History of Attercliffe

[pietro 10]

As quoted by Abdul. Oh, I do

 

Glad to see I'm not on my own Abdul, the usual reply is "what, where".

This used to be my playground in the 1960's, when we were visiting my grandparents house in the next street.

 

Apart from Terry Street Rec. this was the only bit of green space around there.

[Abdul 10]

I used to play there too...in the 1980s, before the SYTPE changed the 17 bus route to turn left at the top of Upwell Street to go Meadowhall, instead of going right towards town.

 

One dark evening, a few of us went into the chapel as a dare and I remember the biggest lad of the group promising to kill anyone who shut the door behind him.

 

So of course we shut it, locking him in...and ran for our lives

 

Happy days...

 

 

You mention this was one of the few green spaces around, but I remember in the 1980s there was a lot more space to play in (in fact, there was so much open land, gypsies moved in with caravans!)

 

What happened between the 60s and the 80s to increase the amount of open space? Was it the slum clearances of Attercliffe?

[Plain Talker 11]

Originally posted by Abdul

You mention this was one of the few green spaces around, but I remember in the 1980s there was a lot more space to play in (in fact, there was so much open land, gypsies moved in with caravans!)

 

What happened between the 60s and the 80s to increase the amount of open space? Was it the slum clearances of Attercliffe?

 

yes, abdul,

 

there was a lot of clearance around attercliffe, darnall, carbrook and brightside, from the late 60's through to the mid 70's

brightside and darnall went first, then the maltby street and banners vicinity (near doctor John worrall school) and that side of attercliffe, and in the early mid 70's the carbrook school side of attercliffe was razed.

 

This was the area my grandparents brought up my mother and her siblings. My grandpa's house was on Carltonville road, which ran parallell with terry street, one road either side of carbrook school. my grandpa's house was where the arena car-park is now.

 

most of the housing in that area was mid 19th century terraces (1840's to 1860/70's) built to house the steelworkers like my grandfather. most of it was very dilapidated, and had no indoor sanitation.

 

My grandpa's house had a big brown shallow pot sink in the offshot scullery-type kitchen, with a solitary tap, that came out of thh wall. the sink always smelled of old, stewed tea-leaves. I cannot smell tea to this day without memories of my grandpa being evoked.

 

I remember the missing floorboards under the oilcase (lino) on the back bedrom floor. i remember the view over grimy rooftops, to the massive sheds of the steelworks, beyond.

 

My aunt and uncle's first home was on fleet street, brightside. they didn't move very far from the area where my aunt was brought up.

 

Another aunt lived in a yard just round the back of Banners (on the "town" side) near a church or similar building which was a carpet shop in the late 60's early 70's just on the corner. (i think it was a shirland, but not Shirland Road. it stood back a ways at teh junction of two roads, behind banners..?)

 

PT

[pietro 10]

Hi PT, Abdul

 

Bring back the good old days.

 

My grandparents lived in Bradford Street, in a 2 up 2 down, no offshot kitchen. Somehow they managed to raise five children in the house. The house had one cold tap. a shared outside loo (whtewashed of course) with the obligatory squares of newspaper on the nail on the back of the door. In the back yard , always draped with washing, there was everthing from old bikes, motorbikes, a wringer and a chicken coop where they kept chickens, this by the way was in the mid 1960's.

 

I cannot remember a tin bath hanging on the wall, there must have been one somewhere, possibly in the cellar along with the coal. All the foodstuffs where kept on the cellar head, which always seeemed to have a damp smell about it.

 

Hanging outside, by the back door, there would be a bunch of seaweed . I know what it was for but do you.

 

What always struck me as a small child, was the front room. It was never ever used. It was full of the best furniture, even a square of carpet but everybody would be crammed into the back room/kitchen, especially on a Saturday afternoon to watch the wrestling or the hoss racing, as my grandad used to say.

 

Yes, bring back the good old days.

[pietro 10]

As quoted by PT Another aunt lived in a yard just round the back of Banners (on the "town" side) near a church or similar building which was a carpet shop in the late 60's early 70's just on the corner. (i think it was a shirland, but not Shirland Road. it stood back a ways at teh junction of two roads, behind banners..?)

 

Hello PT

 

Could this be your church?. I seem to remember in the 70's it was a carpet showroom. I may be wrong but I'm sure the sign above the door said that it was Banners Carpet Department.

 

I also remember the ice cream van that stood on the bottom corner, at the junction of Attercliffe Common and the fruit and veg barrow on the opposite corner.

 

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/hpac.pl?_cgifunction=form&_layout=picturesheffield&keyval=sheff.id=7970

[Plain Talker 11]

wow, pietro,

 

yes, i do believe that could be the very church; the shape of the church and the junction layout both look familiar.

 

my aunt lived on the road that goes off to the right, a few doors down from the church.

I have seen some pictures on this archive. i never thought that there'd be a photo of that street (duh!). goodness me.

 

I am off back onto that site to see if there might be a picture of my mum's old street on there.

 

PT

[Abdul 10]

Many thanks for your contributions, PT and Pietro

 

My family lived on Fitzmaurice Road in Darnall at the time of my birth (mid 1970s), but moved to Firth Park within the year. The new house had three bedrooms, a bathroom, an attic and a garden, making it ideal for my parents and their three children (my father loved gardening and still does). Many of my parents' friends chose to stay in the area, and were provided with council houses on the Uttley Road estate, just off Worksop Road.

 

My dad and my grandfather, both steelworkers, tell me there was no bathroom at the old house, so once a week they'd go to the old Attercliffe swimming pool (by the Don Valley Stadium) and pay a fee of something like one and-a-half shillings for a bath, inclusive of soap and towel.

[Ned Ludd 10]

Yes, Otter Cliff it was. A quite literal meaning much like Salmon Pastures............takes you back to the days when a law stated that there was a limit to the number of days that an apprentice could be fed Salmon.

Anyone seen that old photo of Attercliffe which shows a woman standing outside an ancient country cottage..incredible.

[Barra 10]

Can anyone shed any light on where the area name 'Atlas' originates from? Its always intrigued me.

 

And for those that don't know where it is its kind of past The Wicker, fork right and down that way a bit. You've probably passed through it going to Meadowhell.

[pietro 10]

Hi Barra

 

The area known as Atlas, just through the Wicker and extending down Saville Street and Carlisle Street, came about from the steelworks of John Brown & co. These works where set up in the 1860's.

 

Try the link below for more info.

 

http://www.tilthammer.com/bio/brown.html

[sharkw 10]

hi there fala

I believe Attercliffe derived frome the word Ottercliffe where Otters used to thrive along the river Don as were salmon hence the name salmon pastures. As for carbrook there is a brook that runs underneath the area and on worksop road one can see a little of it near the aqueduct as for brightside I have no idea hope this little snippet helps

[DIANAA 10]

hi does anyone remember he keenan family they lived on ripon street during the 50 and 60s