I know this is going back a LONG way, but does anyone remember what was on the site of the old Townhall extension, commonly known as the Egg box, before it was built? I know that there is a hotel there now but what was in that space before the Egg box?

It was like this when I was a lad.


http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=y02616

I know St. Paul's stood on the peace gardens site, but why were those buildings demolished? I'm sure Sheffield has some plan to destroy all its heritage. :(

I know St. Paul's stood on the peace gardens site, but why were those buildings demolished? I'm sure Sheffield has some plan to destroy all its heritage. :(

If you mean the buildings in that photograph, - they were demolished because the council wanted an extension to the town hall, physically linked to the town hall....and you can't argue with a compulsory purchase order.

I often wonder if the Egg Box was actually paid for before it was demolished ;)

Cheers, good pictures! What was that building with the clock tower?

Cheers, good pictures! What was that building with the clock tower?

Hello,

I think the building with the clock tower - corner of Norfolk street and Howard Street - was Walker and Hall's office buiding. Their works took up most of that block and extended down Howard Street to Howard Lane?.

On the other corner of Howards Street was a "Thorton's Chocolate Kabin". I can't remember what the shop next door was called but next two that (half -in and half-out of the photograph) was the double-fronted shop of Walker and Carson, the printers and stationers. Their large printing works was in behind the shop.

I can't remember too much about the shops going the other way either (to the left of the building with the clock tower, going towards Surrey Street) but one was a chemists shop.

Regards

The first dark coloured building after the light coloured ones beyond the clock tower building, is what used to be Hibberts Art Shop and Gallery and is now the Wicker Herbalists.

Norfolk Street used to be really long, I think it went right down to the bottom of the Moor before all the demolitions and new road building in the 60s. They used to say "A face as long as Norfolk Street" when you were looking a bit down. Do you remember that, Greybeard?

Norfolk street ran from Charles street, on which was the main entrance to the Empire, down to Fitzalan square. The short stretch from Charles street to Moorhead was Union Street. Empire stage door and the Union Picture House/Palace ? Then there was a narrow lane called Porter street which joined up with Bramall lane.

I do remember...but just checked the map to be sure ;)

Norfolk street ran from Charles street, on which was the main entrance to the Empire, down to Fitzalan square. The short stretch from Charles street to Moorhead was Union Street. Empire stage door and the Union Picture House/Palace ? I must have been thinking of the one that's the dual carriageway now, sorry. I don't remember those two places you mention, although I have heard of them. Were they where the two car parks were opposite what's now the Ha-Ha Bar? I only can really remember the City Centre from about 1960 which when was I was allowed to go into Town by myself. I'm not sure if they were still there then?

I'm not sure if they were still there then?


Neither am I :) I was away from Sheffield from 1958 to 1975 and missed all the redevelopment. The dual carriageway was made generally along the line of Eyre street and a bit of Arundel street, although Arundel street used to join Norfolk street opposite the rear of M&S.

Lots of little streets I knew between Norfolk street and Flat street/Pond street have disappeared. Charles street is still there but Moorhead has become Furnival Gate.

It was like this when I was a lad.


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Hello Greybeard

I've had another look at the photo and I seem to recall that the white-fronted building (beyond what I suggested was the W & H office building with the clock tower) was infact a car showroom of sorts. The showroom proper was on the right of the building and the bit on the left was actually an archway that went through to the back.

Don't ask me what make of vehicle was sold there. It was probably one of the more obscure ones that disappeard right after the war.

Something like Lanchester's, although I think Lanchester's were actually sold by Batty's on that funny little curved street that used to go from where Bramhall Lane, Eyre Street and Hereford Street all used to meet, out to The Moor.

All a long time ago.

Regards

Great, cheers everyone, keep it coming!

I think the car showrooms were Brook Shaws before they moved to west bar.

Was there an arcade (Burlingtons?) running from Norfolk St up to Pinstone St, or was that somewhere else?

OOOOHH..A trip down memory lane or even Norfolk Street:)

I have just looked at my copy of kelly's for 1968:
Kelly’s Directory 1968:

From the corner in question – Norfolk Street and Surrey Street:
131, M.B. Powell, Ladies Hairdresser.
& Leslie Gould, Opticians.
133-135, Thos. Morrisons, Tailors
137, Bruce and Co., Jewellers.
141, Overseas Aid shop.
147-151, Ernest W. Hatfield, Car Showroom.
157, Strawberrie Faire, Dressmakers.
…………………Howard Street………………
159, Thorntons. Confectioners.
163, Walker & Carson Ltd., Stationers.
167, Ernest W. Hatfield, Garage.
& Town Hall Motors, Car Dealers.
169, Sydney Skelton & Son, Accountants.
& Sheffield, Rotherham & District Master Bakers Assoc.
Also at 169, Sheffield & District Bakery & Confectionery Students Soc.
& Sheffield Municipal Officers Guild.
…………………Charles Lane………………

Brings back memories:):)

I think the car showrooms were Brook Shaws before they moved to west bar.

