What ever happened to the fish in the hole in the road?

Exactly.
I heard they were left in situ. How mean would that be? But you can just imagine them not wanting to spend money to remove the poor things.
BTW many people don't believe me that there were fish down there, even people who used it often. Must have been doing the famous 'keep walking, look neither left nor right' through there.
And how did they feed the fish, anyway?

Laura

I remember gazing at them when I was a kid, it also used to be a good meeting point. "meet me at the fish tank"

Whales? Fish? maybe you got these mixed up.

Originally posted by "senseofplace"

Exactly.
I heard they were left in situ. How mean would that be? But you can just imagine them not wanting to spend money to remove the poor things.
BTW many people don't believe me that there were fish down there, even people who used it often. Must have been doing the famous 'keep walking, look neither left nor right' through there.
And how did they feed the fish, anyway?

Laura

I am sure I remember someone dropping food in from the top. I was only young so could be wrong. There was some whoppers in there though, wasn't there?

Originally posted by "Lickszz"

Exactly.
I heard they were left in situ. How mean would that be? But you can just imagine them not wanting to spend money to remove the poor things.
BTW many people don't believe me that there were fish down there, even people who used it often. Must have been doing the famous 'keep walking, look neither left nor right' through there.
And how did they feed the fish, anyway?

Laura

I am sure I remember someone dropping food in from the top. I was only young so could be wrong. There was some whoppers in there though, wasn't there? any whales lol?

Originally posted by "Jon"

Exactly.
I heard they were left in situ. How mean would that be? But you can just imagine them not wanting to spend money to remove the poor things.
BTW many people don't believe me that there were fish down there, even people who used it often. Must have been doing the famous 'keep walking, look neither left nor right' through there.
And how did they feed the fish, anyway?

Laura

I am sure I remember someone dropping food in from the top. I was only young so could be wrong. There was some whoppers in there though, wasn't there? any whales lol?

No, looked like Chubb/Carp/Tench as far as I can remember. Can't confirm your Whale story unfortunately. :lol:

Originally posted by "Lickszz"

Exactly.
I heard they were left in situ. How mean would that be? But you can just imagine them not wanting to spend money to remove the poor things.
BTW many people don't believe me that there were fish down there, even people who used it often. Must have been doing the famous 'keep walking, look neither left nor right' through there.
And how did they feed the fish, anyway?

Laura

I am sure I remember someone dropping food in from the top. I was only young so could be wrong. There was some whoppers in there though, wasn't there? any whales lol? must have been some weird dream i had as a kid lol

No, looked like Chubb/Carp/Tench as far as I can remember. Can't confirm your Whale story unfortunately. :lol:

Wasn't there a door by the side of the tank or somewhere near? Probably allowed access to feed the fish and keep the tank clean etc. They certainly were getting quite big just before they pulled the plug - not literally (I hope !)

Jim

lol, they are probably roaming the sheffield sewerage system :lol:

they could be mutant fish now under Sheffield's streets :lol:

where was this at?

The 'hole in the road' - a giant open topped subway/roundabout that allowed you to get from Fitzalan Square to High Street. There were several ways in/out via ramps or escalators. The escalators could be quite entertaining - but that's another topic!

Jim

The escalators could be quite entertaining do tell lol :wink:

Well, put it this way, escalators and young girls in mini skirts were made for each other!!

One incident in particular remains quite vivid in my memory as, quite by chance (honest!) I followed a young girl up the escalators one day and she tripped up right in front of me. The sight that met my eyes kept me smiling for weeks - lovely rosy cheeks, say no more!

Jim

Originally posted by "jimbol"

Well, put it this way, escalators and young girls in mini skirts were made for each other!!

One incident in particular remains quite vivid in my memory as, quite by chance (honest!) I followed a young girl up the escalators one day and she tripped up right in front of me. The sight that met my eyes kept me smiling for weeks - lovely rosy cheeks, say no more!

Jim Reminds me that one day i was sat at the bottom of the stairs at The Førum Shopping Centre when two women walked up the stairs one with a short skirt on lets just say "Thongs for the memories" ooooooo Matron :wink:

I don't know if it was one of the original fish but there was a 3lb bream on my lawn this morning. It's too big to have been brought by a cat or heron and I don't think a fox would have left it.

Anybody in the Walkley/Crookes/Hillsborough area missing a fish?

I needed to tell someone and this seemed a likely place to put it.

so what happened to the 3lb bream have you heard anymore where the fish came from?

