Balm Green/City Hall Gardens

[HughW]

This little garden, which still survives in Barkers Pool next to the City Hall, used to have a Fountain.

 

It was there in 1984 when several pictures were taken as part of research into JG Graves (he funded the garden and it was 50th anniversary of the Graves Art Gallery).

 

The fountain and a rectangular basin in the garden are no longer there. Can anybody narrow down the date when they disappeared, and, does anyone know what they did, if anything, with the fountain itself?

 

Hugh

[rocketman]

My completely uneducated guess would be that the whole area was remodelled when the current office development was built. From the look of the building I would guess the late 1980's. It was definatly complete when I arrived in Sheffield in 1992.

[Plain Talker]

Hugh, that piccy of the fountain was taken almost 40 yrs ago, when the Grand Hotel was still standing. (I know New Oxford house was there in 1970, as a friend had links with social services child welfare, based there at that time)

 

The gardens as redeveloped in the late 70s/ early 80s, *did* have a small pool in it, that ran between the two levels of the garden, with a little "waterfall" linking them together. I think that this was filled in about 10/15 yrs ago. (to do with the alcoholics that hung about there, perhaps? I don't know)

[HughW]

Thanks for your replies!

 

rocketman:

Despite the big changes in the area the garden has, surprisingly, changed very little, apart from the loss of the water features, and the encroachment in one corner of a small but extremely ugly electricity substation (?). I also wondered if the fountain precinct development took its name from the fountain in this garden ?! If so, it's ironic that it has now disappeared.

 

PT

I wasn't implying the picture I linked to was one of those from 1984 - I picked the clearest of several on PictureSheffield. The best of the 1984 series are not on the online version, I saw them on the system in the library. I remember when the drinkers used to inhabit the place - made me reluctant to go in there at times.

 

Hugh

[docmel]

Hugh

 

Thanks for this - its strange looking at that pic how the memories come flooding back and I had completly forgotten all about it!

 

And yet when I was a nipper - it was a real treat for me to go with my Mum and sit in those gardens - she used to buy a bag of sweets from the little shop just below the Gaumont and we would just sit there and look at that fountain - simple pleasure but oh how much I looked forward to it.

 

Like Hugh, I would very much like to know the fate of that little fountain - or did it just get dumped as so much did back in the late 50's early 60's - because I think thats when the fountain itself may have dissapeared - the garden still remained.

[HughW]

...Like Hugh, I would very much like to know the fate of that little fountain - or did it just get dumped as so much did back in the late 50's early 60's - because I think thats when the fountain itself may have dissapeared - the garden still remained.

 

As I said, there are photos of it from 1984, so it survived till then at least. Is it in a council storeroom somewhere?

 

Hugh

[Arfer Mo]

HUGH I think the picture was taken when it was built , Iremember it being an empty space for along time ,a relic of the blitz, have been trying to think what building was there as I used to go to the Cinema House as ayoung lad be fore the war and would walk past, also went to the Regent , Arthur.

[kensos]

I'm sure the garden and fountain was there in the late 1930s,close 1939

start of the war blackout.