Hi
I'm doing an architecture project and my site is in Broomhall, around Broomgrove House, on the corner of Broomhall Street and Upper Hanover Street. I'm looking for any information/opinions anyone has on the area....I hear it's got a reputation for being fairly rough, but I don't really know why. Do you feel safe there? Have you ever been a victim of crime/attack there? Do you think its reputation is undeserved? I'd welcome any thoughts
Rosie

Hello,I lived in 122 Upper Hanover St with my parents, from 1935 until 1964. in the days before WW2 it was considered to be a nice place to live, where I lived was just up from where you mention would that be opposite St Silas Church?,please let me know if I am on the right track,or is it current conditions you require

It was really rough 3 or 4 years ago. I used to live there and there was always something kicking off. Some guys tried to mug us once (but didnt succeed HA!), my friend got chased up the road by some maniac wielding a machete, car got broken into on my drive too many times to count, a drug dealing family lived at the end of my block and openly sold their wares at all hours of the day, joy riders demolished our front wall being chased by police, a mad woman used to randomly set fire to stuff in the middle of the street, and so on. So yeah, bit of a dive, though always interesting.

Been there since and it seems even worse, probably due to the skanky hell hole council estate nearby.

Hope that helps!

Oh yeah; they used to offer to sell you drugs in the local shop too. Tubbs and Edward eat yer hearts out.

I used to live in a flat on Broomhall road in the early 1970's. The house and gardens were fantastic. A Judge used to live next door and the YMCA was just a couple of doors away. I think David Mellor's studio was more or less opposite and I think there was a childrens home just down the road. The roads were wide and leafy and the area and houses were beautiful...........BUT.......it was stuffed with "ladies of the night"! Kerb crawlers abounded and I was often followed by them as I walked home from shopping on Ecclesall road.......and that was with a baby in a pram in broad daylight!
I can't remember whether or not the "exeter road" flats complex was built before or after I lived there but I do believe that with the advent of these flats came the drug problems. As far as I am aware the whole area has a very poor profile these days and I personally wouldn't live there for a King's ransome! It is sad really because at one time this area would have been a very prosperous area.Many of the houses were obviously built to house big families that would have also been very well "heeled". Most of these houses are now turned over to "flats" and offices. I couldn't say what proportion might be student housing but no doubt some of it is.
Further down the road......near St Silas church (don't know if that is still there).....the housing changed into terraced type housing. This was obviously the "poorer" quarters but it is interesting to see such "grand" housing rubbing shoulders with the poorer housing. In many ways that is still happening today.......you will get social housing and private housing sharing the same estates.
I think that Broomhall road changed into Broomhall street around where Victoria road joins.....or maybe a bit further down. Broomhall street was allways very rough even when I lived in the area. I remember the doctors surgery being on Broomhall street......or around there. They then built a chemist's and it was allways being raided! The only time I would ever venture into that area was to visit the docs or chemists. There were allways people hanging around and I felt unsafe and that is 30+ years ago. Whether the un-employment rate was high for this area I don't know......but there seemed to be large numbers of adults just hanging around and they sort of stared at you as if weighing you up! It was very uncomfortable.
Hope this helps Rosie.......and if you are thinking of going and doing some "on site" research may I suggest that you don't go alone.
Good luck.

I can tell you that a former England cricket captain once lived in the area.

I lived in a flat on Broonmhall Place for about a year ... 1982, I think. Had to move out because the building was condemned!!! It was a rough area, big red-light district. I saw a police officer stabbed outside my house late one night :( Lots of starving students in the area, mostly good people scrounding for cheap rent places. The Yorkshire Ripper was caught in the area too!

Take a look at the proprieties. Does it look like it was once a rough area, or does it look like an area that has been subject to social change? Check out Broomhall Flats for more clues on the downfall.

All that said, the area is on the up again.

the former England cricket captain that lived in Broomhall lived on Collegiate Crescent, in one of the large houses on the right shortly before the junction with Wharncliffe Rd and Brunswick Street.

his name was Norman Yardley, he lived from 1915 - 89, and captained England 14 times.

though neither he (Royston, Barnsley) nor Michael Vaughan (Manchester) were born in Sheffield, its not too much of a stretch for Sheffield to claim that it produced two English cricket captains.

Hello,I lived in 122 Upper Hanover St with my parents, from 1935 until 1964. in the days before WW2 it was considered to be a nice place to live, where I lived was just up from where you mention would that be opposite St Silas Church?,please let me know if I am on the right track,or is it current conditions you requireHi I lived on gloucester st offbroomspring lane 1925 to 1935 it was considered a very good area in those days, lots of professional people, beautiful houses, then it went downhill and another set of PROS moved in .

There was some one talking about Treeroot Walk somewhere on the forum and i lost the thread before i could answer perhaps it will pop up again?

Hi I lived on gloucester st offbroomspring lane 1925 to 1935 it was considered a very good area in those days, lots of professional people, beautiful houses, then it went downhill and another set of PROS moved in .
Hi I was born in Gloucester St,what a coincidence.any photos?:hihi:

i've been living in broomhal for many years ... and i would say that it's a rough neighbourhood these day ... many problems with night-time trouble makers who kick, bang and mess up the paper / rubbish bins along the street...

also there have been 2 incidences of 2 female students from the fareast getting mugged late at night last year

Hi I was born in Gloucester St,what a coincidence.any photos?:hihi:
Hi Glen Did you know the no;? 48, your dad was born bk no; 50, all redeveloped now , i was doing a relief spell for a fellow housing inspector of that area and stood on the pavement outside the spot where you was born and where I lived and a lady came out and asked what Iwas staring at , said I had been looking at her for 10 minutes, I had to laugh, she replied it was not a laughing matter so I got in the car and hopped it, and left her muttering ringing the police Arti

My parents lived in the Broomhall area with their families before and just after they were married, (1920s to 40s). I heard them talk about Monmouth Street, Broomhall Street, Bath Street. I was christened at St Silas church and I remember my mum taking me and my sister to a dressmaker (Mrs Turton?) in the area. She used to make our Whitsuntide outfits - coats and dresses with about 10'' hems so we could "grow into them". My parents still used to go to a pub there that they used to refer to as "Elliots" .