Parkwood springs

[katrina 10]

Originally posted by fridgeman

anyone know the name of the church which used to be up there apparantly i was christened in there,where did all the records go

that's what i'm trying to find out as i need to know who were the may queens over the years. i was christened there too in 1951. what was your families name. if i get any info. i'll most certainly let you know.

[wobbly 10]

Katrina.

 

193 Wallace Rd Was my address from 1969 to 1974. This was the last house, next to the jennel at the top on the left. We moved there as newly weds I worked in Darnall West Signal Box and the house became available through BR Eastern Region Traffic at the massive amount of £1.25 a week rent inc rates. We moved from off the Manor to Parkwood to further my career as a signalman trainee. I applied for the signal box (Neepsend) that was at the bottom of garden behind 193 just 50 - 60 metres away. Unknown to myself and my wife, was that the village was coming under purchase order by the council.

On moving there the terrace of houses occupant's welcomed us with warmth of, has tha' gorra job if so wear'. When telling them that I was going to be the new signalman, a sense of esteem came over and I was treated very much like a well-to-do character from a big estate. I must admit it was a good satifying welcome.

My neighbors were also unaware of the pending destruction of the community, having their abodes provided with their careers on the railways. Being railway cottages we assumed we would be passed by. (fact is, we were some of the first to be bludgeoned out by the council...)

A few months after moving in, we were awoken at about 1 in the morning. Thump thump thump sounds were coming up through the three storey buiding's floors. On investigating, I ended up out side at the top of the jennel to find one of my neighbors chopping down the 8 inch square post at the top of the steps with a double headed axe. On enquiring "What the ******* **** are you doing? His reply was "Need some firewood for the morning for mi dad, when he comes home from work"

His name was Sam and we ended up good friends. (Marshall) I think was his name, can't remember!

((Just to put it in now while I think of it, there was a house further down the road on the even number side that was full (or at least seemed that way) of gay men!!! I only remember them because they were depicted on ITV Calender news as a fore-runner to men living to-gether and in them days, 'Getting away with it'...Can't remeber full details but I suppose other people who lived near and next to them will!! And I suppose Calender will have recordings of their interview program.))

My house soon became uncared for by the estate agent who mysteriously over-night aquired the house from British Rail (E).

In a matter of weeks it became imposible to have a meal without the cieling falling on our heads when a freight train went past. The building was 3 stories high with cellars and as it deteriated (quite fast really) we moved from sleeping in the top bedroom into the second floor bedroom. And later I was fetching something from the top room and put my foot through the floor all the way up to my bum. Luckily the room's door underneath was open and I put my foot on it. To this day I still wonder if I'd have gone through the floor completely to go through next and so-on only to find myself in the cellar. The house was infested with woodworm and the estate agent did absolutely nothing so we didn't pay the rent for months (which was now £1.50 a wk)..

I found myself in a court on Queen Street showing my scars from the nails as I went through the floor. Never had to pay a penny off the arears and was allowed a reduced rent of 75 pence. So rich we were!!!

My career also became heavy with dark clouds looming on the horizon as BR shut down signal box after signal box in the north.

This took me onto a survival frame of mind and my old hobby of a few years came into gear, motorcycles! All of a sudden my self esteem of being well thought of, hit the deck.. He's an Hell Angel was said. 6' 4" tall, long ginger hair and most of all ' My Youth ' was feared from the out-set by the locals. It did get out of hand a few times. No I'm lieing! Lots of times because, another hells angel moved into one of the empty properties. He was a shunter at Brightside Freight Yard, till his life took on the redundancy from his job.

The community was slowly and surely turning from people we knew at the start to the estate agent renting the empty houses to just about anybody ( that means there were good and bad people moving in, mainly good ) This to myself made the village an open target for scrapmen and the likes. So, myself and Sam the wood chopper man, joined in. More or less as the old residents moved out, we moved in to collect scrap and even furniture before the scrapmen did.

Most of the time we knew the old occupants and they would tell us when they were moving.

But alas the community died, my father was a railway worker for a great number of years and he knew just about everyone that lived in the railway cottages at Parkwood. It even got to the stage of him not knowing anyone at all.

We moved from there to live at Sheffield Lane Top and I had no-where for the motercycles (dozens of them) left in the cellars. I found parts of my bikes turning up everywhere for years.

