robey, Len Jones would while away the first half-hour or so of almost every day ‘shooting the breeze’ with Tom Sabin, the newsagent. I seem to recall that Tom was a relatively young man, late 20's/early 30's perhaps, possibly of Indian descent. A couple of people have previously referred to Sabin’s paper shop. Surely it no longer exists …especially under that name?

Thanks again guys. If there is anything else you can think of that may be of interest to someone who hasn’t seen the area for well over 40 years, please post it.

The river Sheaf is still on Broadfield Road obviously but, the buildings which you could walk through to get to Little London Road have gone as has most of Broadfield Road.
The swimming baths are still there and, I believe, have undergone some renovations, I think there is a thread on here about it.
Bishopscourt Road still exists, it doesn't look as steep when you're older but, to a youngster it does look very steep! I'm not sure about being able to catch a bus from the top of there to Gleadless Valley. I remember Gleadless Valley beng built, I believe it was known as "the pride of the city" for its' innovative style, it gave people the opportunity to live in houses with panoramic views as it was literally built in/on the sides of the valley. This was also vast open fields prior to the building of the estate, the original farm it belonged to went and is now the site of a medical centre.
I wouldn't want to give you a romantic view of all these once picturesque developments as time has had taken its' toll on these places and, like all cities, nothing looks like it was!
If you look at Picture Sheffield.com you can find lots of interesting photos of places you'll relate to but, I don't think there is one of Broadfield Road, take a look.
Duffems

is the dairy still there with the cow in the window we used to think it was real and thats where all the milk came from and the clinic it was always cold big old fashioned scales.

That round window still exists on the old dairy building, but it's now sadly cow-less. It disappeared sometime in the 80's.

I remember Broadfield Road well. Me and my sisters went to Abbeydale School and learnt to swim at the swimming baths on Broadfield Road. I remember the changing cubicles on the side of the baths. We often went swimming on our way home from school and spent many a happy hour there. We would walk home down Broadfield Road, past the laundry where my mum and Aunty Shirley used to take their washing before people had washing machines or launderettes were invented (now that was an interesting and steamy place in many ways), we would pass the baby clinic where you could get bottles of orange juice free, past the dairy where you could stand and watch the empty bottles travelling along a conveyor belt and up the steep genel up to Sellers Street. Broadfield Road often flooded. There was a footbridge over the river Sheaf that always seemed scary as a child - it was narrow and dark. What memories.

...

Thanks again guys. If there is anything else you can think of that may be of interest to someone who hasn’t seen the area for well over 40 years, please post it.so does that mean you haven't looked at this (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=heeley&sll=53.387424,-1.464615&sspn=0.194111,0.6427&ie=UTF8&ll=53.360938,-1.474807&spn=0.00607,0.020084&t=h&z=16)?

so does that mean you haven't looked at this (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=heeley&sll=53.387424,-1.464615&sspn=0.194111,0.6427&ie=UTF8&ll=53.360938,-1.474807&spn=0.00607,0.020084&t=h&z=16)?

Thanks so much, Strix. I much appreciate it.

I wonder if anyone remembers the corner shop that was on Broadfield road where it met Saxon road? when the shop was closed we would knock on the back door and buy stuff when we were kids.

i lived on broadfield road right opposite bedale road(283) and left when i was about 10 , my parents came with me lol.
the only corner shop i can remember was richies about 100yards from the top

That round window still exists on the old dairy building, but it's now sadly cow-less. It disappeared sometime in the 80's.

I wonder where it went, it would be a shame if was destroyed.

I wonder where it went, it would be a shame if was destroyed.

can you remember the milk and orange machine outside the dairy? we use to go to the engineering place behind and pick up blank discs and use them in the machine. :P

i lived on broadfield road right opposite bedale road(283) and left when i was about 10 , my parents came with me lol.
the only corner shop i can remember was richies about 100yards from the top

The shop i mention was near Firma chrome works nearer heeley bottom. Im pretty sure someone has mentioned the actual shop name within the thread.

I use to live near the junction of broadfield rd and abbeydale rd there was a paper shop and a cobblers at the top.on the right the was a rag and bone yard with ponies. lot of the houses had small walls and there was sighs that the railings had been removed.Between the laundry and the milk depot the was a childrens clinic where you got weigh, orange+ milk tokens.

i used to live bang opposite dixons mint rock factory on the corner, i remember the paper shop and cobblers ,the chip shop and richies groceries shop 100yds further down.i can also remember the garages behind our house and the river behind them.apparently all the walls had railings but were taken down during the war for the steel.i lived there with my 3 brothers until early 1970s when we moved to sharrow.

