Who can remember before the M1 came to Sheffield in the mid to late 60's long before Tinsley Viaduct was there. I had just past my test and the M1 stopped before the M18 was built.
The M1 then reached Sheffield and stopped at Barnsley.

Who can remember

Hi Sandie
i was around then but cant remember the actual construction. i'd like to see some phot's though if any one can do that?
Dean

I can remember Woodall Services being built - I used to yomp across the fields from Harthill to see what was going on.
Also the junction at Aston...same time, I guess.
I also knew someone who had their detached house in Wales Bar "compulsory purchased" just to let the bloody road through.

Ah, those were the days of no speed limits on the motorways and me been able to get from east Sheffield via Balborough motorway junction to Russell Square, London, in one and three quarter hours (in a Rover 3500 V8.

Ah, those were the days of no speed limits on the motorways and me been able to get from east Sheffield via Barlborough motorway junction to Russell Square, London, in one and three quarter hours (in a Rover 3500 V8.

Nowadays I reckon it would take 1¾ hours to get to Russell Square from the North Circular...

Tinsley viaduct was being built in 1966-7; I remember seeing it from the train as I went to and from college in Doncaster. Somewhere under the big roundabout at the southern end of the viaduct is the site of the old Plumpers Hotel - here's a photo of it:

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s22034

Hi alankearn,

Yes I can also remember when there were no speed limits on the motorways I had a Lotus Cortina first then a Cooper S and in the late 60's managed to reach 100 mph, thats what it said on the clock anywhay.

Those were definitly the days and I still look back on them with fond memories

Ah, those were the days of no speed limits on the motorways and me been able to get from east Sheffield via Balborough motorway junction to Russell Square, London, in one and three quarter hours (in a Rover 3500 V8.

Hi
that's a steady 85 all the way, lovely!
but the rover 3500 v8 had a top speed of 118mph i think, (or just a bit more) you could have done it in about 1hr fifteen !! get yer foot down !!
Dean

Who can remember before the M1 came to Sheffield in the mid to late 60's long before Tinsley Viaduct was there. I had just past my test and the M1 stopped before the M18 was built.
The M1 then reached Sheffield and stopped at Barnsley.

Who can remember
I was a student engineer on the M1 section from Grange Lane to Tankersley with A Monk & Co around 66/67 but have no photos unfortunately.
I remember many good times spent in the Travellers on Cowley Hill which was next to our offices.

Who can remember before the M1 came to Sheffield in the mid to late 60's long before Tinsley Viaduct was there. I had just past my test and the M1 stopped before the M18 was built.
The M1 then reached Sheffield and stopped at Barnsley.

Who can remember

I think South Yorkshire (not called that then though) stretch was opened around May 1968, and actually went to Leeds and didn't finish at Barnsley. Can anyone put us right please?

Hi Nigel Womersle,

Thanks for your reply when the M1 arrived at Sheffield, the next section was to Barnsley and if my memory serves me correct it was up to the Hoyland junction.
Then the final stretch was in Sturton in Leeds where it stopped until the A1 M1 Link road was built.

It was originally planned in the late 60's that the M1 would have shadowed the A1 all the way to Scotland, but as usual the then transport minister decieded that we in the North of England did not need these type of links so the investment went to the M1 in the South and surrounding areas.

As an apprentice with the GPO Telephones I worked on the Yorkshire stretch with the old emergency telephones at the side of the Motorway
Regards

Sorry Nigel,
After my reply I can remember your name from the past, did you go to CTS in Sheffield

My name is Dave Theaker

Sorry Nigel,
After my reply I can remember your name from the past, did you go to CTS in Sheffield

My name is Dave Theaker

Dave. No, I didn't go there, as I don't know what CTS is/was. It's a strange thing, but when the M1 was being constructed I was postman in Ecclesfield. I used to have to deliver to a small office by the side of the intended motorway. This was near Jumble Lane in Ecclesfield. I slid down the banking more times than I climbed down. I stood and watched them install the bridge over the M1 there. I was amazed that it arrived in two sections on lorries. Years later I worked in the Royal Mail Customer Service Centre in Pond Street, Sheffield. One particular day I was asked to go downstairs to see a customer who, immediately on seeing me said 'You're not the Nigel Womersley I taught at Myers Grove School, are you?' Er...no I'm not. I also have a namesake who rents 'bouncy castles' somewhere in the Pontefract area, and one who is in the army. I always said there would never be another with my name - shows how wrong I was.

