Stradbroke Memories

[kerryd 10]

hiya squeaky clean do you know my other half then, jamie wagstaff???

[Bellstar 10]

I'm only 35! Maybe that is old:) All the shops were open when I was growing up, I think there was a hairdressers at the end, then a butchers, Hamers, co-op, betting shop, post office, westwoods (still there) and lastly a chip shop.

 

I lived on Glenholme road No 13, Mum wanted a brick house cos they lived in a prefab before then. I left home when i was nineteen, married a soldier and went to Germany for 10 years. My twin daughters were four months old when we eventually left my mum and dads. Violet and Bernard Highfield. I have a brother Edward and a Sister Jean, Im 54 and my brother and sister both in their late 60's. We all went to Stradbroke Juniors and Brook Comprehensive.

 

I loved it on the stradbroke estate and wanted a house on there when we came back from the forces but the waiting list was too long.

I remember playing many a happy hour in the corn fields at the back of my friend gail's house across the road. Its now a motorway.

 

I remember all the strad shops, especially westwoods lol. Is graham still running it? and the little barbers at the corner of the building.

We used to go to the chippy for 6 penny worth of chips in newspaper, happy days.

 

Does anyone remember Mrs Napier, Mr Lax,(Library teacher) he used to have a size 11 slipper to keep the bad boys in line. Mr Thraves ( he used to scare me to death lo) he had bright ginger hair, and very strict.

School days were so different then. Im trying to rack my brain to think of the headmistress's name ( It escapes me for now) but you didnt mess with her she was little and mighty lol.

 

Good grief it seems so long ago now lol.

[Bellstar 10]

I used to live on Glenholme Road. Brook school was demolised a few years ago and the site is now a housing development.

 

You may know some of my old neighbours then hun?

[soft ayperth 11]

I lived on Glenholme road No 13, Mum wanted a brick house cos they lived in a prefab before then. I left home when i was nineteen, married a soldier and went to Germany for 10 years. My twin daughters were four months old when we eventually left my mum and dads. Violet and Bernard Highfield. I have a brother Edward and a Sister Jean, Im 54 and my brother and sister both in their late 60's. We all went to Stradbroke Juniors and Brook Comprehensive.

 

I loved it on the stradbroke estate and wanted a house on there when we came back from the forces but the waiting list was too long.

I remember playing many a happy hour in the corn fields at the back of my friend gail's house across the road. Its now a motorway.

 

I remember all the strad shops, especially westwoods lol. Is graham still running it? and the little barbers at the corner of the building.

We used to go to the chippy for 6 penny worth of chips in newspaper, happy days.

 

Does anyone remember Mrs Napier, Mr Lax,(Library teacher) he used to have a size 11 slipper to keep the bad boys in line. Mr Thraves ( he used to scare me to death lo) he had bright ginger hair, and very strict.

School days were so different then. Im trying to rack my brain to think of the headmistress's name ( It escapes me for now) but you didnt mess with her she was little and mighty lol.

 

Good grief it seems so long ago now lol.

 

When did you live there bellstar? '51-61 for me. Smelter Wood Way. As kids we used to play in those cornfields. I remember once carrying home a hedgehog from those cornfields right into our kitchen. My mother hit the roof as it was covered in fleas. I remember Westwoods and the chippy next door. The lady in the chip shop had dyed platinum blond hair and bright red lipstick as I recall. She used to peel apart the sheets of newspaper by licking her finger to get traction on the paper, a habit which may have gone unnoticed by many but not by my folks. As kids we went there anyway.

 

And the barbers? I think he must have learned his trade darn' pit, as he could only really do what used to be called a miner's haircut. Short back and sides, squared off to look like a bowl had been placed over your head. Back then, I had what would nowadays be regarded as a pretty conservative hair cut. While I was sat waiting in the shop (for my friend; I wouldn't go there), the guy looks at me, waves his scissors around, then exclaims in a loud voice to all the customers,"Sithee. Look at im. All 'ee needs is a bloody violin!"

[Bellstar 10]

When did you live there bellstar? '51-61 for me. Smelter Wood Way. As kids we used to play in those cornfields. I remember once carrying home a hedgehog from those cornfields right into our kitchen. My mother hit the roof as it was covered in fleas. I remember Westwoods and the chippy next door. The lady in the chip shop had dyed platinum blond hair and bright red lipstick as I recall. She used to peel apart the sheets of newspaper by licking her finger to get traction on the paper, a habit which may have gone unnoticed by many but not by my folks. As kids we went there anyway.

 

And the barbers? I think he must have learned his trade darn' pit, as he could only really do what used to be called a miner's haircut. Short back and sides, squared off to look like a bowl had been placed over your head. Back then, I had what would nowadays be regarded as a pretty conservative hair cut. While I was sat waiting in the shop (for my friend; I wouldn't go there), the guy looks at me, waves his scissors around, then exclaims in a loud voice to all the customers,"Sithee. Look at im. All 'ee needs is a bloody violin!"

 

Hi rogG,

I was about two years old 1955 when we went to stradbroke, and nineteen when i got married and left home. 1974.

Hubby says the barbers used do a haircut called the colliers bob, where only the fourlocks were left, bet it looked wonderful lol.

[weemorris 10]

I'm Andrew Morris and I moved into the new Stradbroke Estate in about 1950/51. There was no Stradbroke School in those days and as an 'infant' had to go to Woodthorpe School uintil the new school was opened.

 

My family and I lived at 6, Smelterwood Avenue and across the road was the bottom half of the ravine previously mentioned. We spent many a happy summers day trying to block the stream than was piped under the road that formed the barrier between the top half and the bottom half.

