Questions Re Old Dorset & Gloucester Street Area

[j4wn 10]

 

Hi

 

I have a some questions about the area I have lived all my life. The area in the title that is.

 

This will also show anyone interested some great photos that I didn't know about until I joined "Britain From Above" and realise how good the "Zoom" feature is.

 

These photos are from 1950.

 

First Question:

 

Here is an image apparently showing where bombs fell in the Broomfields/Broomhall Area during WW2. You can easily identify where Dorset Street is if you're from round here.

 

 

Now here is an image from the area from 1950

 

 

 

You can see that no doubt, Gloucester Street received a hit due to the cleared space either side of the road. Havelock Square being hit seems to be accurate as well. However, there is no damage to Dorset Street at all in the areas shown on the top image. There was also no damage to the area near where the old Hanrahans is or the nearby buildings. The part of Broomspring Lane level with Dorset Street appears untouched as well. So is the top image inaccurate or did they drop some Duff Bombs? Even if they landed in the middle of the road the bombs would still have caused extensive damage to the houses. Anyone have any answers?

 

Next Subject:

 

Does anyone know more detailed information about the Collection of Buildings that is now the "Cut Through" from Broomspring Lane to Wilkinson Street (it is situated between Dorset & Gloucester on the Map). This old map from 1963 states it's a Garage. Do you know more?

 

 

And here are some pics from 1950 of the buildings

 

 

and a little closer

 

 

and a little closer, but blurry!

 

 

and from a different angle

 

 

and a little closer

 

 

 

I was born in the early 70's and have limited recollection of the area up until the red bricked houses were completed around 1980. I know that a office block once stood here from the early 80's up to circa 2011.

 

From the 1950 image, you can see it's quite a quirky looking arrangement of buildings, I wish I could get these images into better resolution.

 

You can see part of the side wall where the current last house before the gap is. What is next to it looks like another house, albeit, with very shallow depth and placed slightly forward of it's neighbour and then a series of 2 rows of outbuildings behind the shallow house. Why is this house have such a different size/shape/dimensions, whatever?

 

Next Question:

 

Also as we are looking down Broomspring Lane on the images above, there was a Fish and Chip Shop I vaguely recall. It was on the right side as we look and between Dorset and Gloucester Street. Does anyone remember the name of it? I'm sure there was a little gap and you went in a door at the side of the building?

 

Finally, but mostly unrelated to the questions:

 

Here's a good image of where all the Hallamshire Hospital and Tree Root Walk areas is, again from 1950. Looks like some lovely buildings were demolished to build the ugly, monolithic Hospital.

 

 

 

If anyone has any of their own photos from this area with all the old buildings, I would love to see them.

 

It's such a quirky area around the back of Dorset and into Gloucester Square and quite random house placings, must have been lots of little alleyways leading in to some areas.

 

There are all kinds of loose ends I'm looking for answers to re this area. Little Gennels, how the styles of the houses looked on Dorset Street and down the hill of Gloucester Crescent, how many shops were on those 2 streets, I recall Nelly Melluish's shop on Gloucester, but wasn't there also a Butcher's shop? Any more shops?

 

Thanks for any help.

Edited June 4, 2020 by j4wn
Re structure sentence

[j4wn 10]

Apologies if this is in the wrong section: Moderators can contact me to relocate it if I have that facility.

[Runningman 146]

Good evening j4wn and thanks for a very interesting post

 

I had an Aunt, Uncle and 2 cousins living on Dorset Street up to about 1952

My Dad took me to see them one Sunday and I remember the fact they were back to back houses with shared toilets in a yard at the rear. 

[j4wn 10]

2 hours ago, Runningman said:

Good evening j4wn and thanks for a very interesting post

 

I had an Aunt, Uncle and 2 cousins living on Dorset Street up to about 1952

My Dad took me to see them one Sunday and I remember the fact they were back to back houses with shared toilets in a yard at the rear. 

Blimey, sounds a bit grim @Runningman

 

I recall the houses up Ruth Square originally had outdoor Toilets as well. Mind you, most houses probably did if they were built in late 19th Century. I'm impressed you can recall your visit. Where did you travel from to visit them?

[Runningman 146]

10 hours ago, j4wn said:

Blimey, sounds a bit grim @Runningman

 

I recall the houses up Ruth Square originally had outdoor Toilets as well. Mind you, most houses probably did if they were built in late 19th Century. I'm impressed you can recall your visit. Where did you travel from to visit them?

Yes, very grim and my  Aunt and Uncle were more than relieved to move out and down to Northampton, where they lived in a house owned by Timkens.

A house with a garden, a bathroom and inside toilet. What a giant leap in living standards !!

Dad and I walked to Dorset Street from our house on Herschell Road at Highfields.

[muddycoffee 10]

j4wm,

In respect of your enquiry about "duff bombs".  I believe that the bombs dropped on Sheffield during WWII were not all the same type.

As well as large bombs there were also incendiary devices;

http://www.ww2airdroppedordnance.com/incendiary-bombs.html

These were not for blowing buildings up, they were used to start fires. I know of sites around Sheffield where these bombs were dropped and caused damage to property and this was later repaired. 

[jack reacher 10]

 I used to play football inbetween some houses on Gloucester St in the early sixties