[Unregistered]

I never saw a Black person on Parson Cross before 1970.

[Bushbaby]

A great memory I have of growing up on the cross, is of the wide selection of Youth Clubs I was able to attend.
Living in the epicentre, close to the junction of Wordsworth and Deerlands, I had easy access to Mansell, Meynell and Colley YCs. All fine institutions in their own right,
During my early teens, in the late 60’s and into the early seventies, I could go to a club each weekday evening, and often did, meeting many of the same people at all three.

My favourite, and the one at which I felt most at home, was Mansell. Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, myself, and the crew of guys who were my best mates, would go up for a game of table tennis or darts, and maybe even a go on the pinball.

There was a disco, consisting basically of a sqare room with bench seats and tables. The walls were painted black and the fluorescent strip lighting was ultra-violet. It also had (didn’t they all?) a mirror-ball, which spun frenetically in time to the heavy beat of the ultra loud music. You couldn’t hear yourself smoke but boy it was great fun. Occasionally they would play a medley of WW2 singalong songs (“My old man said follow the van” that kind of thing) and we would all sing our hearts out – inserting a few dirty lyrics whenever we could. Then it was back to Creedence or Blood Sweat and Tears.
It was a geat place for boys and girls to mix in comparative safety, and I know of one couple, still living on the cross, who met aged 14 at Mansell YC. They’ve now been married 32 years. (Jeez!)

The team who ran the club (Len, Jackie and others) were all in their thirties and were really dedicated people. I know they got paid but it wasn’t a huge amount, and they did often go beyond the call of duty, training the football team and running guys to and from games.
The Saturday Youth Clubs League saw some very passionate football, and the rivalry between even the three clubs I was a member of, was intense. Losing to Colley meant a long walk home along Remington, and when we at Mansell won that league one year, we celebrated in style with a disco party at the club. We even got Pete Howe’s band to come and play a session for us. (see separate threads for info on Pete)

Like many people, I despair at the behaviour of teenagers today, and I can’t help but feel that the disappearance of these places is a contributory factor. I think we were just as badly behaved potentially, but thanks to Youth Clubs our aggression was controlled, and we were able to direct our energies elsewhere. I’m also quite sure that reintroducing these academies would go a long way to reversing behavioural trends. Sure, this would have a number of implications, not least of which is cost, but it deserves at least to be considered.

[SCENIC]

Hi Sandy,
I lived on Lindsay Avenue from 1939 to 1960. It was great. Had a lot of pals living there at that time. We often used to go on the 'back fields' to play ( just below the old Lindsay Road school). Our 'gang' also went to Longley Park open air swimming pool during the summer.
Apparently its a bit different nowadays with house being wrecked and boarded up because people don't want to live there any more. gREAT PITY.

[msdiane]

Originally posted by sandy
hello lwas wondering if l could use some of these storys
for when we go into the old peoples home
as you know l belong to parson cross history group

Just to say how great the history group are, they have been to Deerlands home and the residents (many of who have lived on Parson Cross for lots of years) really enjoyed all the memorabilia on display as well as talking about local history.

[Timbuck]

My Son..who plays in a band..went to Sheffield yesterday to Play a gig at Colley WMC..He was not impressed with the area around the club at all..What with derilict burned out buildings..
Chav's and graffity by the Ton..He says he was the only bloke in the area not wearing a baseball cap..But he says the Club was nice inside..Not at all the place I remember.

[judith]

Does anybody know of a family on Parsons Cross, Housley is the surname, John eldest son this is in the 60`s he played football and cricket for local teams, he had a friend Alan who married Lynn think he lived on Sisey ave not quite sure thats right.

[Unregistered]

House demolition has created jobs.


Workmen are now walking over the derelict sites - litter picking.

[madowl]

Originally posted by Timbuck
My Son..who plays in a band..went to Sheffield yesterday to Play a gig at Colley WMC..He was not impressed with the area around the club at all..What with derilict burned out buildings..
Chav's and graffity by the Ton..He says he was the only bloke in the area not wearing a baseball cap..But he says the Club was nice inside..Not at all the place I remember.

Good isnt it, you wear a baseball cap and your a "Chav" could you please explain to me what a CHAV is or supposed to look like?? as i wear a baseball cap, and live on the cross, near colley wmc, but i dont regard myself as a chav?? or are you the type of "normal" person that see's a individual and turns them into the "majority"???
normal people worry me.........................

[sandy]

we really enjoyed our self at deerlands home
and would like to come back sometime
would like to thanks all the staff for there help and to all the people we spoke to thanks for the time they give us and to all our friends we made tell then we will come and see then

[Unregistered]

Remember half day closing ?


Twas a Thursday it twas.


Margetson, Wheta and Buchanan shops were like ghost towns after 1pm.

