Councils Rent Office at Pond Street

[Albert T Smith]

The Sheffield Council Housing Department was based at the former Joseph Rogers cutlery factory near Pond Street Bus Station until about 1976.

 

When did it move to Joseph Rogers and where was it previously?

When did it move and where to?

[Albert T Smith]

Has no one else paid their Rent since it moved!!

[dave50]

Has no one else paid their Rent since it moved!!

i pay my rent by direct debit,,as most people do,,

[Albert T Smith]

i pay my rent by direct debit,,as most people do,,

 

But payment by direct debit was frowned upon in the seventies probably because it was perceived as a threat to those who were employed collecting the rents. Rent Collectors were employed to visit homes every fortnight to collect the rent. I believe they became Housing Officers when the visiting rent collection was stopped.

 

Also because the Sheffield City Council only used the Co-Op Bank it was not easy to go against this opinion and set up a commonsense regular payment system like direct debit.

 

A great deal has changed in the City Councils approach to things over recent years. In most cases for the better.

 

But can anyone remember when did the Sheffield Housing Department did leave Pond Street to settle in other pastures?

[Sweetcheeks]

Hi Albert, The Housing Department moved out of Pond Hill when the Town Hall extension was opened. Previously, it was based at Cadman Lane off Norfolk Street, approximately where the extension was built. The Housing section was at Pond Hill when I started in 1970, but I dont think they had been there long.

The rents counter was located in the basement of Pond Hill, with the Repairs section on the left.

[GrinderBloke]

I remember the big old building on Pond Hill, seem to recall rent payments, exchanges etc only took up a small part of quite a big building.

 

When was the building demolished?

[Plain Talker]

Hi Albert, The Housing Department moved out of Pond Hill when the Town Hall extension was opened. Previously, it was based at Cadman Lane off Norfolk Street, approximately where the extension was built. The Housing section was at Pond Hill when I started in 1970, but I dont think they had been there long.

The rents counter was located in the basement of Pond Hill, with the Repairs section on the left.

 

I remember going into that basement with my mother, to pay our rent, when I was a tot. That would have been pre-73/4 as we moved into a private-landlord property at that time. I didn't realise it was the former rogers' Cutlery factory. I just remember it as feeling extremely dark and foreboding, to a little lass like myself!

 

I know there's photos, from the 1950's of the old SUT coaching office in Pond Street, on PictureSheffield, and you can see the building, practically next door.

[Sweetcheeks]

No idea when it was demolished, but I believe it was used by someone after the Housing moved out. It was a quadrangle and we used the front parts, the back end remaining derelict all the time we were there. I can only think that it was a stop gap until the buildings around Norfolk Street had been demolished and the extension had been built.

[Albert T Smith]

Hi Albert, The Housing Department moved out of Pond Hill when the Town Hall extension was opened. Previously, it was based at Cadman Lane off Norfolk Street, approximately where the extension was built. The Housing section was at Pond Hill when I started in 1970, but I dont think they had been there long.

The rents counter was located in the basement of Pond Hill, with the Repairs section on the left.

 

Thank you for the reply which sorts out a lapse of memory. (For some, Old age!!).

I was certain that I collected the key for this house in May, 1976 from the Pond Street Office. Not from what became known as the ' Eggbox '.

 

I've also recollections of visiting cutlers Joseph Rogers in the early 1950s. Why I went, I can't remember. I can recall a long shaft that revolved close to the ceiling on the third or forth floor and people who buffered the cutlery had power to their individual buffing machines diverted from this via a drive belt.

 

I also believe that cases to show the cutlery were made on the site.

Hopefully someone will fill in more detail of the factory and/or the one on the opposite side from Rogers called ' Brindleys '.

 

Can anyone remember the ' Pond ' which the monks used for fishing which was their before Rogers. It was near the ' Queens Head ' of ' Ponde in De Hawlle '.

[bushbaby 3]

i can remember going with my mum to pay our rent .I think it was called Cadman Lane As it the front door was on the lane off pond street just at the back of the S.U.T. building.I can recall standing in the queue that started in the basement off the building and wound up the staircase with metal hand rail.It seemed to go on forever and waiting in that queue took for ages.In 1974 i got the keys to my first council house .It was to this very building i had to go to sign for it and collect them