I considered recycling it via my cats but unfortunately my delicate nature overcame me and I binned it. There was an option of putting it on e-bay but I couldn't think of a reserve price.

Bin day is Tuesday in Walkley so if anybody wants to claim it then it's nicely wrapped in newspaper and will be available up to Monday evening.

Should be a right pong by then, I think I will stay well clear of the area until bin day

Talk about finding things in your garden like when maxt found a fish in his i woke up and looked out my window and saw something in the garden so i went outside and someone had put a statue over my fence of a young girl this was about 2 years ago now...it is now in my back garden :? anybody else ever find owt strange in there gardens?

Actually, I found ...a goldfish.
Maybe it's some weird tradition. An annual fish fling or something, undertaken by shadowy figures obeying some ancient call to fling fish in other people's gardens in the dead of night...
Spooky.

Laura

I remember the fish tank with fish in it in the hole in the road, walked right past it most days. Suppose it was removed to a better home when the hole was filled in.

Think it was around this time that the Council stopped local
fairgrounds from offering goldfish-in-plastic -bags as prizes.
Although what's that's got to with the price of fish escapes me!

I seem to remeber that they moved them to the fish 'greenhouse' in the Botanical Gardens.

These fish could still be alive, I heard on the radio someone who won a fish at a fair in 1976 and its still going strong.

Lets start a campaign

Where are the Hole in the Road Fish:D :D :D

I remember going to a bungalow off Stannington Road near Lomas Hall to buy some fish from a fish breeder. His name was John, I never heard his second name. He was paid to keep the fish fed, replenished and the tanks cleaned in the Hole in the Road. He also ran a business supplying fish tanks etc to Restaurants, offices and business premises.I presume he emptied the tank and retained the fish before the Hole in the Road was closed.

For those of you who never saw the Hole in the Road- here's one link for you:-

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/hpac.pl

The fish were kept by the local fish enthusiast who used to look after them,a door at the side of the tank used to give access for feeding and cleaning. The Bus enquiry office was on the other side of the tank, none of the fixtures and fittings in the Hole in the Rd was ever removed when it was filled in.
Some archeologist in the future will think he's found ancient Rome if they start digging there, and finds all the ceramic tiles which were on the walls.

anybody else ever find owt strange in there gardens?

Somebody used to leave bottles of home made wine in our hedge. Never did find out who it was, and we daren't drink it either:(

I remember the fish tanks in the hole in the road - and the door at the side. I remember standing there once as a kid looking up and seeing a big hand appearing and dropping food in, scared the you know what out of me.:D

Hasn't someone on the Sheffield Forum got the words,'Thanks for all the fish', as his signature?

He must get loads!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It seems the fish tank in the HOLE has become a much loved urban legend!

Any tales to tell anyone? lol xx

At one time the fish tank contained a rather large pirana. I remember seeing it and wondering how they used to feed the horrible looking thing.

When i was about 5 or 6 i used to have a habit of running away from my mum in town. She always found me staring at the fish in the hole. I got a clip ebery time but it was always worth it!

i used to like watching them was a real shame when it was removed they should build another one maybe in the winter gardens :clap:
somthing like this
http://www.1uptravel.com/international/northamerica/united-states/images/orl_nationalaquarium_b1.jpg

Originally posted by wendy
At one time the fish tank contained a rather large pirana. I remember seeing it and wondering how they used to feed the horrible looking thing. I remember that and how amazed I was by it. I bought three myself many years later to see if they had the magic appeal, but they didn't and I rehomed them to Sheffield Aquatics.

Was a great shame to get rid of that place, just a quick clean up and it could have been nice again.

Hey guess what

the fish weren't really as big as that. I once saw into the back when they had the door open to clean, and the tank was a normal size one with normal sized fish, and an enormous magnifier at the front, so that the public thought all the fish were monsters!

Originally posted by muddycoffee
Hey guess what

the fish weren't really as big as that. I once saw into the back when they had the door open to clean, and the tank was a normal size one with normal sized fish, and an enormous magnifier at the front, so that the public thought all the fish were monsters!

Now I think about it I seem to remember hearing that somewhere!:blush: However it wasn't the size of the pirana that caught my attention but how ugly it was (plus I was a child at the time and had never seen anything so exotic before). Horrible looking things they are! Very good magnifying glass though you would never have guessed as it was very clear. So where was the door? I can't remember seeing a door into that section.

I think it was on the right hand side of it round the corner, remember once seeing someone at top through the water feeding them. Ahh I can still see it now

Can someone tell me where it was. I vaugly remember something like it in sheffield but I can't fully remember.

