Hot Chestnut Seller - Campo Lane

[trans]

Know the lad who was the son of the hot chestnut sellertook over from his Dad for a short while in the late 60's he was called Barry Black.

[JACK HEWITT]

his name was called roy black i went to school with him at springfield school of west street,and the pub the Elephant in Fit/Sq was a irish pub where we young kids used to pop in on a sat night but it was always playing the 40 shades of green Music, so off we went to the marples before our epic pub crawl up on west street finishing in the Raven now a students pub i think, also ive read about ppls thoughts on the old rag and tag market with its animal market along side now that was a place to see as a kid old edwards the pot man throwing up the pots and hitting the pots with a wood stick,come to think of it now i was born on the moor and you could shop near every where the town areas like healy/london road/attercliffe/woodseats all had lots of diff shops but sadly now sheffield is not the sheffield it was no characters now like the Duke of Darnell or the dances like the locarno/glossop road baths/and city hall,and the tram was always on time no matter what to get us to the english steel .

mikedee1 spain

 

Not only did ROY BLACK sell chestnuts he also worked for Sheffield City Council as a driver after leaving the Council he went self employed as a driving instructor he used to store his chestnut cart under the arches at Pond st having it vandalized more than once not only did i work with ROY we were good mates as well always remember him having a full beard which for a young bloke in those days was unusual as he looked like a Beatnik if anyone knows of his whereabouts i would be very interested to get back in touch with Roy.

[melthebell]

how come you dont still get some of these old professions now?

did the market dry up for hot chestnuts?

nobody interested?

[Allen]

How good it is to read on S.F. about some of the characters who used to sell things on the streets of Sheffield. Plus, of course, there were the eccentrics like the ' Duke of Darnall ' wandering abroad !! Plus, the flower-sellers and the odd ' barrow-boy '. All these gave cities like Sheffield their unique atmosphere.

 

When some people ask, " Well, what IS indigenous culture ? " -----our street life and its characters are part of the answer. There is much more to indigenous culture, I know, but this was part of it.

 

Nowadays, very little of it remains. The ' Elf & Safety ' busybodies, the police and, strangely enough, their alter-egos, the thugs and vandals, have driven the anarchic, easy-come, easy-go street sellers away.

 

One of the great things going for us ex-pats is,that in many countries, the streets are still full of interest, tradespeople and customers, quite often until late at night.

 

how come you dont still get some of these old professions now?

did the market dry up for hot chestnuts?

nobody interested?

I think Fareast just answered that question.

Sheffield streets ain't safe anymore in the evenings.

[Lady Star]

how come you dont still get some of these old professions now?

did the market dry up for hot chestnuts?

nobody interested?

 

Well, there's quite often a woman on Fargate selling them - she's been there the last few weeks...

[JACK HEWITT]

I think Fareast just answered that question.

Sheffield streets ain't safe anymore in the evenings.

 

I'VE got a guy just around the corner where i now live in the W/MIDLANDS who has got a brand spanking state of the art NEW BARROW painted up in the old style which not only roasts chestnuts but also does corn on the cob and jacket potatoes now that's what you call progress FLASH GIT .

[Lady Star]

I'VE got a guy just around the corner where i now live in the W/MIDLANDS who has got a brand spanking state of the art NEW BARROW painted up in the old style which not only roasts chestnuts but also does corn on the cob and jacket potatoes now that's what you call progress FLASH GIT .

 

Ah the fargate seller hasn't progressed to other baked products, she just sells the chestnuts!

[skippy]

while were all thinking of the bottom end of town does anyone remember the norfolk market hall in the haymarket it had a fountain in the middle with lions heads on it the water coming out of their mouths?

 

There are pictures of that on Picture Sheffield, and many more of the old days.

[echo beach]

while were all thinking of the bottom end of town does anyone remember the norfolk market hall in the haymarket it had a fountain in the middle with lions heads on it the water coming out of their mouths?

 

Yes Heidi, I remember it well. Used to buy classic comics from a stall just inside the entrance. I often wonder which Philistines gave permission for it to be demolished. It was a magnificent example of Victorian architecture which today would no doubt be admired.

[Texas]

Don't remember the chestnut seller on Campo Lane but clearly remember a guy selling them at the top of Snigg Hill and sometimes halfway down opposite Water Lane nick. Could've been the same one. They were a 'tanner' a bag, the bags were those old fashioned pointy ones.

Paul Tansley says the chestnuts used to give him a asthma attack, I wonder, could it've been the fumes from the coke under the oven? I know I got a mouthfull of fumes a couple of times and it set me off, and I don't suffer from asthma.