Hole In The Road Thread with Pics

[OatisLendrix]

The walkways were dingy and pokey (sounds like a Hanna-Barbara cartoon)

People's hands seemed to 'stick' to the handrail (which always moved faster than the steps?)

The whole place smelt of urine...and not mine!

Graffiti was so caked on, that it actually propped up the walls

 

Just like alot of Sheffield still is, then?

 

Plus, there was always a mob of skinheads hanging about in the shade at night- all you could see was a cluster of glowing tab-ends until one shouted "Oi, you..", then when you looked around, the reply(immediately prior to a flurry of Dr.Marten's boots raining into your groin/head) was "Wot's tha f****n' lookin' at?". (logic?)

 

Sounds familiar to many.

[Eleke95]

There was also a record shop down there in the 70's. Anyone else remember that? I remember being allowed to go to town for the first time with my mates when I was about 9 (things were safer back then) and buying my first record which was (wait for it!) Bang Bang by B.A. Robertson!!!

[Sheff2006]

Some pictures taken from 1993-94 of the hole in the road.

 

Fishtank

 

Hole in road

 

Escalator1

 

Escalator2

 

Fill in 1

 

Fill in 2

 

Fill in 3

 

Fill in 4

 

WOW!

 

Now these are the pics Ive been longing to see since the best hole in Sheffield got filled in lol.

 

I still miss the hole even now and can vividly remember the days of going down the escalators to see the famous fish tank when I was little!

 

Though now as an adult I can remember the days of the underground shop entrances to C&A, Rackhams and Im sure there was a branch of Colourvision down there at some point. The hole should have been kept, done up and made safe and re-routed the trams around it somehow. Where else can you go in the UK to get a hole like that?

 

Oh and I bet this happened to most people...who went down one of the many entrances and ending up re-surfacing through the entirely wrong exit?

 

Ahh those were the days :-)

[susie c]

This makes me feel very old!!!! Years ago in the early 70s when I was a teenager I was in the school band(Hi to any Newfield school band members reading this) we stood in the freezing cold playing Christmas carols to "entertain" the shoppers. Poor them. Any ex Newfield stalwarts remember Mr Pye the Music teacher sadly no longer with us?

 

It is weird looking at photos of Sheffield from only 30 years ago so much has changed since then, the city centre is definitely looking much nicer these days, the Moor could do with a bit of a spruce up though.

 

Any other oldies remember going down the Moor on a double decker to see the Christmas lights?

 

Hi there, i was there and remember Mr Pye, do any of these names ring a bell with you, all schoolmates - Georgie Grant, Michael Searle, Simon Wong, Cynthia Brooks, Tania Bloomer - i wasn't in the band though but have been in the music bizz since Previous to Newfield i went to Carfield Junior, lived on Upper Valley Road - nice area really, used to get a few golfballs from the golf course next door! I saw a kingfisher in Cat Lane Woods on my way to school at Newfield once, how idylic. Ahhhh.

Zye Hill

 

Amazing following this thread about the city centre and the ace Hole-In-the Road - it did feel a bit crap seeing it get filled in - memories are, The Sharp Cuts a brill rockabilly band that kept me down there for some time, proper good they were .... 3 pair of white towelling socks for a quid, 3 for a quid lighters and of course THE FISH - bought Nicolette's "I want to wake you up" in 90's from the record shop in the hole in the road, and had my ears pierced at the hairdressers down there. Yeah it went to rack and ruin and it was sad they couldn't save it. with the FAB lighting there is now they could have made it a real feature - make it look like a spaceship landed, from the outside (and have proper CCTV for safety inside, so it was a nice place to meet and shop for everyone again, 'cause it was once....)

[docmel]

 

Its concept was brilliant, keep the traffic flowing, above, and let the pedestrians walk, sheletered from the weather, and in safety, in these subterranean walkways. In my childhood, it looked great, brightly lit, clean... the window displays from shops like C&A, the Co-Op, and Walsh's, (later Rachams/ house of fraser, now TJ Hughes) were enticing. bang and olufsen had a shop with tellys and hi-fis, Bradshaws greengrocer had a shop or two under there, the YEB (yorkshire electricity board) had a shop entrance on the southern side, with gleaming displays of electric fires, washing machines and cookers.

 

It really was bustling. Most "romances" began with the legendary phrase "Ahlll meet yer at' fish tank in't' 'ole in't roo-ad at 'alf sevvun!"

 

PT

 

 

PLain Talker - you are spot on - whenever I read anything about the Hole in the Road it always seems to come out with the negatives - the winos, tramps etc. but I remember when it was first opened in the 60's it was great - I met many a girlfriend at the fish tank. It was also a good palce to meet your mates on a Saturday - and like you said all the shops were decent - not the crap discount stores etc..... and someplace to shelter from the rain if you were doing the Castle Market, Fitzalen Square, High Street, Fargate, Pinstone Street, Moor marathon that mothers seemed to take part in when they went 'shopping'

[nortcliff]

I have been told that there used to be some sort of shopping area, around where is now HMV/Boots/Cathedral... which was filled in before the trams got put back in (around 1995?) Apparently you could see the sky from it, but it was lower than the normal street level. Sounds all very intriguing.. surely anyone who's lived here since before 95 or so should know whether it's true or not?

 

The hole in the road with the fish and boots the cemist and the drunks i remember it well everyone used to meet up there the fishtank was enormouse i have always wondered what happended to the fish ?

i went there on a school trip and got lost lol then when i was older i used to meet my mates there it was a shame they covered it up wish they would bring it back:hihi:

[Juneb01]

..and there was the door where all the bus drivers and conductors used to disappear!!! It used to really excite me as a kid, where did they go??? A few years later I went to work on the buses, and found out......a waiting room with a dodgy tea machine, Yuk!!!

[Nutronic]

Thanks to this thread I can give new life to it, the hole in the road was brill and I remember the fishtank and also someone selling off dodgy 'magic eye' pics in the early 90's im glad that there is some pics that i can sure my other half, baileys_mum instead of me trying to describe such a wonderful site! shame we dont have much of the old Sheffield left!

[tazza231]

does any body remember the buskers in the late 70's early 80's i used to go in the hole in the road yes there was shops and a fish tank also doggy blokes selling fake jewelry and buskers there was one band in particular that was very good they had crowds filling all the entrance they where a rockabilly band on chap used to play the big bass spinning it and jumping all over it can anyone remember there name

[mistyraven]

Hi gosh I feel old now too. There was a pictures near by too I used to go with my brother every sat morning.