CTS is Central Technical School, Nigel.

CTS is Central Technical School, Nigel.

Thanks Plain Talker. I honestly didn't have a clue.

You might find something interesting here: http://www.iht.org/motorway/stats.htm

Detail regarding Tinsley Viaduct: http://www.iht.org/motorway/m1bridges.htm#tinsleypic

Thank you for that Ousetunes. My apologies everyone. I was wrong.

I think South Yorkshire (not called that then though) stretch was opened around May 1968, and actually went to Leeds and didn't finish at Barnsley. Can anyone put us right please?

I went up the M1 in 1968/9 when it finished just south of Leeds.It finished by going downhill to an island .It was the longest straight line that I had ever ridden on my Triumph motorbike .Unfortunately the engine breather had coated my rear tyre with oil and as I leaned the bike over to go round the island it got rather exciting !!!!My passengers shoes bore the scars!!

I went up the M1 in 1968/9 when it finished just south of Leeds.It finished by going downhill to an island .It was the longest straight line that I had ever ridden on my Triumph motorbike .Unfortunately the engine breather had coated my rear tyre with oil and as I leaned the bike over to go round the island it got rather exciting !!!!My passengers shoes bore the scars!!

You are right about it straightening out and finishing at an island. It was somewhere by the ABC cinema. I was a regular at the old Leeds Playhouse - that's how I know.

my late father drove the first earth removal machine when they started going north over the viaduct

For our pains we used to live on the edge of Wincobank hill, the tinsley viaduct was still being built (they were halfway accross in april 1966) it was a house with the worst aspects/views, looking out over the don valley, we had a sprawl of steelworks (Hadfields, Millspaugh & Howells tube works),
Blackburn meadows power station whose steam belching cooling towers blocked out the sun until midday, and blackburn meadows sh*t works was unbearable when the wind blew from the east.
Looking at the tinsley viaduct wasn't all that bad compared.although i think wincobank should have been twinned with Chernobyl.

Childhood, the best years of your life, it ruined me

I can remember the notices being pinned to the trees in the woods at the bottom of Grange Lane saying the motorway was coming through :o They ruined one of our favourite play areas :gag:

Didn't they send some people over to the States to see how there thruways were built, but instead of sending the proper engineers they sent a bunch of idiots in buisness suits that wanted a free hoilday...took back all the wrong infomation and parts of the m1 started collapsing before the right poeople stepped in who should have gone to do the research in the first [place.

For our pains we used to live on the edge of Wincobank hill, the tinsley viaduct was still being built (they were halfway accross in april 1966) it was a house with the worst aspects/views, looking out over the don valley, we had a sprawl of steelworks (Hadfields, Millspaugh & Howells tube works),
Blackburn meadows power station whose steam belching cooling towers blocked out the sun until midday, and blackburn meadows sh*t works was unbearable when the wind blew from the east.
Looking at the tinsley viaduct wasn't all that bad compared.although i think wincobank should have been twinned with Chernobyl.

Childhood, the best years of your life, it ruined me

Hi Pete
As an apprentice with the GPO in 66 I can remember going to Blackburn Medows to install phone lines when the Viaduct was under the primary construction and yes the smell if the wind was in the wrong direction was in a word not good.
The one thing however I did learn that Tomatoes were grown on the site, because the seeds cannot be digested. Sorry to bring the level of the reply to this, but over the following years working with the water industry each Sewarge Treatment Plant have their own Tomato beds.
Sorry to get back to post at one point it was the largest Bridge in Europe, untill the rot set in. From the early 70's it was discoverd that the bridge had problems and I think today it still is undergoing works. If I am not wrong the last section of the M1 from Sheffield to Leeds the bridges have been replaced/modified due to inferior workmanship. Also if I remember the last section was built by Budge who eventually took over the pits from British Coal.

I remember the M1 motorway construction going either through or next to Hesley Wood Scout Camp.
In those days I was a young lad and enjoyed voluntary work on the camp in the Venture Scouts.
Most weekend I was at the camp and Saturday night was "Up the Pub night"...or "Down the pub" as the mood took us.

One night we took the dumper truck (used for shifting heavy things around the site) up the "still under construction" M1 with about 6 of us in the "dumper bin" at the front of the contraption, a few others hanging on to the "back end", and one driving. It was left under the newly constructed bridge close to the pub at the end of Warren Lane whilst we participated in a drink or 3.
At this stage the M1 was no more than a hardcore base.

