Wincobank Hill Memories

[cat631]

I'm not certain but think the gun and searchlight stands were placed during WW1. after German Zepplins managed to bomb some British targets, including Sheffield.

The square, concrete platform being for a search light and the red brick structure an anti aircraft gun stand. ( My Dad told me). I'm sure they would have been manned again in WW2.

I'd completely forgotten about the trig point near the gun stand that Beady mentions. Someone told me that one of the three grooves in its brass plate, lined up with the 'runway' at Norton aerodrome so that planes flying overhead would know where to land.

An identical gun stand to the one on Wincobank Hill was located near the top of Jenkin Road, alongside some gun pits. This is the one shown in the previous photo. A clearer background can be seen in this next picture looking down to Tipton Street, Walling Road and Tyler Street.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/zoom.pl?picture=http://www.picturesheffield.com/jpgh/s00747.jpg

My Dad came from Brightside and never said "Wincobank Hill" but called it, like all Brightsiders did, "up on t' Riggs"

[seekergreen]

Hi to all who walk down my memory lane. The fun day on wincobank hill was a great success with around 120 people attending (the kids Loved the Roman Centurions).

 

I will Post dates of Meetings on the http://www.wincobankhill.btik.com web site.

 

I would love to meet you all to recrord your historic memories.

 

Does anyone remember the story of the butcher in the mist?

[lady_angel]

brightside was nice when i lived there

 

lolololol nice, it was a dump still is

[gracie]

Beady we called the gate at the daffodil road end " the wishing gate " no idea why.

Do you remember the word BLOGGO painted on one of the gunstands , and does anyone remember a brick built tower on the path between the bottom of daffodil road and the metal gate at the top of the prefabs.Never did find out what it was .

[seekergreen]

Hi gracie.

Was the tower an upturned funnel shape and had a grid on top? because if its the one I have a memory of, was a shaft that released underground gasses from the dumping on the tip.

I understand the funnel had to be pulled down to try to stop oxygen fueling the fire that raged under the dumping.

[beady]

Beady we called the gate at the daffodil road end " the wishing gate " no idea why.

Do you remember the word BLOGGO painted on one of the gunstands , and does anyone remember a brick built tower on the path between the bottom of daffodil road and the metal gate at the top of the prefabs.Never did find out what it was .

Now you remind me gracie I do remeber BLOGGO painted in black on the side of the gunstand / lightstand? We always knew this stand to be the gunstand - and the other circular one higher up on the ridge to be the searchlight stand but earlier in this thread it's been mentioned it is the other way around? Whoever BLOGGO was and the years it was there makes it a great advert for masonary paint - exposed to say the least and probably copping for a lot of atmospheric pollution day after day when Sheffield really buzzed industrially? Would agree about the brick 'cone' as well - it had a long exposed concrete pipe running under it from the Honeysuckle Road end and disappeared on its route towards Grimesthorpe. We used to climb on to the top of it as kids - it was a 'fort' to us young 'uns! That spiked fence and gate always interested me - just why was it there and who spent to erect it - including the gate (with about a metre space under it caused by erosion etc) - and what was the straight driveway running above the length of the fence - ever put there for? Would love to know but we're going back a fair way now for anyone to remember.

[yoz2417]

hi all, patsue what was your grans name i probably know her. my grans name was elisebeth roberts and she owned the middle section of cottages on the hill.she gave the cottages to my dad jack wilde, we lived there from the mid 50s until the roofs where blown off in the sheffield gales.i remember the thunderbolt i was watching tv with my brother(lassie come home in black and white) when it came through the roof and blew out all the electric cables in the houses. my name is paul and i remember old man hamberjham(spelling] taking me on his horse and cart to go round the flower estate collecting leftovers for the pigs. happy days

[Fothers]

IT WAS A MANHOLE, AN INSPECTION CHAMBER,TO PUT IT TECHNICALLY.APPARENTLY THE COUNCIL, HAD PLANNED TO BUILD THE ROAD (wensly st) RIGHT THROUGH TO THE FLOWER ESTATE, BUT, DIDNT HAVE THE FUNDS, DUE TO THE WAR, TO CONTINUE.

[awoollen]

IT WAS A MANHOLE, AN INSPECTION CHAMBER,TO PUT IT TECHNICALLY.APPARENTLY THE COUNCIL, HAD PLANNED TO BUILD THE ROAD (wensly st) RIGHT THROUGH TO THE FLOWER ESTATE, BUT, DIDNT HAVE THE FUNDS, DUE TO THE WAR, TO CONTINUE.

i used to play on winco hill when i was a lad '

used swim in te res pinch turnips out of the farmers field play down the gully

we called it sammys gutter froggin a newts got old tyres of the tip for a bonnfire

chopped sticks 6 pence a bucket them were tha days

[gracie]

Fothers , Do you remember the piles of creamy coloured bricks that used to be dumped near the wensley street gate ? We used to make some smashing dens with them !.I think they were reject fire bricks but not too sure .