The way things used to be .

[stpetre 12]

What about pubs ,by pubs I mean the real McCoy ,You know the ones that had Tap rooms, snooker rooms, men only rooms, dart boards, fishing clubs , pigeon fanciers and if you wanted ought to eat it was a bag of Smiths crisps with a little packet of salt in blue paper.

 

The proper pubs usually had a bar with high stools along with a bright brass foot rail , they had lavs outside and the only entertainment was a sing song with Joe on the piano usually on a Saturday and Sunday night.

 

Some pubs I frequented were institutions in Sheffield and inc The Cannon, Lion (Holly Street) and the Adelphi ( now buried under the Crucible) .All the three were Stoooones pubs and had a sign with a Cannon swinging out side .

 

On the Estates we got the posh new builds fron the 40's, 50's and 60's some examples being The Manor Hotel, The Punch Bowl (Gleadless Common ) and The Centre Spot at Base Geeen.

These pubs built with no expense to spare boasted large concert rooms where we could see all the local bands, comedians or just locals who thought they were Sinatra having a go after ten pints of Jungle Juce.

 

What have we got now ,Sadly pubs have been replaced by semi Restaurants whose main interest is selling food ,the smell of Fish and Chips or Curry hits you as you enter the door . A pint of Smiths can cost you an arm and a leg in some of these eating houses and do not even think of turning the Teli off so as to have a quiet game of crib or dominoes .

Some waint even let my dog in , Its crap int it.

 

Yes Albert and kids in pubs, the only times I used to see them were the kids that lived there.

[soft ayperth 11]

I remember Sunday trips to the seaside. Late fifties. It was very common to see cars whose engines had caught fire stranded by the roadside with perplexed owner and family standing by. Why did so many cars catch fire back then?

[Albert smith 11]

I remember Sunday trips to the seaside. Late fifties. It was very common to see cars whose engines had caught fire stranded by the roadside with perplexed owner and family standing by. Why did so many cars catch fire back then?

All our old bangers used to over heat bellowing steam out( before we got as far as Gainsborough usually).

Once the gear stick broke off in our mark one Cortina (go faster stripe model )

My Mrs ,kids, mam and dad all started playing hell up wi me for messing abart until they realized that the gear stick really had brock off in first gear:help:

[Jim Hardie 527]

I remember Sunday trips to the seaside. Late fifties. It was very common to see cars whose engines had caught fire stranded by the roadside with perplexed owner and family standing by. Why did so many cars catch fire back then?

 

Leaking radiators mostly I think. What was it you put in for a temporary fix, porridge oats or egg white?

[Albert smith 11]

Character ,Sheffield had real character at one time ,it was a kaleidoscope of back alleys . cut throe's, hoyles int roooads , rackling trams to Intake , Crookes and Darnall with all stops inbetween .

 

It had a Market area that spread from Park Hill to Exchange Street ,at the bottom of Dixon Lane was the Rag and Tag where a Sheffielder could buy owt from a tea service to a coal shovel , a settee to a chimney pot.

The stall holders would shout ,"a tanner a pound " or "get your knickers here two bob a pair" and so on.

 

As you climbed Dixon Lane the barrow boys and lasses would bend your ear to try their best Guernsey tomatoes or potatoes from Jersey or Boston in Lincolnshire .

At the top of Dixon stood big Ada who stood no nonsense from any one be they Teddy boys or silk scarve wide boys from the Bull and Mouth or Mucky Duck.

 

Just below this wonderland of Street life was the proper Markets , The Norfolk with its smashing Architecture pulled down to make way for the much loved Castle Market were you get any thing from a pair of jeans to a wedding suit or even a three piece one .

 

All the areas are now dead as a door nail pulled down or poached by the Universities in the name of progress .The Street life, the sounds, the smells the nostalgia gone so as we can pretend that our City is just as forward looking as Leeds, Manchester or Liverpool when the fact is that we were unique in our own inward looking ways , we were different, we were contenders .

Edited February 8, 2018 by Albert smith

[trastrick 866]

Character ,Sheffield had real character at one time ,it was a kaleidoscope of back alleys . cut throe's, hoyles int roooads , rackling trams to Intake , Crookes and Darnall with all stops inbetween .

 

It had a Market area that spread from Park Hill to Exchange Street ,at the bottom of Dixon Lane was the Rag and Tag where a Sheffielder could buy owt from a tea service to a coal shovel , a settee to a chimney pot.

The stall holders would shout ,"a tanner a pound " or "get your knickers here two bob a pair" and so on.

 

As you climbed Dixon Lane the barrow boys and lasses would bend your ear to try there best Guernsey tomatoes or potatoes from Jersey or Boston in Lincolnshire .

At the top of Dixon stood big Ada who stood no nonsense from any one be they Teddy boys or silk scarve wide boys from the Bull and Mouth or Mucky Duck.

