Totley in the 50s and 60s

[Dreb48 35]

Hi.I can't say I remember any ruins, though that's a far better description of the route of the path.

Looking back, it seems I spent the vast majority of my childhood mucking about in different woods. Most summers would be spent in that wood or the one that was nearest, which ran from where the Shepley Spitfire is all along the back of Aldam Rd and up to Gilleyfield.

We'd spend hours making dams across the river or sitting on Wings Hill. In fact I'm not quite sure what we did that took up endless hours but we were never in the house at all.

For some reason we used to spend winter months in the woods that ran from opposite the shops on Totley Rise above the Methodist Church all the way up to Totley Brook.

We were always fascinated with the aqueduct over the railway line. Around Bonfire night we'd make depth charges out of bangers with mud caked round the bottom and drop them in the deeper water at one end then we'd drag huge fallen branches back up to Green Oak for our bonfire.

I know it's often mentioned but you really could go out and get lost somewhere for hours and parents didn't have to worry cos they knew you'd end up back home for tea.

Much simpler and safer times.

[wrawbyfred 10]

Hi, played in the same areas , funny though how the stream always managed to produce areas which were deeper than your wellies. We probably didn't appreciate it at the time but we must have been some of the luckiest kids in sheffield, with ,cirtainly in the earlier 50s,a large part of the city ravaged from the war, having acres of fields and woods to roam

[ping 11]

Did you ever explore the ruins down next to the railway line

 

I can remember these ruins but never actually found out what they were ruins of. I do remember that there were many train warning devices lying about: these I think were placed on the train tracks, and exploded emitting a loud bang when a train ran over them. I assume it was some kind of fog warning?

 

Regarding the fields just prior to the woods, we spent many a happy hour sliding down the embankment on sheets of cardboard. No X boxes and Ipads then!

[Dreb48 35]

Hi ping. When they delivered eggs to the Coop the trays were put in a big cardboard box so you could inadvertently have been using an eggs-box ( apologies to the two Ronnies )

I think you may be right about trackside huts I'm sure there was one on that stretch.

Anyway, nice to know you're still with us. You just never know when you get to our age

[wrawbyfred 10]

Hi ping, I think you are right about the small explosive devices on the rail lines being fog warning devices, but what I can't quite understand is why anyone would need to warn a train about fog when it can't go anywhere appart from following the rails. There used to be a set just after the aqueduct and before totley tunnel entrance. Although prior to the clean air act I remember some quite savage fog/smog episodes when literally you couldn't see across to the other side of the road.

[Dreb48 35]

I've read that they used them in fog if the signals were difficult to see and there was a broken down train, engineering work or any obstruction on the line.

You're right wrawbyfred, we had some incredibly foggy days back in the 50s. It seemed to be a regular occurrence. Obviously there must have been massive concern about air pollution that I think most of us were oblivious of. It wasn't covered much in the publications I was reading at the time, the Eagle and Beezer!

You're also right in your previous comment about how lucky we were to grow up in that environment of woods and fields. I can remember trips down town and there were still plenty of bomb sites in particular at the bottom of the Moor.

There was still that sense of community though that was engendered by the War. All your neighbours were your aunties and uncles as a kid.

Anyway don't want to go on a long rant about the good old days. It'll bore you all silly.

[wrawbyfred 10]

Hi Dreb, Having the privilage to rant comes to us all as we age!!! I am a few years older than you. Pennina, if you still watch this forum are you Marie Coopers younger sister if so is she well, I was at totley c of e at the same time and wonder from time to time what happned to people, work took me away from totley in the 1970's

[Dreb48 35]

Hi wrawbyfred, I guessed you were a bit older than me. Have you been on Totley History Groups site? There's a great piece by Eric ( Oldun when he posts on here) which might be of interest to you though you might be from the age group in between Eric and mine's.

There's some fantastic stuff on there especially among the photos. I even managed to find my baptismal notice in the Parish Mag which felt quite strange.

I'm sure Pennina is still on the forum though she's not posted on here for a while.

[ping 11]

Back Lane was mentioned a while ago. I used ti spend hours there as a kid with my Gran's shop being on Totley Rise, so I thought I'd have a look on Google Earth - bloody hell, where's the field gone? Somebody's gone and built houses there!

Was it Thompson's who owned the field? Must have been worth a bit. I remember pigs being in the field, not sure if they had cows as well.

Looks like I might have to revisit to reminisce - it's been at least 50 years since I was last there.

[Dreb48 35]

Hi ping. I think you're right about Thompsons owning that land. I remember as a little'un going down to see the pigs with a mate of my brothers who was a trainee butcher there. Having said that, it was either Thompsons or Tyms, it has to be one or the other.

As you say it was just fields and a few sheds. Like you, I've not been back to have a look.

I've been back to where our house was but got a bit depressed by all the open land that had been built on since I left.

I'd heard it had been 'developed' down there so decided not to depress myself further

[sharrovian 10]

I lived on Laverdene Avenue, 1960-2013, (still live in Totley) The houses have been there a good few years, what a shame, I seem to remember the builders tried for a few years to get permission and finally succeeded, the flow of the river was moved to allow better access and the turnaround disappeared, when we asked where has it gone? they said there had never been a turnaround. The

Avenue, when I came to live there consisted of the Laver houses only except for the cottages near the beginning, some time later the garages were removed and houses were built meaning that some of the residents were overlooked and also a small development was added after the last Laver house where some older houses had been demolished. Our two children were born in the 1960s and together with other kids played on the avenue which was a kids paradise, hardly any traffic and we would have a bonfire on land by the river on Guy Fawkes night, everybody on the Avenue knew each other and potatoes, sausages and god knows what were provided, even Peter Swift from the newagents would make an offer, happy memories.

I remember at the time it was said that Thompsons owned the land on the back lane, and that meant that there had been three separate developments affecting the Avenue not including One house at the very beginning of the Avenue and a large detached on the river side.

Edited November 1, 2015 by sharrovian
Addition

[Dreb48 35]

Hi sharrowvian . Your description of Laverdene Ave in the 60s is exactly how I remember it.

Kids playing happily with no cars on there. I don't know what it's like now but wasn't it a dead end in those days? I have memories too of bonfires on the land down by the river.

Does anyone remember when there used to be one on the spare land between the Coop and Mickley Lane?