Even Doctor Bagon down by The Ritz had no surgery on Thursday evening.

[Bushbaby]

Margetson Chip'oil used to only open two or three times a week in the late 60s, and instead of having a steady trickle of fresh chips, they used to wait until they ran out, then Mrs Lee would shout "More Chips!!"
At this point they would get the chipper out and begin the process of making some fresh. The tatties were poured in at one end, and as the machine kicked into life, sounding a bit like a Francis Barnett, something resembling a pile of albino slugs would slowly emerge from the other end and drop into a yellow bucket. Eventually, enough of these were produced to justify dropping them into the sizzling friar, kicking out enough steam to power a small train.
Of course, by this time the queue was nearly round to the Tavern, and kids were keeling over from starvation. The priest had to come over from Tommy More's and administer Last Orders to some of 'em.
Mind you, when the chips did eventually come, they were the best for miles around. (and Mrs Lee used to give me extra scraps 'cause she knew my mum). I used to soak 'em in vinegar, and they were that hot that I had to blow on 'em or they would burn my tongue

[Saxon]

Originally posted by Unregistered
Remember half day closing ?

Twas a Thursday it twas.

Margetson, Wheta and Buchanan shops were like ghost towns after 1pm.

Even Doctor Bagon down by The Ritz had no surgery on Thursday evening.

My dad used to own the hardware shop on Margetson,which is where I grew up, and the half day closing on Thursday was to allow him to go to the warehouses/cash& carry to re-stock. In those days, there was no such thing as a delivery lorry.

I also remember the Lee's at the chip shop on Margetson - I used to play with the 2 sons, one of whom was called Martin but unfortunately I can't remember what the elder one was called but he was profoundly deaf. The only other kids on the shops were Jayne & Robert Hulley, whose parents used to run the butchers.

[Bushbaby]

Originally posted by Unregistered
Remember half day closing ?

Twas a Thursday it twas.

And of course the Co-op (or "Stores" as we used to call it) also used to close at lunchtime on Saturdays, which I could never understand.

[spartacus]

Bushbaby, Pete Howe was my mate in the 70s. We once spent a night in the cells together for drunk and disorderly. As you probably know, in those days it was a chargeable offence to drunkenly stagger in the street. The bingeheads of today would never be out of court if the same applied today. Pete's most famous composition was a song called "King of the Saucepans". Brilliant. He played guitar and piano.

Is he still alive? Anyone know?

[Bushbaby]

Yes, he is.
I recently received an email from his nephew (Ken's son) who tells me that Pete now lives at the end of Wordsworth (not sure which end though) and is still as outrageous as ever.

[spartacus]

Excellent, Bushbaby. Thanks for that good news. I was afraid Pete might have succumbed to the excesses of our youth.

[Unregistered]

Opposite the Forty Foot Pub, between Wordsworth Avenue and Halliwell Crescent, there used to be what to us as kids was a massive valley. It had loads of trees and a stream running through the bottom.

It was later used as a dump-it site where Council bin lorries used to dump all the household refuse, until it built up to the level where it is today. As the ground was too unstable for housing, it was made into a bit of a park.

All that area, (before Wordsworth Avenue was built in the 1930's and down to Herries Road and the Five Arches) provided a meagre living for several families as they produced charcoal for the steel industry from the trees in Scraith Wood.

[Bushbaby]

At the junction of Adlington and Deerlands was a large cornfield which we often played in during the summer, when it was dry, and the corn grew past your head (except for Peapod, he could still see over it)

When it was harvested, a huge pile of straw was left behind, and that’s when the fun really started.
We would pile the straw up against the side of the powerhouse, and start leaping off into mid-air and falling onto a giant cushion of straw. There would be Superman flying leaps, forward somersaults, backward somersaults, and a whole myriad of airborne poses. Gymnastic prowess suddenly became the norm. Kids from all corners of the cross would magically appear and queue patiently to have their turn, shouting “Geronimo” at the optimum moment. Territorial issues were left to one side as we all made full use of this “Once a year” phenomenon. Even some Foxhill kids were allowed on. (Only a few though, and then only if they brought girls or fags with them!)

As it got darker, big kids would come and set fire to it, then Bill Moyer would leap into a pile of burning straw, pausing only to sniff back his hay fever before having another go. He would still be risking 30% burns when the fire engine came down Buchanan and we all scarpered back to our own niches, eyes watering and breath coming in heavy gulps.

I don’t see many cornfields today. It’s all Rape Seed. Can’t leap from 12 foot up onto that during harvest time, can yer?

[Unregistered]

Parson Cross shopping areas are a disgrace.

Margetson, Buchanan, Wheata, Wordsworth Drive, Chaucer and Lindsay.

[Timbuck]

I visited "The Cross" today..went to see a relative...Question, why dont the Council cut the grass verges? they make the place look really bad.