Growing up in Gleadless Valley

[HABBO258 10]

I remember the infant school and the Junior school. I remember some pupils...Nancy Nicholson, Elspeth Barker,(These two used to chase me aronud the playground, and if they caught me, which they always did, they would sit on me and take it in turns to kiss me!!) Wendy Ellis,(who was my first love, though she might not know it!), Rosemary Turner, Tamara,(can't remember her surname).

Teachers from the Junior /Infant school were:

Miss Walker

Miss Michael, (a real Harridan, used to throw me out of the the class at any opportunity.)

Mr Ibbotson. A small guy with glasses.

Mr Turville. My form master, tough, but willing to listen..

Miss Vickers, PE teacher.

Mrs Turley, who loved to teach outside on the grass, and once took some of us for a ride in her sports car. (A yellow open top Spitfire, as I remember it)

 

I Can't believe that someone actually remember's me the only person i can remember chasing round was Andrew Mills i think who was big friends with Paul Rhodes who live round the corner from you God I bet we made your life hell i think it was Elspeth who fancied you at that time so i just used to hang around with her. When i left school i went to work at Richard Brothers cutlery Factory and i was working with Paul's mother Emmy the most wonderful woman then i moved up to Dronfield and Paul and his sister Carol both lived there i saw them all the time i went to emmy's funeral when she died which was so sad i lost touch when i moved back to Sheffield but i think they still live up there. thanks for remembering me though

[HABBO258 10]

Hello Rincewind,

 

From the names that you mention, I think you must have been in the same year at Hemsworth as me. I went there from 1960 to 1967 when I left to go to Rowlinson. I remember all the names of the teachers and the pupils and some more too. Wendy Ellis lived at the bottom of my block just along from the Bagshaw Arms with Jeanette Burns just around the corner and Dougie Topham over the other side of the block. Surprising how a change of school makes you lose touch with people? I know that Philip Westnidge ended up in the Fire service and paul bancroft went to grammar school. Stuart Green went down south somewhere and Gillian Ward went to King Ecgberts (my first love!! - would like to know what happened to her). Susan Belk? Andrew Moat? Stephen & Helen King(twins)? Peter Beard? (saw his brother Michael pass me in a car a couple of years ago). Can you remember the name of the head teacher Mr B???

 

Hi Rincewind, I remember all these names i am one who used to sit on you and kiss you [ sorry ] i remember Linda Oates, Stephen Moseley, Paul Scholey, ans so many more mind you the memory is fading a bit now but these really bring it all back

[HABBO258 10]

I remember I used to go to their farm when I was about seven to help collect apples.I called her Mrs Archer.The farm had no electricity only oil lamps ,she kept the apples under the bed in boxes . I remember the cockeral would peck my feet and try to keep people away from the door.Mrs Archer had a big wooden castle on the wall it had wire netting on the windows I think it was some sot of bird cage but it never had birds in it.The kitchen had a bath with a worktop on it.I dont remember her brother very well he was always working around the farm.When I was in my twenties the farm was demolished ,the brother had died and Mrs Archer mooved to the flats next to the farm .Mrs archer must have been very old then but she just looked the same.I loved visiting they were lovley people ,must have been or my Mum would never let me go there.I lived on Mawfa Drive from 1956 our house was one of the first to be built.Behind our house was another farm owed by the Bullivants they sold eggs and had 3 geese and chickens.

 

Me and my sister were talking about that juts the other week when were small my dad used to walk up to my grandma's flat which was at the side of the farm and we used to stand on the gate to feed the chickens but i couldn't remember but she could but i was younger than her. My Grand parents where called Nicholson they lived on the block of flats next to the farm it is a old peoples home now.

[HABBO258 10]

Dr Robinson, I remember him. When very young about 6 or 7 I'd fallen into the kerbside and damaged my knee, I managed to get oil or petrol into the laceration. his cure was a hard scrubbing brush and plenty of elbow grease to scour the wound clean. I remember it because he then gave me a sixpence for being brave and not screaming. Me and mum went straight to the post office on Constable Road and I bought myself a Leseret (sp) rub down sticker set. (anyone remember them, you rubbed down pictures onto a card printed scene. There were hundreds to collect)

 

I really enjoyed living on Gaunt Road. The cul de sac just up from the Gaunt (apart from an abusive father) my second home was in Lees hall Woods, and the bean, I even played army and made dens in those same bushes as Plain Talker. Beanlands was another little shop i remember, they had all those knitting patterns in the window near the doorway and you went to the rear for the meat counter. I'm glad I don't live there now, from what I hear its gone down hill.

 

Does anyone remember A teacher called Mrs Wilde who taught at Hemsworth Juniors, she was really horrible, rumour had it she stabbed a kid with a pencil because he had such bad hand writing and it always sloped down the page instead of being straight across the page. She was a bit nasty at times, so much so i was afraid to put my hand up to go to the toilet when i had a bout of diohorrea(sp) and had an accident, it's funny to look back at it, there i was getting star after star to add to our house chart (Chatsworth) and i was afraid to get up. I ended up going home in someones castoffs they'd found in the school office. I was terrified to go back to school but when i did Mrs Wilde was actually nice to me, and none of the kids took the mickey.

