Did You Live In Shiregreen?

[Di-namic]

Hi Beenicko - Was very surprised to learn that Arthur Lee & Sons

is no longer there, it is sad as a lot of jobs would have been lost.

They also had a second company at Ecclesfield. I started at Arthur Lees as an Office Junior about 1960 and

left in 1975. There was a 'Basket Bridge' over the railway line

which all the office staff walked over to get to the offices, from

Wooley Wood Bottom. My father worked there all his working

life until he retired. A sad passing of an era, but a memorable

time.

 

did you know any of the staff in the Transport office? Mary Potts,Lena and Marjorie

[Fast Runner]

Hi Di-namic. The Transport Office was located adjacent to the entrance, I knew a girl

called Janet (a very tall slim lady) I worked in the Purchasing Department near the works

garage. I don't recall the names you mentioned in the Transport Department. My manager was Horice Cannadine. Arthur Lee's had good Christmas bashes one being at

'The Cutlers Hall' that was in the hey day course.

[Beenicko]

Hi Beenicko - Was very surprised to learn that Arthur Lee & Sons

is no longer there, it is sad as a lot of jobs would have been lost.

They also had a second company at Ecclesfield. I started at Arthur Lees as an Office Junior about 1960 and

left in 1975. There was a 'Basket Bridge' over the railway line

which all the office staff walked over to get to the offices, from

Wooley Wood Bottom. My father worked there all his working

life until he retired. A sad passing of an era, but a memorable

time.

 

Seems I've made a boo boo. I'm getting Arthur Lees mixed up with Ambrose Shardlows. Shardlows has gone and it is now a scrapyard. Arthur Lees buildings are still there but now the name is OUTO KUMPU. I don't know who that is but I will try and get some more details. ......... Sorry about the mix up. I put that down to old age and lack of vitamins. I can buy some vitamins but I don't know what I'm going to do about the age.

Bri.

[Fast Runner]

Well Beenicko surprise surprise I thought it was just me who got

things wrong, but so pleased to hear that the old factory is still

there. I often have a bad memory day but I manage to conceal

it well with the help of vitamins and alcohol. Thanks for your

update. Perhaps you should have gone to Specsaveres !!

[L4WEY]

Been born & bred in Shiregreen but stumbled across this thread by accident and was enthralled by the memories it triggered.

 

I dont want to bore you but cannot resist throwing in my contribution.

 

I might even be able to contribute and answer some of the questions folks have asked about things and chip in with some of my own.

 

1) I was brought up on Woolley Wood Road and played in the woods and the fields. I remember the ravine before it got filled in pre-dating the Penguin Pub. Was in the Woolley Wood Gang and remember the stone throwing. Our enemy was the "Ecco" gang from up Ecclesfield. Went to Woolley Wood Primary School failed 11 plus and went to Shiregreen Sec Mod. Anyone remember Miss Fincham bless her. Was in the St Christophers 208th Boy scouts and remember taking our trek cart all the way to Hesley Woods for camping. Hard work up Chapeltown Hill. Sledging on the field in winter by Deep Lane. Sliding down the smooth dry grass by Woolley Woods. The ditches that we used to play in were the locations of anti-aircaft emplacements protecting Sheffield during WW2. A whopping great Gerry bomber was shot down into Concord Park during hostilities. My mum told me about a doodle bug flying bomb that flew up the valley and over towards Grenoside. Apparently I have it on good authority it blew up in Oldham Lancs. An incendiary bomb landed in our garden as my mum was running down to the Anderson shelter but she was OK.

 

2) I remember Grange Lane Station when it was a station closed to regular services in 1953 but trip trains to seaside went from there at weekends and bank holidays int summer. Went on one with my mum & dad to Skeggy. I remember the Black Brook but no-one seems to have called it by it's correct name "Blackburn Brook".

Yes it was smelly. When the steam trains were still running when I was a lad I used to ride on the crossing gates while they were being opened & closed it was great fun.

 

Does anyone remember the branch line that went up to Grange Coliiery at Kimberworth? It crossed Grange Mill lane and went where the motorway is now. A nice lady used to open & close the gate for the trains to cross the road there. Does any one remember? Across the road there was a stone wall boundary of Thundercliffe Grange, we used to climb over it and get bullrush pokers from the pond to take home.

