One of my strongest childhood memories is the 'You Are Here' illuminated map of the City Centre which stood at the junction of Flat Street and Pond Street throughout the 60s (very close to the bus station).

You pressed the buttons and little bulbs would light up on the map showing where the places were. It was probably state of the art technology at the time.

I don't know how many tourists actually used it, but it was a magnet for little kids.

I went back to Pond Street a couple of years ago and sadly, although the little recess in the railings where it once stood was still there, the map itself was long gone. :sad:

Does anyone else remember it?

Oh yes - it must have been there in the mid 80's when we went to Sheaf Valley baths.

Anyone else remember the Rolf Harris painting in the cafeteria? What happened to that? Was it just demolished?

Originally posted by Tony
Oh yes - it must have been there in the mid 80's when we went to Sheaf Valley baths.

Anyone else remember the Rolf Harris painting in the cafeteria? What happened to that? Was it just demolished?

I think the you are here board was only removed when the bus station was redeveloped about fifteen years ago.

I had heard that the Rolf Harris painting was lost when the baths were demolished, I don't know if there's truth in the rumour.

I miss the Sheaf Valley baths.

I understand that the main pool had been designed just a yard and a half (that's a metre and a half in new money!) too short, to be used as an international pool, and it'd have cost too much to dig it out and extend it.

I used to love going swimming there. My other half and I used to take our lad when he was just a little tiddler.

I liked the design it had with the deepest bit in the middle, and a shallow end at each end. it was better for the non-confident/ not-strong swimmers, as you didn't exhaust yourself getting all the way to the far end, and then have to struggle, tired-out, with the deep end. ( I believe that the baths at King Ted's School is the same sort of profile, designed deep in the middle. it's too many years than I care to remember since I went swimming there, so my memory is hazy)
And By god!

Wasn't that diving pool at SVB *damn* bloody cold!!!???

Plain Talker

Originally posted by Plain Talker
I understand that the main pool had been designed just a yard and a half (that's a metre and a half in new money!) too short, to be used as an international pool, and it'd have cost too much to dig it out and extend it.

LOL ... only in Sheffield!

As a kid I loved lighting up as many places as possible on the Pond St map. There was something fairly fascinating about pushing buttons and getting an instance response. The "you are here" bit on the map was permanently lit and had a coloured border around it I think.
I'd love to know where it is now.
As for the Sheaf valley baths my friends and I would emerge from them steaming, into the cold night air and head straight for the Pond St roast chestnut seller.
And then clutching the only two pence we each had left, we would board the bus and head off home.

Is there a thread on here where someone says they work for the council? Maybe we should put the whereabouts of these things to him/her.

I remember the 'you are here' board thingy very well indeed. As a kid I used to mess about with it, but then again: who didn't?

I can remember that map on Flat Street as if it was yesterday. Spent many a time being dragged away by my mum saying ''you'll break it!''.......What about those fish in the hole-in-the-road....they must have been fed up!Is the hole filled in or just covered over for someone to 'discover' in 100 yrs time?

Certainly remember trying to illuminate all the features.You had to be a real contortionist to lean on all the buttons.
Reminds me too of those Brylcream machines in the baths.A mate of mine used to suck the stuff out by putting his mouth to the nozzle - something the vending machine operator had not considered.

I understand that the main pool had been designed just a yard and a half (that's a metre and a half in new money!) too short, to be used as an international pool, and it'd have cost too much to dig it out and extend it.

I believe it was done on purpose so that the facilities would not be hogged by galas and internation events.

I spend my whole teenage years at Sheaf Valley. It was a good place to meet girls, even though they saw what they were getting body wise.

The staff were excellent, and I made a lot of friends there. I wonder where they are now?

To keep the thread on topic. I remember the map. It was there in the 60's when I was a teenybopper. I didn't understand what it did, I just liked pressing the buttons and seeing what lights came on. If I'm right, there was always a few buttons that didn't work as well.

As well as the map does anyone remember the four seasons cafe right at the bottom of the old bus station?It used to have a bright orange decor along with matching orange plastic bucket seats!!!

Oh my god, I remember that "you are here" board. We used to catch the bus right next to that and same as everyone my mum had a job trying to get me away from it.. hehe.. It was a race to see how many lights you could light up at once!!

OMG I was jus talkin bout this oth nite to me mum and Nora of pondstreet wow wish i cud show it me grandkids

I recall the map ,but I could never find myself,I looked everywhere & went home as I got bored.LOL

oh.my.god. I remember the map and the four seasons. that decor was fab. the old pond street bus station was the business. the downstairs toilet, the cafes and the fifty pence kiosk. Sheffield was so much better back then. progress and modernisation can be such a bad thing sometimes.

I recall the map ,but I could never find myself,I looked everywhere & went home as I got bored.LOL

hi ya tosh it was jus a little up from the kiosk threp n bit newspapers n sweets n ciggies brill lol:hihi:

Ah! Pond street bus station, what a dive it became though. Remember a woman, may have been pond street nora, telling me that tizer was made from cider and hot water!! I was with my dad at the time and how we did laugh sitting on the 70 bus going home!!

As well as the map does anyone remember the four seasons cafe right at the bottom of the old bus station?It used to have a bright orange decor along with matching orange plastic bucket seats!!!
I believe the Four Seasons cafe was on Platform C next to the 41 Hackenthorpe stop (my bus). There was another cafe at the end of the bottom platform which I think was called the Bar Terminus or Terminal.

just had a nice trip down memory lane

just had a nice trip down memory lane

me to..i always pressed the bramall button and wondered how far away it was from town,one thing that sticks in my mind about sheaf valley baths,the price list was on the wall as you went in and it listed

adults

children

oap

i always thought the s had fallen of oap and it was saying how much soap was for the showers:blush:


also someone in the thread asked what had become of the friendly staff..well i remember a not so friendly bloke called derek..suppose he was always getting hassle off hundreds of kids hence his temper,anyway he's actually a very nice bloke and upto about 2 years ago was landlord at the old harrow pub on broad street,he then took a pub up in the north east.