Memories of Pitsmoor

While everybody has their memories in high gear, and before people who grew up in other parts of Sheffield get sick of the name "Pitsmoor", lets try and take one more trip down memory lane. Do you remember:

When Pye Bank School was an ambulance depot during the war ? They used to park the ambulances under the sheds in the girls playground.

Gas Mask and Air Raid Shelter practice at Pye Bank? I wonder how long they kept doing it ,even after the war had ended?

The static water tank they built next to the school? Remember some kids used to try and swim in it in summer and skate on it in winter - with near fatal results. Incidentally, I remember the pipe from the tank going down Grey Street but I've no idea how the water got from there into town. Did it go down Chatham Street and along Corporation Street or along Nursery Street and over Lady's Bridge?

There was a lot of good memories about the "White House" chippy on Andover Street but do you remember the bakery on the other side of the street. nearer to Nottingham Sreet? Do you remember the penny sticky buns?

Lastly, something a bit more macabre. Does anybody remember the circular shelter in middle of the main avenue in Burngreave Cemetery? It had glass on all sides and people of my mothers generation (b 1907) used to call it "The Band Stand". It did look like a band stand but I'm sure a band never played there. It was still there in 1961, when we buried my Grand Mother, but I think it was demolished when they removed

most of the head stones. The site became a circular flower bed

OK, you can start remembering!

I would like to add to this Falls, Hancocks the shop I used to buy parafin from opposite the White house on the corner, Cairios where my mum did her shoping every Saturday and always had to queue outside.

Regarding the bandstand it was there in 1973 where I had a stint of wagging school with my mates and we would congrigate there for some morbid reason.

I think it is still there but I could'nt be sure, that cemetery really does give me the willies.

By the way do a search on pitsmoor and there are a good number of interesting threads on here.

I remember the the shop but never knew the name was Harrison.

If found Burngreave Cemetery creepy too. As a young child, my grandfather used to take me with him when he went to tend the family graves. Even in daylight, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

One other little comment about the "Bandstand". At the time of the flu pandemic in 1918, my mother was 10 or 11 years of age. She remembered going to Burngreave at that time and the bandstand was stacked up to the roof with coffins awaiting burial. People were dying faster than they could be dig the graves.

Now you have heard this story, you definitely wont be going near Burngreave any time soon

Regards

Wow, good job I did'nt know about that at the time, I spent the first hour or so on my own....

Hi, Falls - I don't remember the Ambulances, probably because (unfortunately) I never got into the girls' playground !

I remember the barage balloon which lived on the "Rec" just behind the school wall. the balloon was struck by lightning one afternoon, providing a great display. The RAF officer in charge of the ballon crew was at one time billeted in my Grandma's house in Gray Street. He had a cushy job, I thought.

I seem to remember that the large-diameter water pipes were not in place very long, but I may be wrong. They stood on the kerb edge, which made them rather a hazard !

The two nearest Static Water Tanks were -

1) a large brick-built one at the bottom of the Old Gardens, at the junction of Gray Street and Fox Street. My mate Barry Meech fell in one evening. It contained about 2 feet of water but 18 inches of rubble, but only his dignity was hurt.

2) a circular steel one on the site of one of the two bombed shops at the junction of Fox Street and Andover Street. I watched the firemen digging out in preparation for the tank. One of the firemen found a mud-covered frying-pan - nobody else wanted it , so I took it home. My mother used it for the next forty years.

Thanks for reminding me about the tanks. I had completely forgotten about the one at Andover and Fox Street.

I remember when they demolished the tank down at Grey Street. I think Jimmy Childs did it with one of early excavators. A long time ago.

As you know, the static water tanks were on top of most hills, not just in Pitsmoor. Apart from being filled and tested, I don't think the systems were ever used.

I remember the sticky buns from the Andover Street bakers, dont remember the bakers name though. What was that stuff they used to paint on the top? I'd forgotton the circular tank on the corner of Fox Street, a family called Levick had a grocers there until the blitz, it caught a load of incendiary bombs. I remember the time a kid called Ray Ashley went into the water tank at the back of Pyebank, looking for his two young cousins, who were believed to have been playing in the vicinity and had drowned. I suppose the pan you found Blitzkid, at the site of Levicks shop belonged to Mrs Levick. Anyhow they only moved half way up Fox Street and started up business again, I suppose she could've claimed it if she'd wanted.

Wasn't Hancocks the shop on the corner of Rock St and Andover St?

Do you remember the whittys?/ marshalls from clun road?

Yes, Hancocks was on the corner of Andover St and Rock Street and had a smell of parafin when you walked in.

Mr Hancock I remember him well being tall thin with grey hair and always wore a gray smock.

Sticky buns - baked by Ivy Goodman, I believe. She was a small lady with a severe masculine haircut.

I know all you guys remember Mr Speight the headmaster at Pye Bank, but do you remember any of the other teachers? Miss Glass perhaps, or Miss Braun (the 'u' with an umlaut, could've been a German spy), or Miss Cross, got a bit scared of even mentioning her, got a ghostly smack upside the head just then.

Originally posted by stateside200

Do you remember the whittys?/ marshalls from clun road?

margret, june, & jackie whitty????