My father had one of the garages at the back with the sheaf behind them.Did you ever get across the river to the tunnel that went in to the works.It was on the bend of the river next to the alleyway that went to London road.The deep end as I now remember.

Sputnik boy
Unfortunately TAMPLIN ROAD Sabins etc was demolished many years ago.My mother used to work for Tom Sabin
in the papershop.We lived in the same backyard as the papershop and Marshes photgraphicThe picture of the shop and the road is PIC 192 on the sheffield tram archive website .Like yourself I have not lived there for many years.On google earth you can see how much is now missing of that area,including the old walkway acros from the wooden bridge.

My father had one of the garages at the back with the sheaf behind them.Did you ever get across the river to the tunnel that went in to the works.It was on the bend of the river next to the alleyway that went to London road.The deep end as I now remember.

me and my brothers lived in the river to be honest. what else was there to do. to get to the tunnel we had to go over the footbridge opposite the baths and edge along a sloping thin ledge.
the tunnel comes up a drain in the steelworks yard. we used to call it the deepend but it was only 3 feet deep my brother found out when he was pushed in. only names i can remember from mid-late 60s are..... howard price.....philip teather .....david wheeler..
happy days

We also used to play in the river at the bottom of Kent Road (long before it was piped underground or whatever they did with it). It was the only entertainment for us when we'd run out of all the street games especially when they'd been a heavy rain storm. Nothing beats wading along in yer wellows and slipping on the cobbles/debris and trying not to get wet otherwise your mother knew where you'd been.
I remember a neighbour's kid once falling in and his mum put his shoes in the oven to dry, needless to say they came out 3 sizes too small!
Sorry, nothing to do with Broadfield Road just that the river memory came to me.

I recall once seeing a photo of lots of people standing at their back doors on Broadfield Road, there had been a flood and the river had taken all the back yards/gardens etc., I can't remember the year but, I know it was written on the back of this photo.
Any ideas anyone?

We also used to play in the river at the bottom of Kent Road (long before it was piped underground or whatever they did with it). It was the only entertainment for us when we'd run out of all the street games especially when they'd been a heavy rain storm. Nothing beats wading along in yer wellows and slipping on the cobbles/debris and trying not to get wet otherwise your mother knew where you'd been.
I remember a neighbour's kid once falling in and his mum put his shoes in the oven to dry, needless to say they came out 3 sizes too small!
Sorry, nothing to do with Broadfield Road just that the river memory came to me.

I recall once seeing a photo of lots of people standing at their back doors on Broadfield Road, there had been a flood and the river had taken all the back yards/gardens etc., I can't remember the year but, I know it was written on the back of this photo.
Any ideas anyone?

there was a great flood around 1968 i believe when 2 foot of snow melted in two hours and the river came up to the bottom of your dads garages and when it subsided we counted the bricks up to the tidemark (opposite the tunnel) and my dad calculated 22 feet high. that is the only flood i can remember. i would say i was around 10 years old at the time.our cellar was full of water which came down bedale road for months.

wellies you posh sod!!

I may have asked this before, but does Primrose Hill still exist ? It was a steep pathway from Broadfield Road up to Abbeydale Road. Also, vis-a vis the Express dairy, do you remember the milk bottles/crates going along some kind of '' Big Dipper '' type track ?
It used to blow my mind when I was about 8.

wellies you posh sod!!

We lived in Meersbrook where they were WELLOWS!

The photo I've recalled was from way back, the clothing people were wearing was more of the turn of the century so there must have been one earlier. Obviously, living near a river there are always going to be floods but, this looked like it had been reported as being something more major.

i believe the path up the side of the dairy is still there which comes out hale street or road at the side of the old cinema.thats where we used to find the steel blanks for the orange machine outside the dairy

when i get a chance i will go and take a few hundred photos and send them off to you

Hi

I lived on Empire Rd (opposite the top, Abbeydale Rd, end of Beadale Rd) from the late seventies to the late eighties. A bit later than some of you are mentioning, but even from that time a heck of a lot has changed.

My brother and I, and our freinds used to play in Broadfield Park (thats actually where i first rode a bike without stabilisers!) before most of it was swallowed up with development. It looks nothing like it did back then. If only we'd had the foresight to take some snaps. You just think how things are is how things will always be, you never imagine things will change so dramitacally, so much so that you cant remember exactly how things used to look!

