Going on the No 2 and No 3 Circular Bus Route

Can anyone remember going round the city on either the No 2 bus one way or the No 3 bus the other.

I believe it took about two hours from stop to stop.

My dad sent us us all on the bus for a couple of hours whilst he helped my mother on most Sunday afternoon's.

( I never got to know what doing !!).

Can anyone remember the bus route during 1943 - 46?

I remember the section of the Outer Circle that ran between the Bagshawe Arms/ Water Tower at Norton Avenue and Broughton lane at Attercliffe / Carbrook, very well indeed, as my mother and I used to travel that route all the time, from my (paternal) Grandparents on the Gleadless Valley, to my (maternal) grandpa's at Attercliffe.

Along Norton Avenue, past the Baggie, and Gleadless Townend along Ridgeway Road to Manor Top. Down Prince Of Wales Road, to Darnall. Along Greenland road past the bus Garage, to Broughton Lane, where we'd get off, near the Enfield.

I know it carried on through Brightside, up Wincobank, and along past Concorde park, to lane Top, then down through longley and up to where the Tesco is at moonshine lane.

I don't remember the section between Hillsborough to Crosspool, but it then went down through Fulwood, and up Ecclesall to Carter Knowle Road. Up woodseats road, then along Derbyshire lane and Hemsworth road to Norton Water Tower again

used to do the whole trip once a week..waging school...2p for the whole trip..used to get on at coldwell lane at crosspool...

Yes I remember those routes,if my memory serves me correctly there was the Outer Circular which is the route you refer to,and the Inner Circular which ran a route within the city.My sister and I travelled the full outer circle tour on many times, it was good cheap outing on a wet afternoon, and round about 1943,we lived that time at Rivelin, on Rails Rd and used to join the bus On Rivelin Valley Rd, bus went up to the junction at Rivelin Post Office,not there I suppose now, and round the city, and has been stated approximately 2 hours and we always went upstairs on a front seat to get the best view.

I well remember the Outer Circle (routes 2 and 3) and Inner Circle (8 and 9). As children my brother, sister and I used the Outer Circle to travel from Hillsborough to Malin Bridge (grandparents) or Shirecliffe (aunt and uncle). The 1954 timetable confirms that Outer Circle buses took a little under two hours to go all the way round, but many buses did not do the full "circle", starting/finishing at Carterknowle Road, Rustlings Road, Elm Tree, Sheffield Lane Top, Gleadless Road or Tinsley. The fares were complicated on such a long route (the fares table took up 7 pages) and this was difficult for new conductors to learn. The full fare in 1954 was 2 shillings for the whole circle. Malin Bridge was considered as the "starting point", with the No 2 going up Rivelin Valley Road and the No 3 going the other way via Holme Lane. Buses often waited at Malin Bridge for 10 minutes or so, with the drivers and conductors going for a cup of tea in Daubney's café. A clock on a telegraph pole told them when it was time to leave.

Here is a list of fare stages:

....Malin Bridge

....Walkley Bank Road

....Hagg Hill

....Oak Farm

....Rivelin Post Office

....Bell Hagg

....Sandygate Road

....Fulwood Road

....Wragby Road

....Greystone Road

....Carterknowle Road Top

....Carterknowle Road Bottom

....Firbeck Road

....Scarsdale Road

....Graves Park

....Golf Links

....Oakes Park

....Gleadless Road

....Gleadless Church

....Elm Tree

....Beaumont Road

....Darnall

....Coleford Road

....Tinsley Park Road

....Tinsley Depot (Weedon Steet)

....Brightside Tram Terminus

....Tipton Street

....Newman Road Bottom

....Robin Hood Road

....Shiregreen Cemetery

....Sheffield Lane Top

....Crowder Road

....Moonshine Lane

....Penistone Road

....Parkside Road

....Hillsborough Corner

....Malin Bridge

The Outer Circle was a victim of the 1970 rationalisation. By that time the the section between Crosspool (Sandygate Road / Coldwell Lane) and Malin Bridge carried few passengers, and this was removed from the "circle". It was replaced by the 2/59 which covered the rest of the route, with a few changes over the years. At that time the 54 route was also changed so that it went via Hillsborough and Rivelin Valley Road to the Norfolk Arms, to partly make up for the lack of the 2/3 in Rivelin.

By the way, Highnote, Rivelin Post Office closed only a couple of years ago. The building was up for sale by auction last year. We knew the Turner family who kept the post office and shop until about 1958. The post office was officially known as "Rivelin Bridge Post Office", and it opened as early as 1886.

Use to go on that trip at least one day every 6 weeks holiday Great

I well remember the Outer Circle (routes 2 and 3) and Inner Circle (8 and 9). As children my brother, sister and I used the Outer Circle to travel from Hillsborough to Malin Bridge (grandparents) or Shirecliffe (aunt and uncle). The 1954 timetable confirms that Outer Circle buses took a little under two hours to go all the way round, but many buses did not do the full "circle", starting/finishing at Carterknowle Road, Rustlings Road, Elm Tree, Sheffield Lane Top, Gleadless Road or Tinsley. The fares were complicated on such a long route (the fares table took up 7 pages) and this was difficult for new conductors to learn. The full fare in 1954 was 2 shillings for the whole circle. Malin Bridge was considered as the "starting point", with the No 2 going up Rivelin Valley Road and the No 3 going the other way via Holme Lane. Buses often waited at Malin Bridge for 10 minutes or so, with the drivers and conductors going for a cup of tea in Daubney's café. A clock on a telegraph pole told them when it was time to leave.