Hi,

Brooks Shaw' was right at the end of Norfolk Street on the corner of Charles Street - diagonally across from the Old Empire. You will remember the showroom windows were all diferent shapes and spelt "Brook Shaw".

Long Gone

Regards

OOOOHH..A trip down memory lane or even Norfolk Street:)

I have just looked at my copy of kelly's for 1968:
Kelly’s Directory 1968:

From the corner in question – Norfolk Street and Surrey Street:
131, M.B. Powell, Ladies Hairdresser.
& Leslie Gould, Opticians.
133-135, Thos. Morrisons, Tailors
137, Bruce and Co., Jewellers.
141, Overseas Aid shop.
147-151, Ernest W. Hatfield, Car Showroom.
157, Strawberrie Faire, Dressmakers.
…………………Howard Street………………
159, Thorntons. Confectioners.
163, Walker & Carson Ltd., Stationers.
167, Ernest W. Hatfield, Garage.
& Town Hall Motors, Car Dealers.
169, Sydney Skelton & Son, Accountants.
& Sheffield, Rotherham & District Master Bakers Assoc.
Also at 169, Sheffield & District Bakery & Confectionery Students Soc.
& Sheffield Municipal Officers Guild.
…………………Charles Lane………………

Brings back memories:):)


Hi,


I was wrong about the chemists shop and must have confused it with Gould's Opticians.

I also thought Hadfields had a showrooms on Norfolk's Street. Then again, I thought they might have had two (which seems to be right) but I didn't say anything because its such a long time ago and my memory plays tricks with me these days.

Hadfields gave up the small show room (Opposite the back of the Town Hall) early on and eventually moved out of the other one which I think Pinders took over. Before they moved to Charter Row (?).

At the end of the same block - near to Charles Lane and opposite the end of St Paul's Parade - used to be Mappin & Webb's Showroom with glass cases full of all the cutler and silverware they were famous for; however, they may have closed it down by 1968 when that particular edition of Kelly's was published

Regards

Does anybody else remember a shop selling Scottish items, Tartan cloth,kilts,bagpipes, I'm sure it was just at the top of Howard street,on the right as you went down from norfolk street. I'm sure I didn't dream this!!!!!!!!, but it was about 50 years ago.
Steve

Was there an arcade (Burlingtons?) running from Norfolk St up to Pinstone St, or was that somewhere else?

I think you are right.I think we called it Suggs Arcade.Barney Goodmans the tailors was at the top of it.

Does anybody else remember a shop selling Scottish items, Tartan cloth,kilts,bagpipes, I'm sure it was just at the top of Howard street,on the right as you went down from norfolk street. I'm sure I didn't dream this!!!!!!!!, but it was about 50 years ago.
Steve

You did not dream it, I remember it well, but I thought it was one of the shops in the picture, coming towards the camera. :huh:

Something like Lanchester's, although I think Lanchester's were actually sold by Batty's on that funny little curved street that used to go from where Bramhall Lane, Eyre Street and Hereford Street all used to meet, out to The Moor.

All a long time ago.

Regards

That 'little curved street' was Ellin street and surprisingly it has survived all the redevelopment. There was still a garage/car dealer on there in the late 70s opposite the building used by South Yorks. Archives.

All the buildings have now gone in even later development but you can still see Ellin street on Google Maps.

I remember at the top of Ellin street there was a side entrance to the chapel with a little bridge over the Porter Brook.

The little cobbled back streets behind Norfolk street were a bedlam in my youth. Lots of small factories/workshops with hammers, presses, grinders etc. all beavering away. We used to sneak into some of them to watch the men at work ...fascinating stuff for a ten-year--old :)

I think Ellin St.was the place of the first mass x-ray screening programmes that were started in the city.In fact I think I went into the old building to have mine taken.50 to 60 yrs.ago.OOPs just fallen over my beard.:hihi:

I think Ellin St.was the place of the first mass x-ray screening programmes that were started in the city.In fact I think I went into the old building to have mine taken.50 to 60 yrs.ago.OOPs just fallen over my beard.:hihi:

Hi,

I went there was from school about 1950-51. You had to be at least 14 to have the test.