There used to be a little swings and roundabout bit up the end of the park, where the cut through to the road which comes out opposite Abbeydale middle school was.

All the area opposite the bottom of Beadale Rd was just open grassland and on the other side of the river used to be Laycocks (I think it was Laycocks anyway, whatever it was, my nan used to work there in the kitchens and my mum says she used to complain about big rats finding their way into the kitchens and stealing food)
Then the factory was pulled down and cleared. There used to be / still (?) is a little path that went from the other side of the bridge in the middle of the park that took you through to the little road over the back. All the factories there have now been pulled down.

I remember the RED bridge, went over it a few times before they closed it cos it was really unsafe and crumbling to bits.

So many memories, all flooding back now after reading this thread.

Hi

I lived on Empire Rd (opposite the top, Abbeydale Rd, end of Beadale Rd) from the late seventies to the late eighties. A bit later than some of you are mentioning, but even from that time a heck of a lot has changed.

My brother and I, and our freinds used to play in Broadfield Park (thats actually where i first rode a bike without stabilisers!) before most of it was swallowed up with development. It looks nothing like it did back then. If only we'd had the foresight to take some snaps. You just think how things are is how things will always be, you never imagine things will change so dramitacally, so much so that you cant remember exactly how things used to look!

There used to be a little swings and roundabout bit up the end of the park, where the cut through to the road which comes out opposite Abbeydale middle school was.

All the area opposite the bottom of Beadale Rd was just open grassland and on the other side of the river used to be Laycocks (I think it was Laycocks anyway, whatever it was, my nan used to work there in the kitchens and my mum says she used to complain about big rats finding their way into the kitchens and stealing food)
Then the factory was pulled down and cleared. There used to be / still (?) is a little path that went from the other side of the bridge in the middle of the park that took you through to the little road over the back. All the factories there have now been pulled down.

I remember the RED bridge, went over it a few times before they closed it cos it was really unsafe and crumbling to bits.

So many memories, all flooding back now after reading this thread.


the open space and grassland at the bottom of Bedale road is where we used to live. there was a this was a crossroads but obviously it was a dead end.now for the boring bit bear with me....

the distance from broadfield road at the bottom of bedale road which has not been moved to the river is only 20 yds,,,,,in that 20yds we had a 2 bed terraced house,little garden, a row of garages including the gravel forecourt and the riverbank which i would say should be 60yds. spooky???
the river still has its courragated edge as i remember as a child..

There used to be hoardings at the bottom of Primrose Hill .You could climb up the back and look over the top.No one could see you as they were lights shining on the adverts great place to hide long since gone

i believe the path up the side of the dairy is still there which comes out hale street or road at the side of the old cinema.thats where we used to find the steel blanks for the orange machine outside the dairy

Me and me mates would look for ball bearings to play marbles with up the same path. I can remember a fence half way up the path that we would climb over. Once over we would search amongst the scrap for the bearings, very scary lol. That drinks machine was a godsend on those hot summer days with its cartons of ice cold milk and orange.

We used to play on that walk way too.

We though it was our 'secret' walk way, lol.

We either went to it down the side of the picture palace or through an archway that used to be near the chippy on Abbeydale rd.

I used to live in Markham Terrace - great memories of riding my scooter down the gennel - buying Bunty comics from the corner shop at the bottom of the gennel and falling off the river bank into the river and giving my mum a fright in the 1960s.

If anyone is still looking at this thread. The Flood that's mentioned was in 1969 maybe a tad later. I don't remember it being in dead winter so I believe it was rain caused, not melting snow. I lived directly on the river, straight accross from Laycocks on Tamplin Terrace, and the water filled our cellar and started lapping into the kitchen. I actually have a couple of photo's of the river over our back wall, before and during the flood.

Used to shoot those big rats with my air rifle as they used to swim back and forth accross the river from the houses to the factory.

We lived in Meersbrook where they were WELLOWS!

The photo I've recalled was from way back, the clothing people were wearing was more of the turn of the century so there must have been one earlier. Obviously, living near a river there are always going to be floods but, this looked like it had been reported as being something more major.

As kids during the 40's and early 50's in Heeley, we also referred to wellies as wellows - maybe the word was used just in that area around Heeley & Meersbrook because I have never heard anyone else use it.

