Anyone live on the Birley now or days gone. I lived there in the 70's as a kid. The Vic Hallam Boxes weren't the best houses around but I wouldn,t have lived anywhere else.

i used to live in the vic halam houses on scowerdons not on birley though im afraid in the 70s and 80s used to be reyt nice in them days thank god i moved off wen we did ,cus its awful now ,many happy memories the houses were like tardises looked really small but bloody massive inside xx

I lived on the scowerdons as achild too in the 70's ..
Was a great place to live .
Its about gone now. :(

maybee we know each other i lived on wickfield drive am 38 now not far from the little hut on the estate remember it it was small n green and sold just about everthing then they went upmarket and built a propper shop lol xx went to wood house west end school then city x

I lived on wickfield drive, number 53!!

:D:Dbugger me !!!!!!!!!!!!! lol i lived at 57 wickfield drive we must know each other then my house was the house bang next to the gennel SMALL WORLD THIS IS :banana:

I am trying so hard to think which one 57 is, as the numbers went all daft on that estate.
I moved out about 8 yrs ago, i had only lived there a couple of years.

ahhh you probably dint know me then we moved off in about 1991 had lived there 21 years previous my house was on your left hand side as you was comin up wickfield drive there was a gennel at the side when you walked down that gennel it brought you to the main road where the bus stop was bang opposite was two rows of houses on a road and at the end of that road was a steep banking that led to woods and a park our sirname was brown can anyone remeber us xxxx

hello just posted you on city school post lol i know you sharron lol
i lived there all my life til about 02 it was a great place to grow up i loved it i'll pm you my details lol small world indeed.:D

my nan lived on wickfield close (i think) up near the hut and jack in a box.we lived in hacky, but i did date quite a few ladies from frechville school who lived on the scowerdons.

willman you tart!!!!! lol
i lived on wickfield road most of my friends lived on hacky though so may know you, lol but im def not one of you old flames lol:D

willman you tart!!!!! lol
i lived on wickfield road most of my friends lived on hacky though so may know you, lol but im def not one of you old flames lol:D

i'm probably old enough to have known your mum though.:hihi:

you even bigger tart!!!! lol
mum never grew up there so im safe lol.

I grew up in the Vic Hallam houses on the Birley Estate in the 70s, Newstead Road to be exact, attended Thornbridge School 1979-1983ish . The looked small houses on the outside but inside they were massive, large living room, 3 large bedrooms and that blow air heating you could sit in front of. I think theyve knocked our old house down now - loved it, remember playing 20 a side footy games on the waste ground next to Birley Moor Road - how dangerous was that on a major main road when the ball went over the fence, also before the tram lines were put in when there were trees and hedges along the golf course we used to build a swing on Birley Lane and swing out into the road !!! crazy or what !!!!

Smudgersmiff, I lived on Newstead Avenue in the 70's-80's. Used to play on the same trees and swing. Spent a lot of time in Birley Woods growing up. Just wondered if you knew the Rollinson family. Used to hang around with Paul Case, Terry Wheeler, Brendan Fowler and left Thornbridge School in 1980. Cheers.

my relations lived on wickfield quite a big family the eastons ,shane, beverly ,tina ,trever ,jaqui etc.
my in laws live on weakland.

Smudgersmiff, I lived on Newstead Avenue in the 70's-80's. Used to play on the same trees and swing. Spent a lot of time in Birley Woods growing up. Just wondered if you knew the Rollinson family. Used to hang around with Paul Case, Terry Wheeler, Brendan Fowler and left Thornbridge School in 1980. Cheers.

Nidgeroll - Hi mate, all those names you mentioned i know and the Rollinsons - You lived next door to Robert Bradley ?? You lot were a year or 2 older than me but prob same age as my elder brother, Richard Smith. You got a brother called Wayne ??? I used to play footie with Brendan for the Fairways after leaving school when Harry the Dog ran them. Good days them growing up on that estate with the woods and that at the side, Knocking it all down now though. Big mass football games on the waste ground at the side of Birley Moor Road - building the Bonfire on November 5th on the same waste ground !!!

