[claire3725]

Originally Posted by Steptoad

I lived near Hunters Bar in the 60s and 70s and remember seeing the rag mans horse and cart parked outside The Lescar on Sharrowvale Rd. It drew a crowd of kids who fussed around the horse until a voice said "here comes Mrs. [smelly child's mother] to buy [smelly child] some new clothes" and we all ran off.

My favourite rag man though was one who pushed a home made barrow that had wheels made out of old mangle parts. His cry sounded like "ruddy ol' rags" which I tried to copy copy without success.

My mum tells me she gave him my kid brothers old pram thinking he'd use it to make a new barrow, but apparently he gave it to an old lady who used it to transport her washing to the launderette. In return my mom got the old lady's vast collection of clothes pegs that she no longer needed

Hi Steptoad Thanks for the post just been and asked my Dad but didn't name the pub and he told me it and that there used to be the horse trough on that road and that it would be one of the ragmen who worked for my grandad!And then told me about there been a blacksmiths where the Mecca bingo is at top of road where the steps are now and they took the horses there to have new shoes!That is amazing because I would have never asked or known that without your comment .Thanks again
And Smolinski I remember you and all your family!
Claire

[danot]

Originally Posted by Applegrim

I must have had the most accident prone son, he got run over by a rag and bone man, How's that possible?

Any old, ber-bump-bump-bump...........RAAaaaAAGGSS!!

[alex3659]

Originally Posted by Applegrim

I must have had the most accident prone son, he got run over by a rag and bone man, How's that possible?

I had a great uncle who was unlucky like that, his fishing boat sank in the atlantic and he was rescued by the titanic.

[pigeon]

Originally Posted by claire3725

Wow I am amazed by this thread!I am a grand daugher of John and Edna Collins of Hill street and Wilf Collins of rotherham was my grandad's brother.My Dad worked for my Grandad and did drink in the bricklayers!
My grandad had about 16 horses in the sixty's I think.
Alex and Jonjo would love you to private message your names so I can tell my Dad!
I remember having a trip in 1981 on the back of my grandad's last cart ,down st phillips road with my brother and sister and holding on for dear life as my grandad steered the horse and he never checked whether we was ok .Everytime the horse trotted we bounced back and just had a small bar to hold and the seat was long ways so by the time we got to bottom we were all at back of cart!The trip took all afternoon and now would take about 10 mins in car!

had a chat with with Wilf senior and he reckons they had forty horses at one time .....

[claire3725]

Originally Posted by pigeon

had a chat with with Wilf senior and he reckons they had forty horses at one time .....

Thanks Pigeon!
I remember the last horses my grandad had was a great big horse and a small shetland pony in Early 80's but had to put them on a farm eventually I think!I know my mum said he had a lot!
Do you know Wilf well?

[pigeon]

Originally Posted by claire3725

Thanks Pigeon!
I remember the last horses my grandad had was a great big horse and a small shetland pony in Early 80's but had to put them on a farm eventually I think!I know my mum said he had a lot!
Do you know Wilf well?

OOOOOOH YES VERY WELL (and wilf junior)work next door to them see them almost everyday, cant get him to put fire on 2 burners though

[Yog Sothoth]

There are still rag an' bone men in some places. One still trails round my mam's estate on his horse and cart, calling "ragbone", even though he is collecting scrap.

[titerton]

i remember theyd shout donkey stone 4 rags and wont be round tomorrw
donkeys ****** ont stawberrys

[JACK HEWITT]

Anyone remember RAY and JESS who did stints for Collins on HILL st also ( MAD BILLY ) as we called him when kids he worked down the CLIFF delivering coal he was a tall scruffy man who walked chewing on the back of his hand he always wore a old army great coat and had a little JACK RUSSEL dog with him on a length of bull rope the rope was nearly as fat as the dog he walked everywhere i drove for a living in the sixtys and would see him in every area of Sheffield.

[alex3659]

I was with Lishy [Trevor Boardman] Yesterday.
He is the son in law of the Collins's.

[jaffa1]

Originally Posted by retired

The Collins you refer to on Penistone Road may have been the Collins who was at the bottom of I think Upper alber street near the juction of Infirmary Road. I remember the horse & cart and the wheel barrow. Kids got either a ballon or if you had a big bundle a goldfish. Collins was a big family of rag & bone men scattered around Sheffield. There still is a Collins scrap man who I often see driving around and there is Collins skips, they are the grand & great grand children of the above mentioned who was in the Upperthorpe area.

I worked in Kiveton on job in 2002 and a r&b man came round with a loud speaker on his van shouting any old rags and scrap. I was told as a lad that some of the rags went into making paper. I am sure Jackie of Collins skips might be able to answer some of the questions relating to the rag & bone business.

The Collins you are talking about used to be at the bottom of Portland Street and his brother Walt was in Upper Allen Street. It is now mostly skips they deal with. [Walt being the grandad of Jackie ]

Not to be confused with the Collins of Hill Street.

[jaffa1]

Originally Posted by claire3725

Hi Baza 123, Yes you are right mr and mrs collins of alfred road were Wilf and Beattie.Wilf was my grandad's brother.My grandad's yard was just off London Road and his name was John and his wife Edna and my Great grandfather was called Wilf and he was a rag and bone man but died in the 1960's.
Hi tenbob,yes i am the daugher of trevor and little edna!(Gosh I haven't heard that for years)

I always remember Lish wearing hush puppies, he'd wear nothing else but hush puppies.

[yellowperil]

My grandad used to be a rag and bone man with a horse and cart,he was also an ice cream man and used to make saddles,lived on the manor,anyone remember him.

[pigeon]

Originally Posted by claire3725

Thanks Pigeon!
I remember the last horses my grandad had was a great big horse and a small shetland pony in Early 80's but had to put them on a farm eventually I think!I know my mum said he had a lot!
Do you know Wilf well?

Yes must be cold he finally got gas fire running on two burners for a limited time though!

[Alan Stormon]

I used to stay at my Grandads on Honeysuckle Road, the rag and bone man used to call once a week, My Grandad was WW1 vet, apparently during WW1 we ran out of everything, the main explosive used was nitro glycerine and the glycerine bit was made from boiling up fat and bones, every house had to have a fat and bone bucket,(where have I heard that before) the rags were to make soldgiers uniforms,not officers, they were send to the shoddy mills in Lancashire and turned in to cloth, early version of recycling, Alan Stormont

[jackbob]

my grand dad was a rag and bone man called tosh (and darts player) I bet theirs a few people how've got a tale or two to tell about him. lived on gatefield road. abbeydale

[cherriepie]

Originally Posted by brooksy

Iremember living on Attercliffe and the rag and bone man coming up our street every sunday.All we got really as kids were baloons, not sure what anyone else got?

We got goldfish ner ner !

[tilter]

does anyone remember Tubby and Manny Woodward they lived ta the top of Kelvin Street and had barrows with the wheels made from mangle handles their mum was a grand old lady.

[smuffin]

I too remember one at Parson Cross Always wondered why the goldfish never survived for long

[curleyburley]

did peter stringfellers dad used to be a rag and bone man