Totley in the 50s and 60s

Yes, I used to go round the houses with a boy who was slightly older than me.He lived a few doors away from on Laverdene Avenue. The ones with screw tops were not acceptable, only ones with push on lids.

When he'd collected several boxes they'd be loaded on his trolley & taken all the way to Totley All Saints school. They sold them on & received 1/2p per jar for school funds.

Mr.Mellor, the headmaster, then decided we should collect waste newspapers for the funds. A large amount was then stored in a school outbuilding. In the meantime, the value had dropped so much that they couldn't be sold. The Council ended up collecting them for the tip.

Hi gregnig, thanks for that information, now you have prized open a few more brain cells I do remember something about the collection You mentioned in your reply using a trolley to move the jars ,I wonder if any young people make such things today. I spent many hours building trolleys of various shapes and sizes, the main problem sorcing materials and wheels, local council fences were quite useful and if you could find the large wheels off the old coach built prams., it was possible to build a speedy machine.

Yes. It's funny that. Had loads of trolleys but never had to buy a set of wheels. You always managed to find some old pram wheels from somewhere. There was always somebody who had a spare set or some thrown away on the tip.

To all who contribute a very happy christmas and a prosperous new year here's to more good and interesting memories.

Thanks wrawbyfred.

Christmas Eve 50 years ago.

I'd have been popping into Westleys to see if I'd been left any tips at the shop ( used to do really well at Christmas from my paper round. If you think that my wage was 8/6 and people often gave you two bob or half a crown as a tip it made it 'the most wonderful time of the year ')

I'd probably have bought all my presents by then. I remember the most exotic thing I bought my mum was a Pyrex measuring jug from the hardware shop on Baslow Rd. Took some wrapping up that did.

Would be meeting up later with Youth Club from Totley Rise Methodist to go carol singing at selected houses around the Grove and the Quadrant. Just a gesture really to Mr Scholfield, the leader, as thanks for all the effort he put in to keep the club going through the year.

Plus of course there wasn't that much to do on a cold winters night in Totley if you were under age.

Yes lots of memories really of simpler times and youthful optimism.

So I'll just echo what wrawbyfred said and thank everyone who's contributed so far and hope that there'll be a clutch of new posters next year.

Merry Christmas.

Yes I remember getting tips at Christmas whilst on my paper round, I got more than enough to be able to buy a caseball so a gang of us went to Suggs on the Moor and then came back and blew it up with a bike pump and then laced it and off to Millhouses Park where we subsequently had many happy hours. I did a morning and evening round Mon ~ Sat for 8/- a week (40p). Some months later I learned of a round with a different shop which was just evenings for 7/6d so I took that.

Happy new year to all. I see that the fleur de lys is to be developed for housing, I wonder why some pubs survive and others don't, like many totleyites I spent far to much time in there in the sixties when it was a lively vibrant place pulling in people from around sheffield for the live entertainment.I dont remember many frequenting the cross scythes,crown,or cricket inn yet they seem to have survived. Perhaps my memory of things is distorted by time who knows, but I do remember having some good times there

Hi wrawbyfred. Yes it's a strange one that. The pub that was by far the most popular back in those days is the one that's not survived.

Like you, I remember it as a busy, lively pub with a great juke box and live bands. Great memories of the late Joe when he was resident there and him belting out 'Georgia' which was his showstopper. It was never the same after Ozzie left.

Only occasionally went in the Cross and even rarer the Crown. Only started going in the Cricket comparatively recently.

Yes it's sad to see it go.We've lost so many lovely pubs over the last few years and when a pub goes a little bit of the community dies with it

I had my wedding reception in the Fleur in March 1977. Bloody good pub in those days and a cracking pint of Stones.

Hi Sedith, you are right about the beer

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Hi, does anyone know why the chemical yard was called that.

There was a factory making chemicals there. I read somewhere that they made stuff like Pyroligneous acid and Naptha. It was run by Tinker & Siddal. When I was a child in the sixties there was a car repair yard there, that was part of Cross Scythes motors. Their sales pitch was alongside the Cross Scythes pub.

Was Cross Scythes Motors, Alec Jepson's? Can anyone remember?