Growing up in hillsborough I remember an unusally large number of eccentrics, crackpot and other outright weirdos.
Sheffield was always full of strange people with strange habits,
what happened to them all?

Two people i remember from hillsborough are Ken the Battery Man who used to walk the streets with his bag full of batteries and an crazy guy who used to direct the traffic at hillsborough corner near the old swimming baths.
Anyone remember them and know what happened to them?

Originally posted by nonprodigal
Growing up in hillsborough I remember an unusally large number of eccentrics, crackpot and other outright weirdos.
Sheffield was always full of strange people with strange habits,
what happened to them all?

Two people i remember from hillsborough are Ken the Battery Man who used to walk the streets with his bag full of batteries and an crazy guy who used to direct the traffic at hillsborough corner near the old swimming baths.
Anyone remember them and know what happened to them?

Every major city has strange people.

I was in Manchester a few days ago and it was full of weirdos.

I don't remember those two you mentioned but has anyone seen "Cider Man" about? He's always got a bottle of cider with him and he's dancing to music in his ears.

You may say he's just a drunk but something's definately wrong with him...

He's usually around the Hillsborough/ Malin Bridge area.

I don't live in sheffield anymore so never heard of "Cider Man" but I've lived all over england and wales and sheffield definately has a better class of weirdo.

There were lots more than the 2 i mentioned but just can't remember their names.

Just remembered there was a guy known as the mad monk who was really into busses if i remember rightly.

Originally posted by nonprodigal
Sheffield was always full of strange people with strange habits,
what happened to them all?


I used to see a bloke dressed up as Marilyn Monroe (or similar) around the Hole in the Road (Castle Sq) when it was still there. He /it used to be stood on the road side of the pedestrian barriers and holding a hand mirror high in the air pretending to put lipstick on. No I wasn't dreaming - our whole office used to watch.

Originally posted by nonprodigal
IJust remembered there was a guy known as the mad monk who was really into busses if i remember rightly.

His name is Rodney and i think he is still around tho I've not seen him for a while.

nonprodigal, do you remeber a guy in Hillsborough who was affectionately known as Sweevo SwivelNeck? lol!!!

Originally posted by nonprodigal
I don't live in sheffield anymore so never heard of "Cider Man"

Apparently all the kids on school buses call him cider man.

yeah i remember him and his giraffe like neck, usually seen in the precinct in hillborough.
i wish i had photos of all the wonderful weirdos sheffield had to offer

I also grew up in Hillsborough. As kids our lives were made very much more interesting by the amount of harmless but eccentric old long term, mental patients who were allowed to leave the environs of middlewood hopital.

There was Walter who was always giving toys and sweets to little kids, and he always wore a wisewood school tie.

There was Ernest, who would mimic anyone. And the cruel kids would have him doing rude things in the middle of the road, like picking his nose or just jumping up and down or pressups.

There was a second Ernest who would sometimes run after you.

These people were harmless and I hope they were looked after when they were evicted from their home at the old MH

thanks for reminding me about walter, i remember him always having a present for any kids whos birthday it was.

have you any idea what happened to him?

just remembered another person we knew called the "Wee Wee Man", he got his name by going up to strangers in the street and telling them he needed a Wee Wee

Makes me proud to be from sheffield!

Walter is still alive and kicking and around Hillsborough. He currently sits on the traffic island in the middle of the road at the corner of Holme Lane and Middlewood Road. He doesn't do anything, he just sits there!! In the better weather he still frequents Hillsborough park giving out conkers and paper planes to kids who's parents aren't paranoid!! He means no harm at all and I always say hello to him, so do my kids!!

I used to take a Star paper round when I still lived with my parents in the early 1980s. And on Overton road, there was a house with around 3 mental patients who were living in the community. And they had a paper on one day of the week. They had a supervisor who lived with them who died and they didn't do any thing about it for nearly a week. He was dead in the house with them and they all just carried on as normal.

What about the 'Duke of Darnall' ... dressed all posh with suit and bowler hat.

What happy days

What about the 'Duke of Darnall' ... dressed all posh with suit and bowler hat.

What happy days

A pal of Russian Edna, who got murdered.

Duke of Darnall .... I believe his name was Harry Taylor

I miss Darnall ... as it was then. It's just a shelll now. All the pubs are shutting down. Rose and Crown, Wellington etc etc.

Regards - Kevin

thanks for reminding me about walter, i remember him always having a present for any kids whos birthday it was. Have you any idea what happened to him?

Walter is indeed still going strong, bless him, and can be found most days in Hillsborough or Wadsley, or in the Freemasons Arms - he now lives nearby. He will be 83 on 22 April, and there's usually a party in one of the Wadsley pubs. Here's a photo of him taken last summer. http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Walter2June2007.jpg

A pal of Russian Edna, who got murdered.

When did that happen?

I don't remember those two you mentioned but has anyone seen "Cider Man" about? He's always got a bottle of cider with him and he's dancing to music in his ears.

You may say he's just a drunk but something's definately wrong with him...

He's usually around the Hillsborough/ Malin Bridge area.

We call him Dancing man :D

Also we now have Elvis out and about in Crookes and Broomhill:D