Help: The History of Firth Park

I'm a journo student at Shef Uni and I'm after some history on the past of Firth Park - the actual park. Need some background info on the history for yesteryears til today's redevelopment of it. Any ideas? Your help is much appreciated!

Young lady / young sir, you have come to the right place ;)

Firth Park history
Part of a thirty-six acre estate donated by Mark Firth to the good people of Sheffield and opened to the public in 1875 by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Here are a couple of links to do with Mark Firth (1819 to 1880AD: a local steel magnate who founded the college which later became the University of Sheffield):

Tilt Hammer - Steel City Founders - Mark Firth (www.tilthammer.com/bio/firth.html)

Sheffield General Cemetery (www.gencem.org/explore/residents/firth.html ) (where Mark Firth is buried)


Firth Park regeneration
Here's a link to the Firth Park Masterplan (http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/your-city-council/council-meetings/area-panels/brightside--shiregreen/agenda-22nd-october-2003/firth-park-masterplan) including regeneration plans for the area.

Locally, I recommend you get in touch with the Friends of Firth Park (http://www.firthpark.org.uk/fofp/) who meet every month. Assist them with a litter pick or paint the railings for them, and I'm sure they'll be especially helpful :D

What else could you do...try Firth Park library. They may have more plans up there, or at least some very good books on local history.

Finally, any chance of a copy of your article fuzz? I'd like a copy for my personal archives.

Many thanks

Great to have someone who can keep us posted on Firth Park area,good on yer Abdul, let the forum know if the tram lines are replaced when the sewer works are done, it would be nice to think there is still some interest in the local history.

Thanks for that Abdul - much appreciated! I'm just off now to go and have a walk about in Firth Park so if anyone sees a lad with a notepad n pen walking about looking intently at things - it's me so come and have a chat if you want!

Ta,

Look for the tree about level with the lower Firth Park rd entrance, it was planted by the then Prince of Wales, and has a plaque at the base with details.

Originally posted by little malc
Look for the tree about level with the lower Firth Park rd entrance

Is that the entrance opposite Firth Park Avenue, or the one opposite the old library?

Opposite Firth Park Ave, unless of course this wonderful council has chopped it down!

I was wondering why there was a headsotne by a tree - seems the vandals have removed the plaque tho. Anyone know what type of tree it is? Details are vital in these articles! Ta

As I live away from Sheffield now, can anyone tell me if the historic tram lines thro the island have been replaced since the sewer works?

Malc I was there last week and the tram lines are still there in the middle of the roundabout.
The park where the toilets and swings where has been upgraded with a large but nice building there and new landscaped gardens.
Not sure what that buildings for but it looks pleasing to the eye.

Originally posted by little malc
Great to have someone who can keep us posted on Firth Park area,good on yer Abdul, let the forum know if the tram lines are replaced when the sewer works are done, it would be nice to think there is still some interest in the local history.
i dont think they dug tramlines up just coverd over them
as far as i remember lived at firth park till 1960

Originally posted by Cycleracer
The park where the toilets and swings where has been upgraded with a large but nice building there and new landscaped gardens.
Not sure what that buildings for but it looks pleasing to the eye.

The building is a new community centre / nursery and it's called the First Start (http://www.kier.co.uk/KierNorthern/project_details.asp?id=415) building.

In Aldo's Barber shop on Bellhouse Road there is some really old pictures of how Firth Park used to look. They are really good.

Thanks for that information you guys, I like to keep in touch with my roots.

Originally posted by Lickszz
In Aldo's Barber shop on Bellhouse Road there is some really old pictures of how Firth Park used to look. They are really good.
thats when it was a great shopping centre
now its just a dump that was when i was a lad i think all the shop keppers knew the lads of bevercotes road the two chip shop
most of all only left now

Awoollen,
I grew up in Wincobank, but I too remember when Firth Park was a nice shopping centre in the 60s and 70s [I was born in 1961, and left Sheffield in 1991]. Your "dump" remark echoes that of a dear friend of mine who does security work in the evening for a Firth Park firm. He says that I wouldn't recognise the place today. Things must have gone downhill. I remember that it was never what one might call an affluent place, but it did seem to be a fairly respectable, relatively civilised, predominantly working class place. I recall Fine Fare, shops like Kenyons, some good chippies, and a cycle shop in particular. My mate, Chris Hancock, lived on Bevercotes Road and I used to envy him living in a more "exciting" place than lower wincobank! My horizons have broadened slightly since then...

timo

In the 80s, Firth Park was a decent place to shop. But when the steel factories closed, and residents moved away, so did most of the shops...

And having Meadowhall open just 5 minutes away didn't help.

Firth park is attempting to bounce back, thanks to good work by committed residents. I don't think it'll ever be as good as it once was in terms of the shops, but the relocation of the library, the First Start nursery / community centre and the plans to redevelop the park itself are helping to lift the area.

I'm not sure if trade with regards to shops is suffering. However, traffic and parking always cause problems and it always seems to be busy no matter what time.

Abdul,
Cheers. Let us hope that things go well here. It is sad to hear of the unfortunate changing circumstances of the area, especially as I often wander around the 1970s landscape of Firth Park [and Wincobank] in my mind, and the memories are such sweet ones. Perhaps it can never be as it was [can anywhere?], but I would be delighted to see some regeneration.

Originally posted by Lickszz
I'm not sure if trade with regards to shops is suffering. However, traffic and parking always cause problems and it always seems to be busy no matter what time.

Yes, traffic does seem busy...but that may be to do with the traffic calming measures; the speed bumps, narrowed roads, one-way system and bus stops.

However, an interesting side-effect is that this makes it easier for pedestrians to get around, which may help to lift trade.

Does anyone know what has happened to the old library building at Firth Park, is it being used for anything or is it just derelict?

The 'classic' library isn't derelict; it's still in use as a community resource centre

Originally posted by Abdul
Yes, traffic does seem busy...but that may be to do with the traffic calming measures; the speed bumps, narrowed roads, one-way system and bus stops.


Hi Abdul

We were briefly in Firth Park yesterday at about 3.30 pm. I don't know about traffic calming...a lot of drivers seemed to tearing their hair out. :rolleyes:

I stood outside the Co-Op for ten minutes waiting for my wife and of the four buses waiting to get on to the roundabout from Sicey Avenue only two had succeeded by the time we left. The roundabout was gridlocked by a bus stuck in the 'gate' at the bottom of Bellhouse Road because there was already another bus at the bus stop taking on a load of passengers and traffic was backed up a long way down Firth Park Road, up Stubbin Lane and along Hucklow Road [with several other buses stuck in the tail-backs].

Fortunately we were in the Hucklow Road car park so could turn left back to Barnsley road and escape the chaos.

It looks like another "own goal" by the traffic planners, - and must play absolute havoc with bus time-tables.