 

Here is a list of fare stages:

 

....Malin Bridge

....Walkley Bank Road

....Hagg Hill

....Oak Farm

....Rivelin Post Office

....Bell Hagg

....Sandygate Road

....Fulwood Road

....Wragby Road

....Greystone Road

....Carterknowle Road Top

....Carterknowle Road Bottom

....Firbeck Road

....Scarsdale Road

....Graves Park

....Golf Links

....Oakes Park

....Gleadless Road

....Gleadless Church

....Elm Tree

....Beaumont Road

....Darnall

....Coleford Road

....Tinsley Park Road

....Tinsley Depot (Weedon Steet)

....Brightside Tram Terminus

....Tipton Street

....Newman Road Bottom

....Robin Hood Road

....Shiregreen Cemetery

....Sheffield Lane Top

....Crowder Road

....Moonshine Lane

....Penistone Road

....Parkside Road

....Hillsborough Corner

....Malin Bridge

 

The Outer Circle was a victim of the 1970 rationalisation. By that time the the section between Crosspool (Sandygate Road / Coldwell Lane) and Malin Bridge carried few passengers, and this was removed from the "circle". It was replaced by the 2/59 which covered the rest of the route, with a few changes over the years. At that time the 54 route was also changed so that it went via Hillsborough and Rivelin Valley Road to the Norfolk Arms, to partly make up for the lack of the 2/3 in Rivelin.

 

By the way, Highnote, Rivelin Post Office closed only a couple of years ago. The building was up for sale by auction last year. We knew the Turner family who kept the post office and shop until about 1958. The post office was officially known as "Rivelin Bridge Post Office", and it opened as early as 1886.

Thank you for the fare-stage guide and it will enable me to link up the roads that the bus traveled.

In the early sixties, I heard that a cycling group intended making the circular route, one of their cycle clubs' annual Sunday runs.

Has anyone any further information on that please ?

When I've done the circular road link, perhaps it could be used as a route for a annual run by a cycling club or anyone interested in using for a charity event.

 

My dad sent us us all on the bus for a couple of hours whilst he helped my mother on most Sunday afternoon's.

( I never got to know what doing !!).

 

My brother and I were shipped off to Sunday school for the same reason, Albert. We did cotton on to the reason when we were a bit older.

The road route of the no 2 / 3 Outer Circular Bus. 1944 – 46.

( From a distant memory).

No 2 started up Rivelin Valley Road No 3 going the other way.

I think that they past each other at Weedon Street.

Malin Bridge – Rivelin Valley Road – Rivelin Post Office – Manchester Road – Colwell Lane – Carsick Hill Road – ( Ivy Park Road or Snaithing Lane ) – Gladstone Road – Hanging water Road – Oakbrook Road – Rustlings Road – Ecclesall Road – Ecclesall Road South – Carterknowle Road – AbbeyDale Road – Woodseat Road – Scarsdale Road – Derbyshire Lane – Hemsworth Road – Norton Avenue – Ridgeway Road – Prince of Wales Road – Greenland Road – Broughton Lane – Attercliffe Common – Weedon Street – Brightside Lane – Meadow Hall Road – Jenkin Road – Tyler Street – Barrow Road – Fife Street ( –? - Newman Road - ? - ) – Shiregreen Lane – Hatfield House Lane – Barnsley Road – Longley Lane – Herries Drive – Herries Road – Leppings Lane – Middlewood Road – Holme Lane – Malin Bridge.

( I’ll put the distance on shortly )

Yes - that's more-or-less how I remember the route from about 10 years later (except that the bus didn't actually go along Langsett Road - it turned right at Hillsborough Corner from Middlewood Road into Holme Lane).

I cycled along the whole route when I got my first bike in 1965. There was plenty of hill-climbing but the exercise did me good!

Yes - that's more-or-less how I remember the route from about 10 years later (except that the bus didn't actually go along Langsett Road - it turned right at Hillsborough Corner from Middlewood Road into Holme Lane).

 

I cycled along the whole route when I got my first bike in 1965. There was plenty of hill-climbing but the exercise did me good!

Thank you and I've corrected the post. I'll put you down as the no 1 entrant cyclist as you know the way!!

Anyone with any alterations especially at Britside/Shiregreen would be welcome.

I'm going to measure the route sometime during this week.

For those of you who remember it there was a board on the inside wall of the old tramstop at Millhouses terminus which listed the route of the Outer circle and stated that it was 25 miles. Strange really as route 2/3 never went to Millhouses. This would have been in the mid sixties after the trams had stopped but the buses still used the terminus.

Don't know when the circular bus started or finished but there is a photo of a number 3 bus dating back to 1932 in Chas Halls' book on Sheffield Transport.