We also played in that stream (the Meers Brook, which gave the area it's name & was also the original boundary between Yorkshire and Derbyshire) and often attempted to wade up through the tunnel under Carrfield Road - there were rumours that there was a whirlpool under there and we always chickened out. As Duffems said, we also tended to play there when it was in flood so our fears may have kept us out of serious trouble.

As kids during the 40's and early 50's in Heeley, we also referred to wellies as wellows - maybe the word was used just in that area around Heeley & Meersbrook because I have never heard anyone else use it.

We also played in that stream (the Meers Brook, which gave the area it's name & was also the original boundary between Yorkshire and Derbyshire) and often attempted to wade up through the tunnel under Carrfield Road - there were rumours that there was a whirlpool under there and we always chickened out. As Duffems said, we also tended to play there when it was in flood so our fears may have kept us out of serious trouble.

We lived on Upper Valley Road and we used to go down the bottom of Kent Hill to get into the river and then wade our way along in our "wellows" ('cus us kids in Meersbrook called 'em that). The river took us alongside Albert Road and, as it got towards the back of Empire Rib there was a high wall where we all used to pull our jumpers up around our necks because some silly chuff told us that rats were nested in there and that they would "jump out and bite yer neck".
So this group of kids in wellows with just their eyes poking above the tops of their raggy woolly jumpers would slither and slide their way towards Heeley Bottom, we never made it because the current was so great that we could barely stand and the water always came over the tops of our wellows. Some bright spark always shouted that they'd seen a rat so we'd all set off as fast as our aching legs would allow forgeting to keep our necks covered. When we got back to the bottom of Kent Hill where the "old gassy" was the water was very shallow and we'd all stand boasting about the fact that we'd seen "t'biggest rat ever" when in actual fact we'd seen nowt, just kids being kids. You never told your mother where you'd been even though your socks were soaking and you had a big tide mark round your calf!

Empire Rib

Empire Rib, the Brolly place, cor man !

Tamplin road is where my great grandmother Mary Ann Blenkinsop was living with a family called Coates in 1890 when she got married.
She was from Barnard Castle.
Does anyone know when Tamplin road was built or any of the history of its residents in the late 1880s or early1890s ?

Let's not get the rivers mixed up here. The river running from Totley down Abbeydale then Broadfired Road was the Sheaf. It probably meets up with the Meersbrook, which runs down Chesterfield road, somewhere down Heeley bottom. I would imagine they then meet up with the River Porter which runs down Ecclesall Road.

Well that took care of three of the six rivers :-)

Let's not get the rivers mixed up here. The river running from Totley down Abbeydale then Broadfired Road was the Sheaf. It probably meets up with the Meersbrook, which runs down Chesterfield road, somewhere down Heeley bottom. I would imagine they then meet up with the River Porter which runs down Ecclesall Road.

Well that took care of three of the six rivers :-)

The Meers brook joins the sheaf somewhere near the Lidl, near Heeley Bottom I believe.

The Porter joins the Sheaf near the Railway Station behind where sheaf house used to be, opposite the old Norfolk Arms (now the Censored bar) (It's culverted a lot of the way between Waitrose, along St Mary's Gate and round the back of Radio Sheffield.)

alw, I have a heeley baths story...

Thirty-odd years ago, when I was 10, (4th year Juniors) I dived into the baths, and managed to strke my head on the tiles on the bottom of the pool, knocking myself out. I still have the "cob" on my forehead, after all this time.

Typical, showing off as usual by attempting to get the life guard to give you the kiss of life. :hihi:

Typical, showing off as usual by attempting to get the life guard to give you the kiss of life. :hihi:

ooh, gie'owwer. :lol: the lifeguard must have been all of forty to my ten ! It was bad enough being carted off to the hozzy for a checkup!

Does anyone know what happened to the cow in the Express Dairy window?

Hello
I did research on this for a College essay and Broadfield Road was the first road into Sheffield built by the Romans.

I lived on Aizlewood Road on the corner of Sellars Street. The gennel down to Broadfield Road around the back of the dairy ran from Abbeydale Road where the off licence used to be through to Hale Street and then down the slope to Broadfield Road, with advertising hoardings on the left hand side of the bottom section it was a great place for kids to play and build dens.
The opposite side of the gennel went down over the wall and steep grassy bank into the back of the dairy which again was a great place to play as a kid and in places the depth of width of the wall was so thick that bricks could be taken out and you could build another den inside the wall.

Is the river past the old baths and dairy still brick bottomed and stepped ?
I remember that hot summer of 1976 paddling and splashing about riding my old Raleigh Budgie through the river and then going up onto Abbeydale Road to pop the tar bubbles.