 

3) Remember Peggy lane leading up to Butterthwaite Lane and crossing the LNER line over the tracks to cross the Midland line by the "basket bridge". This bridge had wooden boards on the floor with holes in and we used to lay down on the bridge and wait for the up Thames Clyde Express which used to have a Jubilee on it and a good head of steam which used to blast up into our faces throught the holes as it sped through really fast. Anything for kicks and simple pleasures those days.

 

4) Walking back to Ecclesfield road we used to pass by the pond where someone said they got frogs and newts, yes we did too.

Someone asked what this used to be. I can tell you that was the site of Gibraltar Steel Works according to a very early map around the end of the 19th century.

 

5) My dad used to work at Shardlows and I remember going on the kids works outings by coach and having a luggage label on my lapel.

 

6) The steam hammer was Arthur Lees, it thumped day & night 24/7 I regarded it as a heartbeat and knew I was home when I heard it. At Xmas & Bank hols it went quiet as it was shut down during these time and you know what? I could not get to sleep cos it was so quiet. I loved hearing that hammer.

 

I am impressed by the amount of interest shown in this Shiregreen thread and am happy & proud to have been brought up & lived there and know the folks I have done who are sadly no longer here.

I only have good memories of the place.

[stevenorfolk]

Thanks for that contribution L4WEY.

Yes I agree Shiregreen was a great place to grow up,I was born in 1950,and lived on Woolley wood road, then in 1954 we moved to keppel place,across from woolley wood school, I do remember the branch line that crossed grange mill lane, I think it went to the colliery at Droppingwell, I never saw any trains use it as it was disused when we played around there, but I remember seeing the men working to lift those Tracks and sleepers before they built the M1.

I remember a gang of us, all trainspotters,spending Summer evenings sitting on the grass banking overlooking Ecclesfield road,above Hemmings and waiting for the Thames Clyde express, to get the engine numbers.

I also remember going up Peggy lane when me and a mate got into birdwatching, in those days, we used to see flocks of Lapwings in the fields where the M1 is now.

In later years I worked at Hemmings, and also Arthur Lees, in the cold rolling. Happy Days :-)

Regards Steve

[L4WEY]

Gosh that uncanny we must have seen each other sometime cos I used to hang around there as well. I do remember trains going up to Droppingwell at Kimberworth. I remember the steam loco pushing the trucks up the hill without a brake van and coming back in reverse.

 

I also remember the construction destroying the valley for the M1 after that things never seemed to be the same again with a constant drone of motor noise.

[3dogman]

I remember playing on the fields next to Ecclesfield Rd and sliding down the hill on pieces of cardboard. Also used to crawl across the pipieline over the brook to the tip, was scared to death half the time. Anybody remember Sunny from Paper Mill Lane with his old sheep dog use to wear one Sunny's polo neck jumpers, can't recall the year but it looked funny then. For a few weeks I worked at Wharncliffe Eng at the side of the tip used to do welding there but wasn't very good at that time eventually got sacked. Been a bit pickled in the Shiregreen Hotel a few times long ago.

[clown]

Hi everyone I lived on shirehall rd from 1941 to 1966. Reading about the branch line from Grange Lane station to droppingwell reminded me of riding on the footplate of a B1 steam loco up and down that branch line during the summer of 1951. My pal Derek Hartley off Ivy Hall Road who's father was a driver let us ride on footplate whilst pushing wagons 6 at a time up the hill to the pit yard,retuning with 6 full wagons. A train was formed of 30 wagon before been taken off late in the afternoon. Years later I stayed in holiday flat near Tenby in Pembrokeshire, the owner was Frank Buckley the fireman on our rides at Grange Lane, at that time he lived on Shirehall Crescent

[L4WEY]

You must have been really lucky getting a ride up the branch, I was a little lad in short trousers then but knew a thing or two about trains and a B1 would have been something really special to find its way up there. I seem to remember tender 2-8-0s being regular locos on the GCR/LNER up the Blackburn valley on coal trains, seem to have recollections of 0-6-0 tender locos as well on turns up the branch.