What happened to the Boating Lakes?

[kivvoman 10]

As a kid in the late 50s & early 60s we would often catch the Circular to Graves Park. The big treat would be to go on the rowing boats. As we got older, some kids would even drop a hand line from the boat for a bit of illicit fishing, hoping the Parky wouldn't catch them.

Anyway, a recent visit found the boats gone and the lake covered in lilly pads. What happened to the boats? rumour has it they were stopped after a girl was drowned.

Other parks also had boating lakes, these included Forge Dam, Hilsborough Park & Western Bank Lake which I recall also had a motor boat named Queen Elizabeth. Anybody Confirm.

High Hazles and Millhouses parks also had smaller lakes with paddle boats on them.

It would appear that all these have also lost their boating lakes.

Are there any boating lakes left in Sheffield?. It would seem a sign of the times that they probably be subject to vandalism.

I do not count Rother Valley Country Park among these as this has a dedicated watersport facility.

[Kidorry 189]

I can remember a young child drowning in the Firth Park boating lake(beside the library) and they emptied the lake after that.That is going back a few years.

[alex3659 11]

It's a shame about how Graves Park boating lake has been allowed to deteriorate, it would make a great fishing venue without too much effort or expence.

 

I remember Mr Egan working there he was a neighbour of ours, saddly he has since passed away.

[Eccleshall 10]

Endcliffe park also had a boating lake on the pond at the Hunter's bar end of the park near the refreshment bar and bandstand.

[hillsbro 28]

....a motor boat named Queen Elizabeth. Anybody Confirm.

Yes - there's a thread about it here.

 

What happened to the boats? rumour has it they were stopped after a girl was drowned...

A 15 year-old girl drowned in the Crookes Valley lake in 1976 - maybe this is why the boats were taken off. I don't remember any fatalities in Hillsborough Park Lake, but the rowing boats were taken off in c..1955 when they decided to use the lake for breeding fish. They first drained the lake, built new concrete sides around most of it and stocked it with fish, but a fenced-off area at the southern end had paddle boats (sixpence for 20 minutes and good fun.) until maybe the late 1960s or a bit later.

[Norbert 145]

I remember last going on the boats at Graves Park in about ’84. Another boat had about six huge drunken thugs in it, they jumped up and down in it until it sank, they waded out of the lake and buggered off.

 

I think it was stuff like this that stopped the boating.

[Vulcan B2 10]

I remember a young girl drowning in Graves Park. I think she was aged 5 or 6, and was in a boat with her grandfather. Sadly whe went overboard and because of the vegetation on the bottom of the lake she couldn't be found until it was too late

[Treatment 10]

I remember last going on the boats at Graves Park in about ’84. Another boat had about six huge drunken thugs in it, they jumped up and down in it until it sank, they waded out of the lake and buggered off.

 

I think it was stuff like this that stopped the boating.

 

Yeah, we got bloody wet that night.

[Lils 0]

I presume there were once boating facilities on Crooke Valley lake....? Just gather from chatting to the local fishermen down there. 

[Ant68 21]

I thought the boatling lake at Millhouses was still operational (when covid isn’t about).

 

It was run by the brother of Keith Pullin who used to have a dogems and some kiddies rides in the park back in the ‘80s

[Elmambo 25]

4 hours ago, Ant68 said:

I thought the boatling lake at Millhouses was still operational (when covid isn’t about).

 

It was run by the brother of Keith Pullin who used to have a dogems and some kiddies rides in the park back in the ‘80s

Is that any relation to the Pullens who lived on Cobdenview Road, they were Showmen.

[francypants 441]

5 hours ago, Ant68 said:

I thought the boatling lake at Millhouses was still operational (when covid isn’t about).

 

It was run by the brother of Keith Pullin who used to have a dogems and some kiddies rides in the park back in the ‘80s

Yes it is.