Memories Of Walkley

We live in Parsonage Street from 68 to 86 but my wife lived in Industry Street from 45 to 66 .

I lived in Cundy St from 1950 to 1966 although my Mother lived there up until 1992.

Ian Bailey who I still see lived in Industry St in those days.

...hillsbro is that Bushforth's refering to the paper shop as I seem to recall Alan Rushforth having the paper shop when I moved up there in 68 he used to go on holiday to Moscow a few times ....

Yep - I just had a look; I misread the name and it's Rushforth's. It was unusual to go to Russia in the 60s; I went several times in the late 70s when tourism had got going a bit more. I bet you wouldn't have smoked the Russian fags, though....

Does anyone remember Dr Lahiff and Dr Ridgwick at Walkley House Medical Centre on Greenhow Street? In the 1960s I used to go to both as it had become a joint practice with the Stannington surgery (Dr Bryson and others) where I used to live. I think Dr Lahiff died long ago but Jack Ridgwick is still enjoying retirement at 85, although not very good on his feet nowadays.

Yep - I just had a look; I misread the name and it's Rushforth's. It was unusual to go to Russia in the 60s; I went several times in the late 70s when tourism had got going a bit more. I bet you wouldn't have smoked the Russian fags, though....

 

Does anyone remember Dr Lahiff and Dr Ridgwick at Walkley House Medical Centre on Greenhow Street? In the 1960s I used to go to both as it had become a joint practice with the Stannington surgery (Dr Bryson and others) where I used to live. I think Dr Lahiff died long ago but Jack Ridgwick is still enjoying retirement in his late 80s, although not very good on his feet nowadays.

I don't remember a tennis court but I don't think I went to the surgery before the shops were built. The doctor's surgery must have had a large garden to judge from entries in directories (access from both South Road and Greenhow Street).

I think Dr Lahif died in the early 1960s.

His daughter Anna went to Notre Dame and his son Tim died tragically in his late teens/early twenties I seem to remember

I think Dr Lahif died in the early 1960s.

His daughter Anna went to Notre Dame and his son Tim died tragically in his late teens/early twenties I seem to remember

Yes, I remember that Tim took his own life - it was reported in The Star at the time, so very sad. As Lahiff is such an uncommon surname it wasn't difficult to look up father and son on findmypast.com. I found a Michael J. Lahiff who died in Sheffield in the third quarter of 1966, aged 58, and a Timothy James Lahiff (d.o.b. 1 September 1951) who died in Sheffield in the third quarter of 1983.

There was a wet fish shop opposite St Mary's church.

One of the old fashioned ones, open fronted with a white tiled slap, that the supermarkets try to replicate, but don't quite pull off.

I also used the greemhow St.surgery as a kid my mum and three lads had Ridgewick, my dad had Bryson. Two Brysons as I recall, father and son

The current system of appointments and clocking in when you arrive at the doctors takes away some of the community spirit.

When ever you went in the waiting room, which was always full, after a couple of seconds of silence, you would say

"who am I after".

"Who are you seeing love"

"Dr Ridgewick"

Then the whole batting order would be recited.

"Its Mrs so and so then old Mr something or other".

Should the doctor, in my case Ridgewick have to go out on a call, you'd wait patiently (no punn intended) and someone would tell you what was wrong with you, and who else had it.

All this was constantly interupted by some old bloke with emphasima (Sp.) having a coughing fit.

Its funny what you remember, the waiting room had long bench seats, made from large sheets of Plywood bent into a chair shape, with holes drilled in it to creat a pattern.

I think I need to get out more.

I also knew both Brysons - John O'Kane Bryson was Irish-born and a good, traditional GP. If you were ill in the middle of the night he would come in his VW Beetle and visit. His son Shaun was just as good - he studied medicine in Ireland and as a student he lost his left eye in a motorcycling accident. Sadly he had a serious heart condition and died in 1977, aged only 40; his wife was also a GP - they lived at Froggatt with their two children.

Oh - the waiting room.... I seemed to wait hours in there, but it could indeed be quite entertaining. One old dear gave me (and everyone else) a detailed account of her grisly operation and the awful after-effects, but she couldn't praise Dr (Shaun) Bryson enough. Poor Dr Lahiff - sometimes he would emerge from his consulting room towards the end of evening surgery and ask if there were any more "customers", only to see half a dozen people (with emphysema, lumbago, carbuncles or just plain idleitis) waiting 'patiently' to see Jack Ridgwick, whom they preferred.

The perforated bent-plywood bench seats were just like the one in Garnett's barber shop in Middlewood Road. Oooops...., sorry, Tooeg, I'm trespassing again. I'll go back to Dykes Hall Road and keep quiet, honest I will..

OK Hillsbro you're an early riser, you can have a day pass.

I recall Ridgewick, in our house on Bole Hill Rd, telling my dad that fishermen put maggots in their mouths before putting them on the hook. My dad said it's to warm them up so they wriggle better.

Ridgewick lived on Bell Hagg Rd. at the corner of Lark St.

He had a son and a daughter they would both be in their late fifties now.

My Mum worked at the Pikelet(Sp.) shop opposite the library for Mrs Milnes, who lived on Stannington View or somewhere similar.

She gave the job up when we became posh and moved to Crosspool in '65.

I remember sledging in the fifties from the top of Kelly's Walk ( the footpath from the bus stop opposite Bole Hill school), right down to the bottom of Bell Hagg road.

with probably only one car parked on the road and no moving traffic at all.

Ridgewick lived on Bell Hagg Rd. at the corner of Lark St. He had a son and a daughter they would both be in their late fifties now.

Judith will be 61 and Adrian 58; Judith lives in Leeds, Adrian is a dentist in Gloucestershire. I remember going to the house on Bell Hagg Road to collect prescriptions etc.

I also remember the pikelet shop; it survived longer than Moule's in Middlewood Road. Near there (maybe on the corner of Palm Street) was "Roy's Bistro" - does anyone remember this? It flourished briefly in the late 1970s and was excellent (you had to book days in advance to get a table) but it just seemed to fade away.

Judith will be 61 and Adrian 58; Judith lives in Leeds, Adrian is a dentist in Gloucestershire. I remember going to the house on Bell Hagg Road to collect prescriptions etc.

I also remember the pikelet shop; it survived longer than Moule's in Middlewood Road. Near there (maybe on the corner of Palm Street) was "Roy's Bistro" - does anyone remember this? It flourished briefly in the late 1970s and was excellent (you had to book days in advance to get a table) but it just seemed to fade away.

Roy's Bistro at the top of Industry St. became an Italian, which was then taken over by the chef Vito, who named it after himself.

I think originally it was Boots before Roy had it.

Just along from Boots towards the library was and maybe still is Jacksons the grocers,which became Jacksons minimart (move with the times).

You may remember their son at King Teds, the year below you Hillsbro', Jimmy, a little lad with a load of blond hair in some sort of Teddy boy style.

The Italian was Pepe's I think, he then moved around a bit, Heeley, Tickhill or I might be completely wrong.

I hadn't realised that Roy's Bistro was as far down as Industry Street, though I recognise the building now on Google Earth, with the entrance at the side. Roy's food was excellent; it's a pity the bistro didn't survive long.

My goodness - Jimmy Jackson; I used to sell him stamps that I had on approval...

Jack Ridgwick is now in a care home at Nether Edge but I saw him not so long ago and he was still very much his old self.