 

Hemsworth junior school this time, does anyone remember the metal geodesic climbing frame in the corner of the playground, I remember the day it was first put in The best behaved class in the school got to play on it first, I was a member of that class,

 

Oh by the way in those days I was a Headford I had a little sister called Ennis and a little brother called Adrian. My mum was Brenda and her husband was Kevin.

 

I loved being in that school me and Linda Oates were plant moniter's we used to water all the plants on the corrider near the teacher's office it was my best years there i really enjoyed it there not so much at the GVSS i didn't like it there i can still remember a few names but not many David Strike, Pat Dowling, Joan Levick, just a few i can think of

[GVOWL 10]

hi does anyone remember the belk family they lived on blackstock rdthere was steven and i think he had a sister susan, and 2 other brothers, they lived there years, one or 2 still do from what i hear thanks billy

 

I remember the name Susan Belk,i can't think why but definately know of her somehow.

[GVOWL 10]

Hiya i lived on Ironside road and i do remember although vaguely Janet and Roy Bonsall, im 61 my brothers were Dougie Ruston and Stewert, and Ian.

 

I used to knock about with Stewart and Ian,your dad took us to see the OWLS at sunderland in his car,long time ago now,we got beat 3-0 if memory serves me right,that would have been roker park then

[Andy1867 10]

I seem to have found this forum a little late...I spent about 10 years on "The Valley" My dad was Landlord at the Horse and groom for a year or so...1968 ish...We then moved to spring close mount at the top of fleury..I remember the "farm" mentioned in a previous post...our maisonettes looked down on it...(In a geographical sense not a moral one)..It was great on the valley in those days....any road upwards..to get to the point....does anyone remember the "Chip" van that used to come round?...Ive mentioned this to a few younger folk..and they cannot believe health and safety would let a van full of red hot fat...plough up and down a housing estate... and I was wondering if i imagined it...I think it was static on Leighton rd at times...but i'm sure i can recall it doing the rounds

[lazarus 68]

I seem to have found this forum a little late...I spent about 10 years on "The Valley" My dad was Landlord at the Horse and groom for a year or so...1968 ish...We then moved to spring close mount at the top of fleury..I remember the "farm" mentioned in a previous post...our maisonettes looked down on it...(In a geographical sense not a moral one)..It was great on the valley in those days....any road upwards..to get to the point....does anyone remember the "Chip" van that used to come round?...Ive mentioned this to a few younger folk..and they cannot believe health and safety would let a van full of red hot fat...plough up and down a housing estate... and I was wondering if i imagined it...I think it was static on Leighton rd at times...but i'm sure i can recall it doing the rounds

 

It use to park across from the Wyvern, it was quite handy seeing as Newfield Fisheries didnt open much at night.

[miami now 10]

I used to work at the Fish and Chip shop on Newfield Green shops, i lived right across the road from them, and Keith the owner and his mom and dad and sister lived by me to. I think Keith still runs it with his wife, he was such a great man. I remember the Horse and Groom, used to meet a boy named Steve Story there, my goodness thats a long time ago, maybe 1964 lol oh well, some good memories.

[Cookingfat 10]

hi all you valley lads and lasses my name is steve belk me and my family, dad charie mother kath, there was me my sister susan, brothers michael qnd david.up to a month ago most of them still live on the valley all us kids went to GV school i used to love the valley after living in the old pitsmoor which was very dirty always foggy untill the clean air law came into force. what i remember most when we came to live on valley, the clean air, the woods around overend we lived on blackstock it was like living on another planet i am 61 now and still remember it all in fact i am writing a book about living there my mum is still there in one of the 3 sisters at hemsworth, unfortunatly my dad died a few years ao, my mums still there our susan now lives in southall after spending 50 yrs up there, our michael lived ther till a few yrs ago then went to live in darnell, and david has for a come back to live there, our michael is now a grandpa susan as two daughters and 3 grand kids, my best mate was jimmy birchall, after leaving the navy he went to live in portsmouth whch he still does and we keep in touch with each other. when we got to 16 or 17 we would sneak in the wyvern and hqve apint i'm sure horace the landlord thensure he knew we were underage cause i knew his lad stanley, over the last few i have seen alot of my old friends have past away, paul littlewood,phil mason, thats just 2 of them i suppose we are all getting to that age when friends are starting to shake the trees and some falling off so good health to you all who are still with us and RIP to those wh have passed on

[wiggum 10]

the teacher that picked you up by the sideboards was called mr broadhead

[*Wallace* 333]

Hey Cookingfat i remember Mick Belk well,grandad is he ? Jeez time just flies.