Hi Nidgeroll, Smudgersmiff, aye there's not much left of the Birley Estate now is there? I lived on Newstead Road 'an all and my mum & dad only moved off there 2 yrs ago. Good memories though, playing football with Tony Kay, Sean Watson, Dave Howarth, Mark Kempton and anybody else who wanted to join in! It were great using the 'no ball games' signs as goal posts........smudgersmiff, did you move to Churchdale Road some years ago?

Hi Nidgeroll, Smudgersmiff, aye there's not much left of the Birley Estate now is there? I lived on Newstead Road 'an all and my mum & dad only moved off there 2 yrs ago. Good memories though, playing football with Tony Kay, Sean Watson, Dave Howarth, Mark Kempton and anybody else who wanted to join in! It were great using the 'no ball games' signs as goal posts........smudgersmiff, did you move to Churchdale Road some years ago?


Hi Bingbing - I used to live on Newstead Road for quite a few years then we moved to the top of Silkstone Road opposite Birley Hotel. Used to play footie with Steven Watson and Darren Dennison. You lot were a couple of years older than us !! We also used the NO BALL GAMES sign for a goal post !!! I remember playing cricket up at the Thornbridge school on the artificial pitch on sunday afternoons with Sean Watson and his mates, the Watsons had a Duncan Fearnley bat and we all thought we were Ian Botham coz he used the same bat !!!

I lived on Newstead Road from 1971 - 1988 my mum and dad lived there until a couple of years ago, due to the demolition, our house has gone now.:mad:

I left Thornbridge in 1985 and some of the names mentioned has brought back some memories for me. Robert Bradley, Paul Case, Darren Dennison, the Rollinsons, Tony Kay, Brendan Fowler :hihi: I was a few years younger so am more familiar with their younger siblings

I remember huddling around the blow air heating on a morning, fighting for a space with my sister. Do you remember the knob handle that you had to turn to transfer the heating upstairs at bedtime. :o

I lived on Newstead Road from 1971 - 1988 my mum and dad lived there until a couple of years ago, due to the demolition, our house has gone now.:mad:

I left Thornbridge in 1985 and some of the names mentioned has brought back some memories for me. Robert Bradley, Paul Case, Darren Dennison, the Rollinsons, Tony Kay, Brendan Fowler :hihi: I was a few years younger so am more familiar with their younger siblings

I remember huddling around the blow air heating on a morning, fighting for a space with my sister. Do you remember the knob handle that you had to turn to transfer the heating upstairs at bedtime. :o

Oh yes i do remember the handle on the heating !!!! my mam used to to make her own bread and leave it to rise in front of that heating !! Think our old house has gone now. Good old days, spent many a happy hour sitting outside the Frecheville and Fairways pubs waiting for me mum and dad - Years ago there was a decent english chippie at side of Frechy boozer that got took over by a chinese. Played football for Frechy and Spa club before it became the Sherwood !!!

I used to live on Newstead Close and we used to play kick can around the gas box and garages,we'd also regularly go across the golf course to Birley woods and play on the tarzan swing or in the frog pond. Can't remember many names but there were the Staniforths, Fairfaxes, Andersons and Glossops. Some are still around that area today I'm sure.

Ha ha that heating system was unreal.:hihi: We used to climb on the gas box and often couldnt get back down, much to the dismay of our parents, there were chips in the corner brick work, but you had to be nimble to climb it. The Browns lived next door to it and we used to peek in their house.:D I remember a few families, Warriners, Cowleys, Biggins, Dennisons all lived near the gas box.

Smudgersmiff, I lived on Newstead Avenue in the 70's-80's. Used to play on the same trees and swing. Spent a lot of time in Birley Woods growing up. Just wondered if you knew the Rollinson family. Used to hang around with Paul Case, Terry Wheeler, Brendan Fowler and left Thornbridge School in 1980. Cheers.

hi nigeroll are you still in aussi land fairways pub still there & yes i knew you all . all the best Ian case

I lived on Newstead Place between 1990-2000. Then i split up and lived in Frechville pub for about 9months(Dennis Hobson senior owned it)
Think they have be knocked down now.Big inside,but always leaked when it rained.

