Port Mahon revisited

[hillsbro]

I was surprised to find that Port Mahon is marked on a modern (fully revised in 2000) edition of the Ordnance Survey "Explorer" map (scale 1:25,000) - see http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u219/twigmore/Portmahon.jpg

[Greybeard]

hillsbro, - that little bridge is mentioned in an old local song:

 

"It's nother i' France nor Spain,

But it's dahn be Watery Lane,

Where t' little brig goes o'er

To Portmahon."

 

R.E. Leader, The Highways and Byways of Old Sheffield.

[hillsbro]

That's interesting, Greybeard. I wonder if any pictures of the bridge exist - I don't think that Roy Davey was able to find one for "Crossin' O'er". This morning I looked in an 1889 reprint of a 1787 Sheffield directory, and there doesn't seem to be any mention of Portmahon - though a street address would only be included if one of the mentioned tradespeople or dignitaries lived there. There is a good photo of shops and the P.O. at Portmahon on the picturesheffield.com site - it is photo No s18244. I ordered a 10 x 8 print which reproduces the scene very well.

[peterw]

I e-mailed an old school mate today, just to swap a few surnames of our teachers.Without warning my old, unreliable and sometimes tricky mind brought into focus a wartime teacher at High Storrs Grammar who arrived from the Channel Islands to teach Scripture, or if you prefer it, Religious Education.

 

His name was Ivor Macdonald Queen and he was the minister at the old Portmahon Chapel. I was around 13 years old when along with my schoolmates we decided to give it a go and went to a Sunday service which he conducted.

 

I do not remember a word of the sermon, but I do remember looking around the chapel,which was quite large compared to other Baptist chapels. But it was in a sad, sad state and hadn’t seen even a lick of paint over the past 50 or more years. I think we helped our school teaching reverend paint in over a period of three Saturdays, but it was wartime and paint was scarce so we hardly managed to touch all four walls.

 

What happened after that I do not know, but it has been so interesting to read what has been said by forumers. From memory, I think the entrance was quite imposing and there might have been a dome.

 

I am now going to have a squint at the available pictures, and I might indulge myself and buy one. I really need to test my memory though, re the entrance and the dome!

[nosy nellie]

I remember the chapel,but from what I remember which is rather vague it was large and imposing for a chapel and a rather dark building.

The people in the old days and people I know now that lived round that area still pronounce Port Mahon (pooat meon)

[karl101]

Port Mahon appears on the modern OS map, as well as one from 1903.

 

http://www.g7smy.co.uk/portmahon.jpg

 

K.

[hillsbro]

The article mentioned in my post #10 is now available online here.

[911wasalie]

Very interesting, I sailed the Med. for 11 years from 1984 to '95 and often called into Port Mahon with it's wonderful harbour. It was the place which gave it's name to Mahonaise, the salad dressing.

 

Also just after we moved up to north Florida after having our house wrecked by hurricane Wilma down in Fort Lauderdale we find that most of the early settlers around St. Augustine were from Menorca.

[herbiegrass]

When I lived on Meadow st in the 60's. we always refered to netherthorpe place as port mahon.

[bullerboY]

I have a small brass plaque which was issued by Tasker engineering Port Mahon Sheffield,I believe its pronounced Port Marn,anyone remember wher Taskers was.