Opinion on Park Hill

[yr83 10]

Hi,

i'm a 3rd year architecture student, currently writing my dissertation on the Park Hill estate in Sheffield and was wondering if anyone on here had every lived in them? What period did you live there in? how did you find the flats themselves? how did you find the combination of shops and services available in the estate? what was the atmosphere like? did the 'Streets in the sky' work?

your opinion on the topic and any information on Park Hill would be really great.

Thanks alot, alex.m.

[rodge 10]

hi i use to be a pupil at park hill school in the 1980s. The community was like one big happy family, where people felt safe and were friendly.

I remember a number of shops - hair dressers, co-op, paper shop, bookies, chippy etc.

I didnt actually live in the flats (I lived on Hyde park) but my uncle did they were huge inside for what they were.

happy days!!

[chem1st 10]

Do a favour and scan the documents and newspaper cuttings in the library, if your going to get them out.

Upload them and post links for all on here and I'll email you plenty of documents wrt Parkhill, videos etc. too.

[Fogey 10]

One interesting issue I came acroos once was regarding the way that the development was greeted by the locals. I have always seen it claimed that people in the housing on the site prior to redevelopment welcomed the development as a great idea to improve their living standards. However several years ago I was in a shop on sharrowevale road and the woman serving claimed that residents had mounted a campaign of opposition.

 

It might be worth contrasting Park Hill with Le Corbusiers Unite de Habitation and whether or not the developments have enjoyed similar histories of acceptance/neglect/celebration/success/failure.