Does anyone remember Gertrude Street?

[babyboom 10]

My parents bought a house on Gertrude Street at Hillsborough. The council compulsory purchased it in 1969/70. My parents were given a council house on Parson Cross. They said never really knew why the houses were pulled down and when we passed on the bus always grumbled that the land was just wasteland, until they built the Mecca bingo.

 

I was just wondering if anyone else remembered it and knew why they pulled the houses down, mum reckoned the houses were fine and just wanted a bit of modernising?

[hillsbro 32]

The houses on Gertude Street, Flora Street and Thirza Street were mostly structurally sound, but needless to say they were mostly small and lacking in amenities. Some were larger (here is a link to a 1967 photo of Gertrude Street on the picturesheffield.com site) but most of the houses had little indoor plumbing, outside toilets etc. and had front doors opening straight on to the pavement with no forecourt. They were the sort of houses that the Council decided should be demolished instead of being improved. In some parts of the country a more imaginative approach was taken with, for example, 3 houses made into 2 etc., but 40 or so years ago the general approach in Sheffield was to demolish and rebuild. It was, however, a shame that much of the area indeed remained waste land for over 20 years until the Mecca bingo hall was built in the 1990s.

[babyboom 10]

Thank you :-)

[Barts1 10]

Yes I remember Gertrude St. It was close to the Salvation Army. I have just become a member of this forum to-day. I was born in Jenkinson St. with Hughes beer off on the corner and also Moodys. We lived there from 1930 to 1954. I went to Upperthorpe School 1946 - 1952. We moved to Industry St.up Burgoyne Rd. Emigrated to Canada in 1969. The people who lived in our yard on Jenkinson St.were Clarks,Crookes, Ludlam, Bell,Baines, Baker/Maltby and Clover Our back garden was at the bottom of the hill from Fox Road (2nd entry from Woolen Lane). A woman in the first yard kept pigs and if you took potato peelings she gave you hard sweets. There was a house window shop on Fox Road called Weightmans and she would let you use next months sweet ration.... I had a sweet tooth and was always on the following months coupons.

[bullerboY 10]

Hi Barts1, was it Joe Maltby who lived there and murial Baker?.

[25195348 10]

My parents bought a house on Gertrude Street at Hillsborough. The council compulsory purchased it in 1969/70. My parents were given a council house on Parson Cross. They said never really knew why the houses were pulled down and when we passed on the bus always grumbled that the land was just wasteland, until they built the Mecca bingo.

 

I was just wondering if anyone else remembered it and knew why they pulled the houses down, mum reckoned the houses were fine and just wanted a bit of modernising?

 

Gertrude St rang a bell for me so I looked it up in a old Sheffield street guide for 1967 68,It said 21 Thirza St to Langsett Rd,soon as I saw Thirza St that did it I had Aunt and Uncle and 2 Cousins lived on Thirza st and a Grandma lived at 1 Court 1 Langsett Rd right opposite the Salvation Army Building.I also had a Aunt and Uncle Live in the White House Buildings.My Cousins were Peter and Kathleen Horner,Peter died a long time ago as for Kathleen have no Idea

[adnil 10]

Used to be at school Whitley Woods, with a lad called Footitt, (John ) I think he lived, with his parents on Gertrude st, possibly around the 60's at the top of the street used to be a cinema, well round the corner on Infirmry Rd called ?? the Union sounds familiar.

Ciao nai

Edited February 13, 2013 by adnil

[hillsbro 32]

Hi adnil - the cinema was the Unity on the corner of Gertrude Street and Langsett Road. Your memory rings true - old directories show Arthur Footitt at 36 Gertrude Street. John Footitt was born in 1945 to Arthur and Ethel Footitt..

[adnil 10]

Hi Hillsbro,

Yeh, thats it the 'Unity', yes John would be my age, born 1945, I think his mother once worked in the school kitchen at Whitely Woods, I don't recall her name, Ethel does'nt ring any bells, mind when you were kids we did'nt call grown-ups by their Christian names , 'Mrs-Mrs' that's was it.

Thanks, Ciao nai

[Plain Talker 11]

The houses on Gertude Street, Flora Street and Thirza Street were mostly structurally sound, but needless to say they were mostly small and lacking in amenities. Some were larger (here is a link to a 1967 photo of Gertrude Street on the picturesheffield.com site) but most of the houses had little indoor plumbing, outside toilets etc. and had front doors opening straight on to the pavement with no forecourt. They were the sort of houses that the Council decided should be demolished instead of being improved. In some parts of the country a more imaginative approach was taken with, for example, 3 houses made into 2 etc., but 40 or so years ago the general approach in Sheffield was to demolish and rebuild. It was, however, a shame that much of the area indeed remained waste land for over 20 years until the Mecca bingo hall was built in the 1990s.

 

Sounds like the antics of the city council all over Sheffield, around that time.

My grandparents' and great grandparents houses in Carbrook/ attercliffe were demolished in the early 70s (74) to provide...

 

A car park for the arena. :roll

 

Our houses at Highfield were demolished in 1979

 

my aunt's house on Fleet Street, Brightside was demolished in 72

 

These weren't your awful back-to-back properties. they were ordinary 2-up/ 2-downs. Yes my aunt's, grandparents' and G-grandparents' properties DID open straight onto the street, but so do the identical properties on the lower end of Sharrow lane, those at the bottom end of Myrtle road and around Gifford road. Staveley Road also has such properties, as does artisan view and valley road.

 

I still maintain that most of the properties in the highfield area could have been left standing, had the council been bothered to spend a hundred pounds or so, installing inside bathrooms and loos as they did in hunters bar, and on Vincent and South View Roads.

[Barts1 10]

Just joined this Forum and not sure how to reply to one person in particular but Bullerboy mentioned Maltby/Baker... they lived at 29 Jenkinson St. we lived at 17 Fellows was the name. I went to Upperthorpe with Denise Maltby, she had a brother Tony (they lived with their grandparents) and then there were I think 3 younger ones who lived with their Mum/Dad.

[JFootitt 10]

Used to be at school Whitley Woods, with a lad called Footitt, (John ) I think he lived, with his parents on Gertrude st, possibly around the 60's at the top of the street used to be a cinema, well round the corner on Infirmry Rd called ?? the Union sounds familiar.

Ciao nai

 

I am John footitt and I would be interested in who you are