Old Fairgrounds and Circuses

[Nigel Womersle 10]

I remember Farm Grounds, Granville Road wasn't it?..that was as a teenager, but as a child being taken by my parents, it would be at Ecclesfield.

On the corner, on the High Street, back of the cottagey chip shop on the same side of the school.

My Great Grandad lived in a cottage opposite and it was a great treat to go so I could go the the fair.

 

Joan - what was your Great Granddad's name? I might remember the family.

[feederfil 10]

I used to go to Farrars fair that was held opposite the White Horse beside Parson Cross School.The small estate is now called Carrville Drive and when I lived on there would frequently dig up clay pipes from the rifle range.This was in the back garden ,on the front we found pieces of coconut shell from the shies!After the fair had gone we as children would search the ground for air gun pellets,but can't remember why!

[dynamicdebz 10]

I was a typical fairground tart.

You know the sort hanging round the waltzer only paying for one ride, hoping that the bit of rough turning your carraige would notice you.

But my fave fair was the one at owlerton stadim especially the year they had the wall of death there, 1982!

If only my parents knew.

[Joanl 12]

Joan - what was your Great Granddad's name? I might remember the family.

Harry Robinson and his daughter Sue, their cottage was next to the pub but can't remember the name of it.......then up the road that led to the Park, I had an Aunt Alice....(Trickett) and her children were Hazel and Peter.

 

Great Grandad died a long time ago though.

[xmichellex 10]

i remember farrers fair coming to high green on the spare land behind the health centre its a housing estate now .it was the late 70s it was brill there was the octipuss and the speedway and the waltzers but the best thing was that mark farrah was in our class and he got us free tickets .the music was so loud and fantastic what a atmosphere.

[CorkerSWFC 10]

It always seemed to be Robinsons fairs when i was younger.

[Nigel Womersle 10]

Harry Robinson and his daughter Sue, their cottage was next to the pub but can't remember the name of it.......then up the road that led to the Park, I had an Aunt Alice....(Trickett) and her children were Hazel and Peter.

 

Great Grandad died a long time ago though.

 

I remember Peter Trickett although he is older than me. Wasn't he a joiner/carpenter and lived in Park Crescent? (off Sycamore Road which does lead to the park). The pub was probably The Ball Inn, which was next to the fairground.

[Joanl 12]

I remember Peter Trickett although he is older than me. Wasn't he a joiner/carpenter and lived in Park Crescent? (off Sycamore Road which does lead to the park). The pub was probably The Ball Inn, which was next to the fairground.

 

I think that must be the one, I do remember the joiner bit actually..and yes he was older than me too. I haven't seen anyone for years to be honest and think the last time I saw Peter was just bumping into him with his mother in town back in, oooh er,.... must have been 70 something.

The pub name does ring a bell but this was the one opposite the co-op and grandads back garden wall was the pubs garden wall as well.

thanks anyway......very interesting.

[Keanaz 10]

already mentioned by a couple of posts, but I used to be one of the first to get to the park in order to get a job on one of the stalls, the guy I worked for had 3 stalls, Hoop La (No chance of winning) roll a ball (good chance of winning TAT!) and tombola tickets (1 won the whole time I worked).

 

No one won on the Hoop la, but a mate persuaded me to nudge a hoop over a bottle of pomaigne, he want mad cos someone had won and especially because he was the same age of me, but he had to let it go to save embarrasement.

 

Rolling a ball down a chute into numbered holes, hardly a skill but kept most people entairtained, prizes were useless tat.

 

Tombola tickets, you could buy 1 or 3 for 10bob or whatever it was, and win HUGE Teddies, the 1 woman who did win, he told her to come back about every 30 mins or so and he would give her a free ticket, when she came back he would then shout "here's a winner" and everyone would want a ticket in the hope they would win, but never did.

I also remember that there was always a fight, some other mob other than Darnall would encroach on our manor!, the police were always caught but ran off in the dark. Great times in Darnall - Buster you mentioned Craven road

Boy that was the rough end of darnall?

[Nigel Womersle 10]

I think that must be the one, I do remember the joiner bit actually..and yes he was older than me too. I haven't seen anyone for years to be honest and think the last time I saw Peter was just bumping into him with his mother in town back in, oooh er,.... must have been 70 something.

The pub name does ring a bell but this was the one opposite the co-op and grandads back garden wall was the pubs garden wall as well.

thanks anyway......very interesting.

 

If it was the old Co-op next to the Junior School, then the pub was 'The Sportsman', known by the locals as 'Mary's House', as the landlady was Mary Beard. Those cottages were lovely - today they would not have allowed the powers that be to demolish them. They were old Ecclesfield at its finest. Regards - Nigel.

[Joanl 12]

If it was the old Co-op next to the Junior School, then the pub was 'The Sportsman', known by the locals as 'Mary's House', as the landlady was Mary Beard. Those cottages were lovely - today they would not have allowed the powers that be to demolish them. They were old Ecclesfield at its finest. Regards - Nigel.

 

Thank you,that was it.."The Sportsman"...I remember the cottages had gas lighting and what a shame they were pulled down...they were quite solid as well as I recall.....bramble roses and moonpennys all over the garden...oh well thanks again for refreshing my memory.

[MARY POPPINS 10]

I was a typical fairground tart.

You know the sort hanging round the waltzer only paying for one ride, hoping that the bit of rough turning your carraige would notice you.

But my fave fair was the one at owlerton stadim especially the year they had the wall of death there, 1982!

If only my parents knew.

 

I used to want to be a fairground tart, but my mum always used to tell me to watch out for the fairground lads, and she used to send my brothers to look out for me so I daren't go, oh but it sounded so exciting.

 

Also remember Billy Smarts circus going to Attercliffe Rec

it was just a the bottom of our yard. I used to love to go and look at the animals,

Remember my mum going mad cos I'd fed all the bread to the elephants.

There was always the story that they never brought the lions because the abbatoir was too near and they would smell the meat

 

What beautiful caravans as well, we used to try and guess which one actually belonged to Billy Smart, oh fond memories!