Good times.:)

"pop the tar bubbles."
What pleasures we had as kids, we used to do this when we were kids in the 50's and our own children did the same things in th 70's as you obviously did darylslinn.
We played with blades of grass making them into spears and darts, daisy chain making (for the girls, lads wouldn't been seen dead doing that!), building go-karts (girls weren't allowed to do that!).
All these things our parents did, we did and so did our own kids a generation later but, somehow it's all gone adrift in this last 20 years, so sad.

The kids of today prefer stay and play with anything digital

I lived on Aizlewood Road on the corner of Sellars Street. The gennel down to Broadfield Road around the back of the dairy ran from Abbeydale Road where the off licence used to be through to Hale Street and then down the slope to Broadfield Road, with advertising hoardings on the left hand side of the bottom section it was a great place for kids to play and build dens.
The opposite side of the gennel went down over the wall and steep grassy bank into the back of the dairy which again was a great place to play as a kid and in places the depth of width of the wall was so thick that bricks could be taken out and you could build another den inside the wall.

Is the river past the old baths and dairy still brick bottomed and stepped ?
I remember that hot summer of 1976 paddling and splashing about riding my old Raleigh Budgie through the river and then going up onto Abbeydale Road to pop the tar bubbles.


Good times.:)

Wasnt sellers st where Bardwells was at that time? I remember the part of the river you mention well as we also played there around 1974 on. That brick bottomed river always looked smooth slimey and slippy. We would always say you could get lurgey from the river (some sort of disease lol) There was also a little gennel that took you from Broadfield rd to Saxon road (behind Clyde road) if you remember that.

That's right Bardwells was on the right as you wnet down Sellers Street from Aizlewood Road, I remember that other little gennel too.
The builders yard on Hale Street were you could slip under the gate and play in the huge sand and gravel piles they had in there.

My grandma lived on Cutts Terrace when Ali Systems was there. In fact she was one of the last to move out from the area. She'd lived there during the war time as had my dad. I remember it being all terraced houses and somewhere abouts there was a great chippy. Wasn't there a Fine Fare on Heeley bottom back and the river used to flood?

Just wondering if your a relation, because my Grandmother on my Dad's side lived on Cutts Terrace and she lived there with my Dad who had 3 brothers during the war till they were pulled down ???? Could be cousins!!!

Just wondering if your a relation, because my Grandmother on my Dad's side lived on Cutts Terrace and she lived there with my Dad who had 3 brothers during the war till they were pulled down ???? Could be cousins!!!

hiya
when you read about places around about heeley bottom i suppose it was all farmland years ago like the names of places, eg, broadfield,lowfield,highfield, high lea,(heeley)springfield(millhouses)fieldhead,headf ord,(nearer to town)well road,meersbrook, sheaf view, and there will be more i bet.

Used to live directly accross from Laycocks. I guess that's now the grassy area thant's mentioned.

I can vouch for the Rats swimming the river.

No one has mentioned the engineering firm of W.Tyzack sons and Turner which backed onto the river running along Broadfield Rd. I drove their single lorry there from Jan 1970 until 1972. The transport manager was a Mr.Ford. Colonel Tyzack was a distinguished looking gent who drove one of those wide bodied Jaguars. The family were descended from French Hugenots. A good, old fashioned family firm ruined by 'globalisation' like the rest of former British industries.

No one has mentioned the engineering firm of W.Tyzack sons and Turner which backed onto the river running along Broadfield Rd. I drove their single lorry there from Jan 1970 until 1972. The transport manager was a Mr.Ford. Colonel Tyzack was a distinguished looking gent who drove one of those wide bodied Jaguars. The family were descended from French Hugenots. A good, old fashioned family firm ruined by 'globalisation' like the rest of former British industries.

Didn't they also have a place on Valley Road, Meersbrook?

Hi DUFFEMS, Don't think so, are you thinking of the other Tyzack firm in Sheffield ?

Hi DUFFEMS, Don't think so, are you thinking of the other Tyzack firm in Sheffield ?
The other was Joseph Tyzack & Sons Ltd,
link to Meersbrook Works, Valley Road. (http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUK/TyzackJ/history/meersbrook.asp)

m&p

The other was Joseph Tyzack & Sons Ltd,
link to Meersbrook Works, Valley Road. (http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUK/TyzackJ/history/meersbrook.asp)

m&p

That's the one, thanks me-and-pippo