John Humberston

yes they lived on delves avenue Hackenthorpe for years.

it doesnt appear to work

I recently went back to Brightside as my Youngest full brother died on xmas eve and we went over to hold a graveside service at Shiregreen cemetery, Kindly officiated by Phil the vicar of St Margaret's Jenkin Rd, I got slightly lost on attercliffe common looks like the junction with broughton lane is a bit more complicated than last I travelled it over 25 years ago, I eventually found my way to meadowhall road and turned up amos road and into what I assume is the land that was formerly the site of Bankside Farm, no houses anywhere just a row of faceless units that reminded me of the old anderson shelters that were a remnant of the second world war, I turned back to meadowhall road the shops opposite the river all gone, Bells chippy was our next door neighbour, then up jenkin road, no white swan to guide me anymore although the old Brightside school is still there, I was privileged at the age of 10 to wear the Lord Mayors chain as Councillor Holland was visiting the school and hearing my name was Humberstone he pointed out the link on the chain with Alderman Moses Humberstone JP , the Son of my Great Grandad's brother. I noticed with sadness that Jenkin road is bereft of any shops on the apposite side to the school, I remember Dennis Sharps butchers on the corner, on the opposite corner was harrys grocery shop and the barbers shop further down and yes another chippy with probably the biggest cat you've ever seen, clearly it had a good healthy diet of fish. I don't know if the old B & C coop stores on eben street has survived around the corner from Brightside Post office on Lincoln street, strange that such a lot of ex lincolnshire people getting their family allowance from a aptly named street. that was on the street first left as you went over tipton street into the higher part of Jenkin road, I also recall a off licence up there called Shepherds its probably gone now. I must admit a big sadness not that going to a funeral is a happy event but more about my old Brightside, It looked empty, forlorn, a shell of the thriving community I grew up in, with the noise of Hadfields and nearby Jessops Saville, the roar of the steam trains heading to Leeds or the local to Barnsley stopping service that ran off to the left just prior to the site of the old Wincobank station, all this was missing as I travelled over the railway bridge at the junction with tipton street and holywell road, I thought of the times I've cycled or pushed a home made trolley to Grimesthorpe on my way to Wincobank Lane where my Great Aunts home was and our home for a while. I didn't have chance to go over there, I would like to see what's left on upwell street the old sites of two picture houses, the sprawling tip of James Childs, as kids we used to play with Jimmy Child's son whose grandma lived a few houses around the corner from us towards Halletts our local shop that sold just about everything .I finished my schooling at Owler Lane High School next door to the Intermediates school (Minto's) we called them. Later in life I worked nearby at the Northern General Hospital training to be a State Enrolled nurse the two tier nursing system I thought was good and if you liked hands on and didn't aspire to becoming a staff nurse, ward sister or manager then it seemed a good way to organise nursing.However it wasn't to be, the money was awful and I left after a few years and joined Abbey Taxis then on Pexton Road, who later expanded and moved to Rutland road. I was intending to see if I could find my Great Uncle John Rufus Humberstone's grave in Burngreave Cemetery, the graves of my family appear to be scattered around the east end of Sheffield, with my Great Grandparents in nearby Tinsley Park cemetery, I've done a lot of research on both sides of my family from their base in Bright street, Yarmouth Street and Meadowhall road back in the late 1890s and early 1900s, a lot of them arriving from both North and South Lincolnshire to start a new life in Sheffield's east end. On my Mums side my Grandfather who initially worked at Brooke Bond Tea, then kept the Ladys Bridge Hotel as he spent the rest of his life as a publican keeping for a while another iconic pub the !2 O'clock at the convergence of Attercliffe road and Saville street, my mum said the Ladys Bridge Hotel was quite a rough house, it was perched alongside the Tennants Bros brewery complex at the side of the river by waingate, as my mum recalled it wasn't without a few brawls on a friday night as hard earned steel works wages exchanged hands for beer, she recalled it was a favourite haunt of the Irish community but Grandad was a good Landlord and a clever tactician and most fights were quickly subdued. I miss those days, the east end was a great place to live walking home with my grandparents from the Pheasant who only had a beer licence and if you wanted spirits you nipped next door to I think it was called the Fox & Grapes I may have got that wrong, my Uncle Bob, whose real name was George Cousins spent most of his working life at Blackburn Meadows power station well before the M1 was thought off, I recall he sometimes struggled to get there or home as the River Don tended to flood around the turn off for Millspaughs works. Well thats enough for now its getting late and my fingers are hitting the wrong keys so I guess that's the time to stop for now.

I well remember visiting this stall which I seemed to recall was at the bottom of the road upto Darnell that went under the canal, it was just off Attercliffe road NR to the Register Office around 1961/2 the year is a bit foggy my late Mum and I went shopping for a few fruit and veg items before leaving for Mosbrough from our home in Wincobank Lane Grimesthorpe where we lived with our Great aunty. The shop was more like a market stall with a retractable awning.it was a very memorable name being associated with the name of Britain's most famous executioner, the map of Attercliffe road seems to have changed a lot since I was last in Sheffield.