The Fate of Park Hill Opening plaque

[craigie84 10]

Hi everybody, first time writer here.

 

I'm just trying to find a little information regarding the "opening plaque" that Hugh Gaitskell unveiled in 1961. I cant believe how little i can find about it. I have the "park hill flats" book that contains 2 pictures (one from 1961 and other from 80s covered in graffiti) and i have found a picture in flickr from the 90's. AND THATS ALL I CAN FIND!! I've only managed to find the location from talking to my parents (i now know it was on the Duke Street end of the pavement underneath a walkway). I cant even find the "61" and "80" picture on the internet.

 

The building where it was located has been demolished. Does anybody know if the plaque went with it? I find this hard to believe, considering the actual flats are considered historically important, surely the opening plaque deserves saving and relocating.

 

Any information, pictures or anything would be greatly welcomed.

 

Thanks all!

 

PS on an unrelated note, does anybody here use the "sheffield history" forums. I keep trying to register but always fail the security check. Any ideas?

Edited April 14, 2016 by craigie84
move forum

[jimmy1975 10]

Hi everybody, first time writer here.

 

I'm just trying to find a little information regarding the "opening plaque" that Hugh Gaitskell unveiled in 1961. I cant believe how little i can find about it. I have the "park hill flats" book that contains 2 pictures (one from 1961 and other from 80s covered in graffiti) and i have found a picture in flickr from the 90's. AND THATS ALL I CAN FIND!! I've only managed to find the location from talking to my parents (i now know it was on the Duke Street end of the pavement underneath a walkway). I cant even find the "61" and "80" picture on the internet.

 

The building where it was located has been demolished. Does anybody know if the plaque went with it? I find this hard to believe, considering the actual flats are considered historically important, surely the opening plaque deserves saving and relocating.

 

Any information, pictures or anything would be greatly welcomed.

 

Thanks all!

 

PS on an unrelated note, does anybody here use the "sheffield history" forums. I keep trying to register but always fail the security check. Any ideas?

 

If you get time go to weston park museum there is a section about park hill with a dvd showing the flats when first opened and also pics of the plaque.

 

As to regards sheffield history site see this thread.

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1424848

[melv 16]

I'll lay odds it will have been melted down.

[craigie84 10]

Thanks for the replies and info.

 

It seems it would have been so easy to save. It wasn't metal but a 4 x 4 concrete slab wall with words engraved into it. It could so easily have been moved and relocated. Would have made a nice piece to remember to flats in their heyday. I'm assuming it was still there up to a couple of years ago when the building was demolished but this was well into the urban splash project, so could have been saved and relocated.

 

Maybe it will turn up one day!

[geared 321]

Chances are it went with the building it was attached to.

 

Not alot of love for the flats before they were renovated so there weren't many people about looking to conserve their history.

[crookedspire 10]

Iv been to Park Hill flats many times to record the changing face of the complex. In all that time Iv never seen a opening date stone or anything else if I had I would have photoed it as part of its history. My feeling is its been demolished which is a real shame .

[craigie84 10]

I suppose it wasn’t so much a plaque as a commererative wall. It consisted of 16 square concrete slabs with the words engraved on it. It was far too big and impressive to simply destroy. It was located at the pavement shopping centre underneath what I’m told by my parents was a community centre. I’ve tried to add a link below to the only photo I can find on the net.

 

flickr.com/photos/hippie/29957636/in/album-216780

 

This picture I believe was taken in 2004. The building it was located on was still standing up to 2013 I think. So it was around for at least 50 years. How can such a great piece of Sheffield history just be destroyed.

I am of the younger generation (well close, im 31) who see the flats through rose tinted glasses due to documentaries, hype, listing status and fond memories told t me by my parent of the flats in the 60’s early 70’s. I also have a strange fascination with building and plaques (sad I know).Finding the park hill flats plaque had become a challenge due to such lack of info/pictures.

Thanks for all replies once again.

[Sheff2006 10]

I took quite a few photos around Park Hill as the scaffolding was up for the first phase of modernisation - maybe 4 or 5 years ago and I didn't see the wall plaque. The shops had been demolished by then though as the inner areas were building free.

 

When I got the Park Hill book and saw the photo of the wall plaque, I just assumed it would be somewhere on one the ground floor walkways - say next to one of the pubs or the substation part. If it was then I assume it would have had to be kept as part of the listed status?

[craigie84 10]

That would have probably saved it. It seem a very usual place to have located it, completely tucked away and not even attached to the flats themselves. Maybe there wasn't enough space on the many miles of concrete wall park hill has on show. I assume it escaped the listing status due to not being on the flats.

[Guest]

That would have probably saved it. It seem a very usual place to have located it, completely tucked away and not even attached to the flats themselves. Maybe there wasn't enough space on the many miles of concrete wall park hill has on show. I assume it escaped the listing status due to not being on the flats.

It wasn't completely tucked away. The shops were the centre of life on Park Hill flats for a long time; certainly during my time in the area the commemorative plaque/wall was opposite the post office, and down a small ramp from an entrance to Park Hill school (and adjacent to the sweet shop we all visited before school).

 

Additionally, for very many people who lived in nearby areas (Hyde Park etc), the plaque/wall was situated on a route through Park Hill to the city centre. It was within sight of Duke Street: there are a couple of photos on Picture Sheffield taken from Duke Street where you can see the plaque/wall peeking out from its position in the shoppping area.

 

So its location in a shopping/community area, on a much-used route into the city centre, and next to a school which served families from areas surrounding Park Hill, meant it was seen by more people than if it had been located in a position accessible mainly by the flats' residents.

 

ETA: The view from Duke Street.

Edited April 19, 2016 by Guest

[Sheff2006 10]

It wasn't completely tucked away. The shops were the centre of life on Park Hill flats for a long time; certainly during my time in the area the commemorative plaque/wall was opposite the post office, and down a small ramp from an entrance to Park Hill school (and adjacent to the sweet shop we all visited before school).

 

Additionally, for very many people who lived in nearby areas (Hyde Park etc), the plaque/wall was situated on a route through Park Hill to the city centre. It was within sight of Duke Street: there are a couple of photos on Picture Sheffield taken from Duke Street where you can see the plaque/wall peeking out from its position in the shoppping area.

 

So its location in a shopping/community area, on a much-used route into the city centre, and next to a school which served families from areas surrounding Park Hill, meant it was seen by more people than if it had been located in a position accessible mainly by the flats' residents.

 

ETA: The view from Duke Street.

 

I see now how it made sense to have the plaque within the shopping area. Just a shame it wasn't saved though.

[Blackbeard 10]

I was in the Millennium Gallery this afternoon and saw this book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sheffield-Flats-Park-Hill-Heritage/dp/1781550549?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Chapter 2 had a picture of the Opening plaque