Summer Street

[Choirgirl]

Hi Sirglyn - there were no grandparents living when I arrived on the scene, but a lady in the next yard was called Colley and I always called her Grandma Colley as she was like a grandmother to me. I seem to think she may have been there at my birth! whether or not she was a godparent or not, I don't know. Bertha Colley seems to ring a bell.

[sirglyn]

Hello again.to answer your questions.No,PT neither my mum nor any of her siblings had protruding teeth.Probably,the best known locally was Uncle Elijah, a pretty good soccer player who might have turned pro if WW2 had not happened.The eldest siblings were born in the early 20th century and had all married and moved out by the mid 1920s but Uncle Bill stayed in the general area living at Bolehill Rd,(or was it lane)Crookes until his death in the late 70s/early 80s. and was a regular visitor to Summer Street.Uncle George was a bit of a character whose local claim to fame was from swiping all the samples of Ex-lax chocolate that had been left on people's doorsteps and stuffing his face with them not realising that the 'lax' in Ex-lax stood for laxative.I never heard of any other Colleys in the neighbourhood Choirgirl so I think my Grandma Colley could well be your Grandma Colley in which case I'm delighted that I shared her with you.By the way,did your Grandma Colley have a missing finger?If so,we're definitely talking about the same person.She lost hers while operating a machine when she was very young.Another name I remember was Mrs Gregory who had a son by the name of Joe and there was also a school friend Elsie Gill who was legendary for her meanness and also for having an 'accident' at the botanical gardens due to her not being able to get to a toilet in time, thus having to make ad-hoc arrangements in an alleyway which was then,in local folk lore, renamed the ****ten entry.Other local characters were Billy Boot and a mentally challenged youth called Tony who was known,at least in Grandma's house ,as Bunji because of his habit of going round asking for buns.In fact,I think it was the only word he could say.I was terrified of him.It was a very lively neighbourhood with lots of interaction among the residents and people looking out for each other, and the slum clearance scheme was a disaster for Grandma;she was moved to what was basically an old people's ghetto which although nice and clean with lots of fresh air was completely boring for her.I used to visit her all the time and she used to say that all she ever saw were moving vans and hearses.She really missed Summer Street.What is there there now?I'd love to know and maybe pay a visit this Summer.

[depoix]

i lived at number 4 summer street in the early 50's my aunt and uncle lived at number 2,cant remember much about it as we left when i was 6 years old but i do recall there was a shop just down the hill,the lady there was a nurse i think because my mum brought her to see me and she called the ambulance that took me to lodge moor hospital

[Choirgirl]

Hi Sirglyn -now you mention it I seem to remember something about Grandma Colley having missing fingers, I'd forgotten that bit. The Tony you mention was Tony Osborne who lived 3 doors from us. A rather large family. The ones I remember where Ernest and June. There was a Gregory lived next door to us and a Gill in our yard, with Nelson's and the Misses Gamble. If I remember rightly Lily and Jack Pashley lived in the same yard as Grandma Colley. Memories are stirring!!

[sirglyn]

Talk about memories stirring was there someplace in that area called 'the hundred steps'?I seem to recall my mother mentioning it.

[Choirgirl]

Hi Sirglyn - wow fancy you hearing about "the hundred steps". These were off Mushroom Lane between Summer St & Powell St, on the opposite side of the road. They were very steep, but even tho' I counted them many times I don't think there were actually 100! They went down from Mushoom Lane to another road (I can't remember the name) but this ran along the back of the houses in Mushooom Lane and went down to what we called 'the tip', or to give it its posh name Crookesmoor Recreation Ground. This is where we did our sledging. The other end of the road, I think finished up somewhere near Fawcett St.

[phantom309]

Hi Choirgirl I am sure it was Hammond Street which ran at the side of the rec. to the steps which you went up to access weston park and the dam and bowling greens I delivered papers up there in the 50s and one of the house's was that of Sheffields most famous tennis player we also used to sledge there in the winter and play football on the rec. I am not certain but it is possible thatit came out at cross Hammond Street it is quite a while since I have been round that way but I did use St.Stephens youth club as they had a football team at the time.

[Choirgirl]

Hi Phantom - I think your memory might be playing tricks! The 100 steps were just a narrow flight between 2 houses and didn't go anywhere near Weston Park, bowling greens and dam. Hammond Road which you mention is nowhere near the 100 steps as I have looked on an old A-Z of Sheffield. As for the famous tennis Player, if you mean Roger Taylor, he used to live at Fulwood, but whether or not he was born there I don't know. I just shows what our memory does to us!!

[phantom309]

Hi Choirgirl you are right the memory is going the 100 steps ran from Mushroom Lane down to Bromley Street and that is the Street were Roger Taylor lived in the 50s if you came down from the rec. he lived on the left hand side. I think it must be 25 years since I was round there and did not know the place then as it had changed so much so I would certainly get lost now as I believe it as changed again.

[Choirgirl]

Hi Phantom - thanks for giving me Bromley St, yes agree with that. Didn't know the info about Roger Taylor. It is 10 years since I left Sheffield, so I don't think I would recognise it either, I have a job sorting Sheffield out, not that I have been to the centre for about 5 years. It's still great to talk and find about the ol place. Thanks