I remember a piranah in the aquarium in the botanical gardens, but not in the hole in the road.

While looking for a picture I found this site : http://public-art.shu.ac.uk/sheffield/thumb1.html

interesting things to find around town, I never even noticed half of them.

couldn't find a photo of the fish tank

but here is a link (http://www.pulppeople.plus.com/Sheffield/holeinthe_road.htm) to a photo of loads of flowers in the hole in the road.

See it can be sunny sunny sheffield sometimes.

found a good site that some of you will like

citysnapper sheffield (http://citysnapper.org/dm/sheff1999/index.html#City%20Centre)

Originally posted by wendy
At one time the fish tank contained a rather large pirana. I remember seeing it and wondering how they used to feed the horrible looking thing.

that fish used to scare me:o

Didn't someone do a 'smash and grab' raid on the tank once? I seem to remember this from the early 80s. Must have been a crack team of criminal aquarists?

i have e mailed the council to see if we can have one in the winter gardens i will let no what they say

Yeah lets start a 'Bring back the fish tank' campaign !!!!!

So many of us loved the one in the hole it should be resurrected,the winter garden would be ideal,

Everyone should email the council and get their friends to too!

Whats their address by the way anyone?:hihi:

try ann.mather@sheffield.gov.uk she is a customer services adviser for the council:D

i remember when man utd fans smashed it:|

Cheers! I have just sent her an email, but just the two of us cant possibly make an impression!

Come on everyone get typing!

Bring back the fish tank!:clap:

Iv'e emailed her...................come on the rest of you

bring back the fish tank !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great stuff keep um coming!! :clap:


Bring back the fish tank wooopeeee!

Originally posted by kirky
i remember when man utd fans smashed it:|
That's just cockney jelousy,
there probably were looking for jellied eels


I have just sent the council a polite letter by email to ask for a new aquarium. :clap:

I've got my own, next to me here at work and all my work colleagues love it, it's so relaxing and colourful.

hi all,
my friends used to look after the fish tank in the 'hole in the road' around 1980, they were given a monthly fee for the food etc. the door was on the right of the tank, but because the wall was matt black it was hardly noticable.it was a real tight squeeze getting behind it to feed and care for them. it was a real shame when they closed it up. it was a very popular hobby at that time as tropical fish were pretty cheap, we ourselves had 7 x 4 foot fish tanks in our living room! we used to go to fish shows very much like crufts, it seems a bit silly now but it was harmless fun. Im sure there must be someplace that could accomodate a fish tank of that size, perhaps the tropical plant house?

Originally posted by muddycoffee
That's just cockney jelousy,
there probably were looking for jellied eels


I have just sent the council a polite letter by email to ask for a new aquarium. :clap:

I've got my own, next to me here at work and all my work colleagues love it, it's so relaxing and colourful.
What has "Cockney jealousy" got to do with Man Utd. fans, they are 200 miles apart.

well if everyone e-mails the council you never no its not like we are asking for an aquarium like the deep in hull is it all we want is a fishtank :thumbsup: maybe show the fish in it that live in the river don ? somthing like this would be perfect

aquarium (http://www.aquanet.com/news/images/news/OAC%20Exhibit1.JPG) or maybe even this could fit into the winter gardens ?
beaver springs aquarium (http://www.beaverspringsfun.com/Aquarium.cfm)

Originally posted by timo
Didn't someone do a 'smash and grab' raid on the tank once? I seem to remember this from the early 80s. Must have been a crack team of criminal aquarists?

Yes look at what happened to the clown fish CLICK (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v689/viking99/forums/Nemo.jpg)

Originally posted by mr.fogg
What has "Cockney jealousy" got to do with Man Utd. fans, they are 200 miles apart. I was going to ask the same, but then realised that most Man UTD fans don't live in Manchester :D

Anyway, back to the fish. We have a nice set up at home and it's not expensive after the initial set up.

Not sure where the council would put one now, but if you want to start a proper campaign then why not research sites to put one, the costs involved and maybe a volunteer group to maintain it (this would keep the costs down). I would add myself as a volunteer if required and I am sure many others on here have marine and tropical fish keeping expertise too.

If you approach the council with a full plan, costs, volunteers etc. and maybe even a company sponsoring it then I am sure they would take your suggestions a lot more seriously.

Originally posted by alex3horse
Great stuff keep um coming!! :clap:


Bring back the fish tank wooopeeee!

Post the wording then everyone can send the same one.