Do you remember the x-ray service at Ellin Street also had a mobile version in a fleet of trucks? They used to go around to different businesses, works and offices on a 4-5 year cycle. It was scrapped when the equipment eventually wore out and the authorities said they couldn't afford to replace it.
Sound familiar ?

You'll will remember the mobile x-rays were on film but if this showed up a potential problem, then you had to go to Ellin Street where more x-rays were taken but this time it was with full size photgraphic plates attached to the front of the machine. To get the best possible results, you were stripped to waist and then pressed up agains the cold metal casings that held the photo plates. I'll swear those film cases had been kept in the fridge overnight. God! -they were cold.


All that to be told there is nothing wrong with you although the programme had a very good sucess rate in identifying people who had chest/lung conditions they didn't know about. Therefore treatment could be initiated before the conditions became hopeless. Such things as TB.

Regards

Wow, so much to go on! I knew asking the forum was a good idea! Fascinating agout the TB screening.

It was like this when I was a lad.


http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=y02616

Hi Greybeard

I found this picture of the other corner of Walker and Hall's buildings (corner of Howard Street and Eyre Street). This also had a clock tower - similar to the one on the corner of Norfolk Street and Howard Street - but not quite as impressive.

Regards


http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/picturesheffield.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.refno=s09736

Ellin street is a little far down the hill for my needs, but interesting anyway!

Good photo!

I know this is going back a LONG way, but does anyone remember what was on the site of the old Townhall extension, commonly known as the Egg box, before it was built? I know that there is a hotel there now but what was in that space before the Egg box?

If my memory serves me rightly befor the egg box, was built, its was,the top of Norfolk street & the begining of Union street, & there were lots of little mesters,cutlery works,leading of where the egg box was built,have you herd of the Sheffield,buffer girls, I know the pease garden as allways been there:thumbsup:

The area of the Peace Gardens was taken up by St. Pauls church and graveyard from (I think) the mid 1700s to its demolition in the 1930s. I wonder if they managed to remove all the bodies or are there still some under the Peace Gardens? Was the crypt totally filled in or is it still there, buried for ever more....?

The area of the Peace Gardens was taken up by St. Pauls church and graveyard from (I think) the mid 1700s to its demolition in the 1930s. I wonder if they managed to remove all the bodies or are there still some under the Peace Gardens? Was the crypt totally filled in or is it still there, buried for ever more....?

If there was ever a crypt, then the current water features and new square would probably be below that level now anyway.

In old photos this looked like quite a large church. I suspect that since the begginning of the 20th century and the clearing of the town centre slums as the outer suburbs were laid out, then there was far less call for so many large churches in the town centre. Indeed there were many more churches in the town centre 100 years ago but at the same time the city had a far smaller total area. Large parts of today's S8 were still in Derbyshire.

Was there an arcade (Burlingtons?) running from Norfolk St up to Pinstone St, or was that somewhere else?

It was called the "Cambridge Arcade". It started on Pinstone's Street - opposite the bottom end of Cambridge Street - and went through to Union Street.

Barney Goodman was at Pinstone Street end - as someone has already noted. It had a lot of small shops but I seem to remember there was one large business on the town hall side of the arcade.

This was either a travel agent or a booking office for Sheffield United Tours. Perhaps both, but not at the same time.

In the mid to late 1950's, Expresso coffee shops were beginning to appear in Sheffield and one opened at the Union Street end of the Arcade. I can't remember the name but I think it had more than one before it eventually closed.

Incidentally, can anyone remember the name of the coffee shop that used to be on Chapel Walk? This opened roughly the same time as the one at Cambridge Arcade/ Union Street.


Regards

The coffee shop on Union Street was, if memory serves, called the El Mambo. Not sure if this was the orginal name. The only one I can think of on Chapel Walk was The Sidewalk, opened in the early 60's.

The coffee shop on Union Street was, if memory serves, called the El Mambo. Not sure if this was the orginal name. The only one I can think of on Chapel Walk was The Sidewalk, opened in the early 60's.

Hello,

El Mambo rings a bell. I only went in a couple of times at the beginning, but it seemed to get quite rough later. I remember the Sidewalk opening but dont ask me the year. It used to do a pretty good business. It always seemed to be full when ever we tried to go. In its early days, didn't its decorations have an unusual theme or have I got it mixed up with something else.


I left the Sheffield area in 1974 and there was about 15 years when I hardly came near. A lot happened to the city in years in between - but nothing compared to the changes of the last - say - ten years.

Regards

Yeah, the church was torn down because people were moving out of the city centre. Shame though, it looked like an imposing building, very gothic looking.