Smudgersmiff, I lived on Newstead Avenue in the 70's-80's. Used to play on the same trees and swing. Spent a lot of time in Birley Woods growing up. Just wondered if you knew the Rollinson family. Used to hang around with Paul Case, Terry Wheeler, Brendan Fowler and left Thornbridge School in 1980. Cheers.

hi nigel yes I knew aII of your family NOT SEEN WAYNE FOR A LONG TIME ARE YOU STILL IN AUSSIE CHEERS

smudgersmiff, i lived on newstead avenue in the 70's-80's. Used to play on the same trees and swing. Spent a lot of time in birley woods growing up. Just wondered if you knew the rollinson family. Used to hang around with paul case, terry wheeler, brendan fowler and left thornbridge school in 1980. Cheers.

i know these people too!! Stil do!! terrys brother craig was in my year at school!! we left thornbridge school in 1976/7.
I lived on the scowerdons though.........happy days!!!!

Anyone live on the Birley now or days gone. I lived there in the 70's as a kid. The Vic Hallam Boxes weren't the best houses around but I wouldn,t have lived anywhere else.


moved to the birley in 1968..how big were those houses..could play football in the living room..going on school fields and park patrol chasing us..birley woods and the old pit near bottom of golf course....
boozing in frecheville,fairway,harrow and birley...great that estate has a kid...always loads knocking about playing football in the middle of the estate...happy days

Some friends of my late husbands lived on Newstead Way, Bill and Margaret Needham, also Roger and Brenda Garnett who lived on Newstead Road,(?) Margaret only moved house a couple of years ago. Sadly Bill died in 1985.

Anyone live on the Birley now or days gone. I lived there in the 70's as a kid. The Vic Hallam Boxes weren't the best houses around but I wouldn,t have lived anywhere else.

I lived in the vic hallam houses in the 70s,i lived on newstead rd and loved it.:love:

Not been on the site for yonks.. interested to see this thread.
Brought up on Newstead Way something like 1968 to 1982 (left when I was about 18). It was a great place back then, still see plenty of people from there around. Fondly remember those massive games of footy on the middle field, how you worked your way up the heirachy the older you got. Lots of names I remember from previous posts.. some were/are my mates.. Mark Kempton, Sean and Stevie Watson, Tony Kay, Andy Bingham, .. used to live opposite the Needhams (mentioned above) and was friends with their son Dave up to a point (just drifted apart as we got older I suppose)..
Its a sad thing and a good thing they're being knocked down really.. they used to look like Butlins when I was little with all the well kept grass and stuff.. ended up like Beirut for whatever reason.. shame.
Remember the old sweet shop.. was it called Farrellys or something?
The Butchers with the rabbits hanging in the window and bloodied sawdust on the floor.
The Co-Op.. the beer-off at the Frecheville (10p back on a pop bottle), free scraps from the chippy.. jumpers for goalposts (or 'no ball games' signs as someone mentioned haha) etc
Remember the meadow grass where the golf course is now, used to ripple in waves when it was windy.. Birley Woods and the tarzan swings.. daring each other to go up to school (Thornbridge) in the pitch black to confront the ghost of the cleaning lady who'd fallen in the boilers.. scrumping crab apples from the orchard where the Fairways is now..
Aaah happy days

i lived on wickfield drive from 83 to bout 90,brill place then,does anyone know jeanette cresswell,colin mitchell,nicholas coulson?used to av sum rite laffs.

Hi Ian

Great to hear from you. Yes I am still in Oz, Adelaide, loving life. Heard you and Paul had fallen out, last time we were back in Birley 2004. Are things still the same or have you made up? Haven't heard from your Paul in years. Thought he might have been over to see us. Will probably be back next year for our Lisa's wedding so it would be great to catch up with everybody.

Cheers, Nidge

Hi Hetty

Noticed your reply and mentioning Bill and Margaret Needham. Margaret used to work for my in-laws, John and Margaret Hemming, when they ran the Fairways pub in the 1980's. How is she and where is she living these days? Regards Nigel