The following day,when the said dumper truck was discoverd missing (or should I say, we remembered where it was, lol) we drew staws to decide who was going to fetch it back in daylight.

A friend of mine was bragging about racing down the M1 in his Morris 1000 traveller and when asked how fast he was going he said. "I don't know, there was a lot of rattling and the speedometer needle was on the half full mark of the petrol guage".

A friend of mine was bragging about racing down the M1 in his Morris 1000 traveller and when asked how fast he was going he said. "I don't know, there was a lot of rattling and the speedometer needle was on the half full mark of the petrol guage".

Yes I can beleive that in those days the speed on all derestricted was what was safe to do so not 70
I can also remember driving a green mini on the new M1 where the speedo needle was by the fuel gauge If I can remember correctly the speedo finished at 80 the car reg was 6 MFK then I had a red Mini Cooper and the speedo went up to 110 also managed to pass the end of the dial, not sure of the accuracy I could have only been going @70, but the car was vibrating and unstable the 1960's boy races what memories
Thanks

Not to worry.I was lorry driver when the MI was coming through Sheffield,ane we laid all the tarmac on the viaduct,and it came from a tarmac plant on Meadowbank,and we worked like dogs all day,and we stunk of diesel,and tar.Do not forget how much money the M1 has made for us in South Yorkshire.I also was on hire for six months whilst all the land drains were dug out from Birdwell to Cawthorn.Not far,but up,and down four times.is long way,and thousands of tons of muck,and our trucks carried all the soil for the plants,and trees you now see from Sheffield to Wakefield.It was hard work,believe me.

I lived on butterthwaite road and we used to ride kides trolleys made from old pram wheels all the way down the M1 during its construction. We started at the now Junction 35 and would ride right down to the start of the viaduct which was also under construction.

I worked on the M1 in 1966 for Dick Hampton,i believe they did the stretch from Barlborough to Brampton.The offices were where old Waleswood colliery used to be at the side of the tip where the trading estate is now.At the time i started the bridge over the M1 at Walesbar was non existant as it was still green fields.

my stepfather was a labourer on the Tinsley Viaduct and had his photo in the Sheffield Star ( leaning on a shovel, what else ) with a man they called the flour grader because he was small and wore a round bowler type hat - that's from the homepride adverts ages ago. A good photo as well, regrettably do not have a copy.
This is probably my claim to fame...............:)

Who can remember before the M1 came to Sheffield in the mid to late 60's long before Tinsley Viaduct was there. I had just past my test and the M1 stopped before the M18 was built.
The M1 then reached Sheffield and stopped at Barnsley.

Who can remember

I can! I remember my dad taking us to concord park and we had a really good view from there of the M1

The M1 was up to Tinsley J34 and the northern section wa from there to Sturton Leeds before it opened we had to use it to take some very large loads from English Steel to Liverpool we used it from Meadowhall to Dirker (A636) then go the old road into Huddersfield these loads were about 22feet wide and 120 tons and quite a lot were routed up the M1 before it was open to the public and they always went on Saturday mornings this would be 1967-8 so I would think this section opened in 1968.

I seem to remember they took part of the playing field of Warren school.

I remember being interviewed with some guy with a microphone around '67 ish whilst walking past The Star offices, in High Street.
I was about 17 at the time. He asked me what I thought about the fact that I could get to London on the M1 in 1 hour (or whatever) and I said it would not affect me cos' all I had at that time was a Raliegh moped.

Didn't they send some people over to the States to see how there thruways were built, but instead of sending the proper engineers they sent a bunch of idiots in buisness suits that wanted a free hoilday...took back all the wrong infomation and parts of the m1 started collapsing before the right poeople stepped in who should have gone to do the research in the first [place.

Hi,

You have to remember the first phase of the M1 (Rural Hertfordshire to a field near Leicester) was designed by accountants not by Engineers.

Yes they went to the US and looked at the Interstate system but the Bean-counters in the Treasury decided British heavy haulage would never, never be as big as in the US and they were too cheap to spend the money.

This section of M1 opened early in 1960 and within two years it was showing signs of distress. By 1964, large sections had completely broken up and had to be patched. By 1965, they had begun to rebuild it from end to end.

Regards