 

When the Council decided to fill the ravine in, they were modernising the frontage of Sheffield Cathedral so they started tipping rubbish and soil down the ravine that was being dug up there. What they didn't realise was that they were digging up graves too! A friend of mine (Tony Senior) discovered some bones and together we started digging them up. We found skulls and all sorts of bits and put them in Tony's outhouse in a kind of display.

 

In those days the Star paid 5/- (5 shillings) for a story so I rang them and they came and took some photos.

 

Our story made the front page and there was one hell of a stink involving the Council, the Bishop of Sheffield and the Public Health Department.

 

The main problem was that the graves were those of people who had died in the 19th. century Cholera Epidemic and apart from the moral side of things, there was a real danger of a health risk too.

 

Anyway, I got my five bob and shared it with Tony.

 

Happy days.

[Bellstar 10]

Thanks for that interesing story love, Its always great to hear what we got up too as kids.

I used to love to sneak to the "Red Wreck" as we called it,It was just a play park on the way to woodhouse, I used to love the swings, and still do, when my girls and i take the grandkids to the park nowerdays i always have a go on the swings lol, my parents thaught it was too far for me to go but my best mate and me used to sneak off there anyway lol. I would have got a good hiding if i had got found out lol.

[soft ayperth 11]

I'm Andrew Morris and I moved into the new Stradbroke Estate in about 1950/51. There was no Stradbroke School in those days and as an 'infant' had to go to Woodthorpe School uintil the new school was opened.

 

My family and I lived at 6, Smelterwood Avenue and across the road was the bottom half of the ravine previously mentioned. We spent many a happy summers day trying to block the stream than was piped under the road that formed the barrier between the top half and the bottom half.

 

When the Council decided to fill the ravine in, they were modernising the frontage of Sheffield Cathedral so they started tipping rubbish and soil down the ravine that was being dug up there. What they didn't realise was that they were digging up graves too! A friend of mine (Tony Senior) discovered some bones and together we started digging them up. We found skulls and all sorts of bits and put them in Tony's outhouse in a kind of display.

 

In those days the Star paid 5/- (5 shillings) for a story so I rang them and they came and took some photos.

 

Our story made the front page and there was one hell of a stink involving the Council, the Bishop of Sheffield and the Public Health Department.

 

The main problem was that the graves were those of people who had died in the 19th. century Cholera Epidemic and apart from the moral side of things, there was a real danger of a health risk too.

 

Anyway, I got my five bob and shared it with Tony.

 

Happy days.

 

Andrew, you lived on the street directly behind ours. We lived at 23 Smelter Wood Way, bottom house. I don't recall you but our paths must have crossed. My younger brother may have been around your age. We used to call that ravine "the hollow." We spent many happy times playing there. In those days, young kids went outdoors and played games! We used to go sledging down your street on the very rare occasion that there was a bit of snow. At the top of our street was a piece of undeveloped land that we used to call the "Green Hill" due to a large mound of earth that sat on top of it. As a young teenager I used to go up there to a secluded spot and sneak a smoke. Thank goodness I gave that up many yrs ago. I believe that a housing complex of some kind sits on that land now.

[weemorris 10]

I was a member of the Scouts in Woodhouse for many, many years. I joined as a cub aged 6.

 

In those days, Stradbroke Road didn't go all the way through to Woodhouse. It stopped somewhere where City School is now. There was a path - but that's all. So I had to walk it. Both ways. Every Friday. No problem.

 

I recall your house RogG but sorry, not the occupants.

 

Sledging? I'll give you sledging.

 

When the snow came (and it came more often than not in those days) the best track for miles around started on Stradbroke Road at the top of Stradbroke Drive. Down the hill then sharp right by the school gates - left into Stradbroke Crescent. Bear right down the hill and then straight across Smelter Wood Road (hope there isn't a bus coming!) down Smelter Wood Avenue to Glenholm Road.

 

Fantastic.

 

EEEEEE. the kids today....they don't know they're born!

[SILLY 10]

I lived on Glenholme road No 13, Mum wanted a brick house cos they lived in a prefab before then. I left home when i was nineteen, married a soldier and went to Germany for 10 years. My twin daughters were four months old when we eventually left my mum and dads. Violet and Bernard Highfield. I have a brother Edward and a Sister Jean, Im 54 and my brother and sister both in their late 60's. We all went to Stradbroke Juniors and Brook Comprehensive.

 

I loved it on the stradbroke estate and wanted a house on there when we came back from the forces but the waiting list was too long.

I remember playing many a happy hour in the corn fields at the back of my friend gail's house across the road. Its now a motorway.

 

I remember all the strad shops, especially westwoods lol. Is graham still running it? and the little barbers at the corner of the building.

We used to go to the chippy for 6 penny worth of chips in newspaper, happy days.

 

Does anyone remember Mrs Napier, Mr Lax,(Library teacher) he used to have a size 11 slipper to keep the bad boys in line. Mr Thraves ( he used to scare me to death lo) he had bright ginger hair, and very strict.

School days were so different then. Im trying to rack my brain to think of the headmistress's name ( It escapes me for now) but you didnt mess with her she was little and mighty lol.

 

Good grief it seems so long ago now lol.

 

Hi Belstar If your brother is Eddy Highfield he was in the same class as me and if I remember right he was very good at swimming.

[pinklady 10]

hiya squeaky clean do you know my other half then, jamie wagstaff???

 

OMG ........ i wondered where he ended up , I'll PM you

 

I lived on the stradbroke, going to stradbroke school around 1973 ..... following on to Brook. I left stradbroke in 1989 but my parents are still there .... ravenscroft. It was a great place to grow up

[Roderick 10]

I lived in Stradbroke ( Smelterwood crescent ) between those dates would like to hear from anybody who remembers those times. Rod