I could carry on but, the memories come in fits and starts.

Regards...

Wobbly

[JULIEBROWN1 10]

I WAS BORN AT NUMBER 36 PICKERING ROAD MY MUM AND DAD WERE CALLED DOREEN AND HENRY WAINWRIGHT WE MOVED OUT IN 1963 BUT MY NANAN AND UNCLES LIVED AT 103 AND 109 VALE ROAD CAN,T REMEMEBER THE NUMBER OF THE OTHER ONE WHO LIVED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE AT THE TOP OF VALE ROAD . MY DAD AND HIS BROTHERS KEN AN DON WERE ALL RAILWAY MEN. MY NAN MOVED OUT WHEN THE COMPULSARY PURCHASE ORDERS WERE MADE SHE MOVED ONTO THE FIRSHILL ESTATE .

[retep 68]

no. 63

So you were born next to the paper shop,

[Bikertec 12]

I remember my granny living up there duglass road I think Bob Ina Fraser, Just down from where Jimmy white used to live the demolishon people. Also my uncle lived further up the road near a little circular bike track, don't know the name of that road but the ski village is opposite now. His name was bob and Katrina Frazer the houses were very big ithink but that might be because I was very younge at the time.

[fchicken21 10]

Hi

 

Hope this helps.

My great, great grandad George Charles Siddall worked at parkwood Springs as a gardener for a family called the Plews.

He lived between 1870 - 1946

lee

[pitsmoorboy 17]

Hello Carol. Many years ago I used to go to school with a lad called Ronnie Taylor He lived on Percy St. Neepsend. One of his neighbours was called Jeff Murdoch he had a brother called Charlie, and a couple of sisters, Well Ronnie, Jeff and I used to knock about up Parkwood Springs at times. I remember one of the first times I ever went up there was in the 60's with a lad called Philip Biggins. and I recall meeting your brother Barry, if I remember right he had ginger hair at that time. He just wanted to fight me so we had a right good scrap, must have lasted ages and during that scrap his brother Alan came by with some of his mates, well I was beating Barry and was on top hitting him as hard as I could, and I remember Alan saying to me "go on kid finish him off " He must have been disapointed in Barry at the time. We became firm friends after that fight and always greeted each other warmly whenever we met in the following years. The last time I saw Barry was in The Gower arms on Gower St. Burngreave around 1997-8 he shoved a ten pound note into my hand and would not accept it back no matter how hard I tried. Then sadly I learned of his death a few years ago. Another character from from those years up Parkwood Springs who i became friends with was a lad called Pat Greaves who sadly also died young. Then in 1969 I got married and finished up living in Pickering Rd. No 51. I think, it was a big house turned into flats the front was occupied by a family called Straw, if my memory serves me right, they had two boys I don't remember their names. I think Mr. Straw worked for the Post Office We were there till 1974.

[Texas 10]

Anybody remember the 'brick wars' between the 'Springers' and the 'Woodies'. Funny nobody's mentioned them. Mind you I'm going back to 1944! Kids stuff really.

[gempau 10]

Hi

 

My nan is from parkwood springs, im not sure which road.

Just wondered if anybody remembered her.

Her name was stella white and her brothers and sister are called, Brian, Dennis , Cyril and Fay. If anybody knew them im sure my nan would love to hear.

 

I think my nans mum worked for someone called Mr Bailey???

[gempau 10]

Just spoke to my nan and she lived on Vale road. She was born at the Mc Dermotts House which was number 62 then when she was about 8 years old she moved to number 57 this was Mr Baileys house.

[bobburk007 10]

Hello katrina

 

Could you get in touch with me asap as your auntie Brenda is over from Canada

[pete_fcs 11]

yes, here's an obscure one...

 

when slade were at their peak, they made a film called flame.

 

in the story noddy holder's fictional mum lives at parkwood springs. a few scenes are filmed of her stood outside her house while the streets around her are being demolished.

 

it was filmed in 1974 and recently got an award for one of the best rock films, despite not being that popular at the time.

 

it was released on betamax, and i looked for years for a copy on vhs but so far no luck!

 

kelvin flats is also in the same film, as it was shot mostly on location in sheffield.