 

Just below this wonderland of Street life was the proper Markets , The Norfolk with its smashing Architecture pulled down to make way for the much loved Castle Market were you get any thing from a pair of jeans to a wedding suit or even a three piece one .

 

All the areas are now dead as a door nail pulled down or poached by the Universities in the name of progress .The Street life, the sounds, the smells the nostalgia gone so as we can pretend that our City is just as forward looking as Leeds, Manchester or Liverpool when the fact is that we were unique in our own inward looking ways , we were different, we were contenders .

 

Oh to walk up the Moor on a sunny Sunday afternoon, in the early 50s, all those new white limestone buildings with big shop windows selling all t' rage, suits and watches with wide sidewalks that made it all look so much bigger.

 

THAT was the future we thought we were getting!

 

Instead, that big government building that cut off historic London Road at the bottom of the Moore was a fitting symbol to the real future of Sheffield!

[Albert smith 11]

Oh to walk up the Moor on a sunny Sunday afternoon, in the early 50s, all those new white limestone buildings with big shop windows selling all t' rage, suits and watches with wide sidewalks that made it all look so much bigger.

 

THAT was the future we thought we were getting!

 

Instead, that big government building that cut off historic London Road at the bottom of the Moore was a fitting symbol to the real future of Sheffield!

And guess who has moved into that pile of Architectural crap????.

The Planners

[trastrick 866]

And guess who has moved into that pile of Architectural crap????.

The Planners

 

Imagine somebody trying to put that up across the main thoroughfare in Paris or Prague or Rome!

[Albert smith 11]

Imagine somebody trying to put that up across the main thoroughfare in Paris or Prague or Rome!

Or Barnsley ,Rotherham or Chesterfield:hihi:

[trastrick 866]

Or Barnsley ,Rotherham or Chesterfield:hihi:

 

Amazing how easily they managed to kill, a busy viable London Road, AND The Moor, in one fell swoop.

 

That had to be planned!

[soft ayperth 11]

Character ,Sheffield had real character at one time ,it was a kaleidoscope of back alleys . cut throe's, hoyles int roooads , rackling trams to Intake , Crookes and Darnall with all stops inbetween .

 

It had a Market area that spread from Park Hill to Exchange Street ,at the bottom of Dixon Lane was the Rag and Tag where a Sheffielder could buy owt from a tea service to a coal shovel , a settee to a chimney pot.

The stall holders would shout ,"a tanner a pound " or "get your knickers here two bob a pair" and so on.

 

As you climbed Dixon Lane the barrow boys and lasses would bend your ear to try their best Guernsey tomatoes or potatoes from Jersey or Boston in Lincolnshire .

At the top of Dixon stood big Ada who stood no nonsense from any one be they Teddy boys or silk scarve wide boys from the Bull and Mouth or Mucky Duck.

 

Just below this wonderland of Street life was the proper Markets , The Norfolk with its smashing Architecture pulled down to make way for the much loved Castle Market were you get any thing from a pair of jeans to a wedding suit or even a three piece one .

 

All the areas are now dead as a door nail pulled down or poached by the Universities in the name of progress .The Street life, the sounds, the smells the nostalgia gone so as we can pretend that our City is just as forward looking as Leeds, Manchester or Liverpool when the fact is that we were unique in our own inward looking ways , we were different, we were contenders .

 

That's the Sheffield I remember before I moved to Canada in 1969. A bustling downtown core with so much activity and excitement, full of character and characterS. On my infrequent trips back to the city of my birth, I am always disappointed to see what has become of it. Flyovers, monstrous roundabouts, trams that in no way resemble those of bygone days, cheap discount stores, betting shops and easy money loan shops. Buildings of architectural beauty and significance left to rot away, e.g. the old Court House, GPO for the longest time. Few people. It is so sad what the city planners have done to a city centre that was once so thriving.

Edited February 9, 2018 by soft ayperth

[trastrick 866]

That's the Sheffield I remember before I moved to Canada in 1969. A bustling downtown core with so much activity and excitement, full of character and characterS. On my infrequent trips back to the city of my birth, I am always disappointed to see what has become of it. Flyovers, monstrous roundabouts, trams that in no way resemble those of bygone days, cheap discount stores, betting shops and easy money loan shops. Buildings of architectural beauty and significance left to rot away, e.g. the old Court House, GPO for the longest time. Few people. It is so sad what the city planners have done to a city centre that was once so thriving.

 

I spent 4 summers co-managing an ESL summer school in Poland.

 

All the buildings dedicated to Communism after the U.S.S.R. took over were eyesores. Reminded me a lot of new progressive Sheffield. Same decaying sterile flats, same decaying sterile government office boxes!

 

Fortunately the Poles got rid of the commies, and re-built the beatiful old cities of Warsaw and Krakov.

 

They fought for and kept their heritage!