I put something along the lines of -

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to request the resurrection of the much loved fish tank that was once in the old hole in the road. It was a very popular attraction enjoyed by a wide range of people. Therefore I and many others feel that an aquarium would be a great addition to the Winter Gardens, drawing more visitors and adding to the existing ambience of the building. Please forward our requests to the relevant person.

Etc etc

Its our city for gods sake! why cant we have a say in what gets built here, nobody ever asked me if I wanted a centre for popular music or a winter garden! :suspect:

Just emailed requesting the ruturn of the Fish tank.
We need more.

Just got this reply back from the council.

Dear Tracy

Thank you for your email, I have sent this on for you.

I hope that this information is satisfactory and please contact First Point
again for any future enquiries.

Yours sincerely
Ann Mather
Customer Service Advisor

Not sure if its going to get us anywhere.

i heard that they filled in the hole in the road with the fishtank and fish still in it....well thats wot my big sis told me to make me cry as a nipper lol

funny that twist as my older siss said same to me, lol

i use to love seeing that fish tank in the hole in road..
my 10y old daughter does not belive me now that were the trams go over was once a hole in road that u could walk under and see the famous fish tank,

she seen pictures of the hole in road but she says it looks like it was years ago like the time her nannan use to be younger,as im only 28 she think im kidding her that i use to walk threw it.

We used to arrange to meet our 'first dates' at the fish tank because you could peer round the corners of the many entrances into the hole in the road to see if he was as gorgeous as your Friday/Saturday night alcohol influenced encounter remembered. If he wasn't you could catch up with your mates and, as everyone waiting feigned interest in the fish, your feelings of guilt were eased.

Just round the corner from fish tank was another hole….well shop really that sold cheap fags…this place appeared to do really well as there always seemed to be a queue. They had brightly coloured signs on the wall stating prices and how cheap this and that brand was. I remember walking past early one morning before the shop had opened and seeing the signs altered to say things like ***** brand only £1.49 get cancer cheaper here. It looked like someone had taken their time over it….now, can anyone remember the anti smoking chap who always appeared at the crucible theatre when the snooker was on?? Well the snooker was on.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
Hey guess what

the fish weren't really as big as that. I once saw into the back when they had the door open to clean, and the tank was a normal size one with normal sized fish, and an enormous magnifier at the front, so that the public thought all the fish were monsters!


Somethings we aren't supposed to know, like Father Christmas doesn't exist.
:(

sent my request to bring back the fish tank, thats at least half a dozen now!!
I remember it well, wasnt there a gt news in just about every entrance? and the escalators to get to rackhams!! and boots!!

Am I correct in remembering that there were tropical fish tanks built into the walls of the "Hole In The Road" in the 70's? When were they removed? Kevin.

They are still there :o but these days you are not allowed to see them. :D

One is a sherman fish tank and it has only camouflaged fish.

but seriously there was only one large fish tank and the fish appeared larger because there was a large magnifying glass across the front of it so they were all wonderously huge "looking" fish.

I think they were also there in the 1980s when I came to live here.

I always wondered how they fed the fish and changed the water.....

Joe

I've been away for years! I don't understand! Please explain!

Joe there was a little door at the side around the corner and you could sometimes see it open and there was just enough room for the Aquarist to go in an maintain the tank.

Originally posted by kev21662
I've been away for years! I don't understand! Please explain!

The 'Hole in the Road' was filled in some years ago and is now covered by tram tracks and such like.

Joe

Originally posted by muddycoffee
Joe there was a little door at the side around the corner and you could sometimes see it open and there was just enough room for the Aquarist to go in an maintain the tank.

Cheers muddy! :thumbsup:

I vaguely remember the door but clearly never made the connection. I always though that it was a bit tough for the fish; that water always seemed to be a bit murky.

Joe

Originally posted by muddycoffee
Joe there was a little door at the side around the corner and you could sometimes see it open and there was just enough room for the Aquarist to go in an maintain the tank.
Didn't they make watches? :suspect:

Fish in the hole in the road (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=837&highlight=what+happened+to+the+fish) I bet the younger generation won't have a clue about the fish and the hole in the road.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
One is a sherman fish tank and it has only camouflaged fish.

but seriously there was only one large fish tank and the fish appeared larger because there was a large magnifying glass across the front of it so they were all wonderously huge "looking" fish.
Yes, one was 88mm. How it survived to get to be one of the big-guns I don't know.

Going off track weren't there some shells in there too?



I'll get my coat......

Threads merged. Thanks