Captain_Scarlet Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Now council seems to be more interested in putting Happy Eid than Merry Christmas , then there's the policy of not offending others, so basically, apart from stars and trees, the decorations are pretty boring... They haven't made jack sh*t effort this year, a few measely lights in them diing trees on what was the great Peace/St Paul Gardens (when it had all that grass ). It's also possible to get into Uni (which for god's sake is IN the city centre) without seeing a single illumination ! Goodwin fountain was ace, and the new Peace Gardens are crap ! We really got ripped off in the bargain ! Honnestly, where's all the grass gone ? and those huge humongous flower pot fountains ? What's that all about ? Where's not freaking southerners and our randomly placed marble pavements and Millenium things that get unused after 2 weeks openning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basalt Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Hi Tara There was a whole thread on Chapeltown Park Illuminations a few weeks back, here's the link http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16650&highlight=Illuminations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tara Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 cheers Basalt. Dont know how i missed that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Moon Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Sorry for a very late reply on this subject, but I'm new to all this, so please bare with me! As a child in the late 1960's and early 1970's, my Ma and Pa would take me to see the Sheffield City Christmas lights each December. I vividly remember us catching the bus to Sheffield, taking a flask of tea and some toffee, left over from Bonfire Night, to keep us going as walked the length and breadth of the City Centre. The Christmas Illuminations at that time were spectacular. We had nothing like them in our home town, Chesterfield. I remember the Hole In The Road, trimmed up with lots Christmas Trees in tubs in the middle, usually covered in white or clear bulbs, if the vandals hadn't stripped them before hand (and yes, they sometimes did that, even in those days!) Round the edge of the Hole In The Road was beautiful displays of lights, lanterns, bells and light up Father Chritsmas figures. The whole area looked stunning. The large display windows in the passageways beneath were lovely. Each window would have a different colour theme of lights, trees, baubles and tinsel. You could feel the warmth of the shop windows from outside, even in the cold December air. We would ride on the escillators out of Castle Square Subway, to give it it's correct name, to see fantastic across the street displays in High Street, Fargate and beyond, down to the bottom of the Moor. These displays hung across the streets like jewls and were designed in such a way as to create beautiful patterns overhead. The displays would gracefully swing in the winter breezes and as a child I would often wonder if they came loose and fell down, but I never heard of any displays doing so. There was a huge Christmas Tree at the top of Fargate, next to the Goodwin Fountain (that also looked great when lit up). The Christmas Tree was so stuffed with lights, the branches must have groaned under the weight of all the wiring! It was a no holds barred event! One year they had Dancing Fountains in the then Peace Gardens, the likes we had never seen before. The fountains would rise and fall, with colour changing lights, shining on the water, in time with music. It was out of this world. The whole City Centre was alive, as vistors and shoppers went about their way, admiring the lights. The atmopshere was great and people so freindly. Most of us were gawping at the lights or the grogeously decorated shop windows and were thoroughly exhausted by the time we got the bus home. But we always had a fantastic time. We would be a bit sad when we returned to the City in January and the Christmas Lights were switched off, hanging in darkness, awaiting their removal. I did hear that the lights cost rate payers a lot of money, though the "big" shops of the day used to contribute towards the cost of the Christmas Illuminations, the likes of which I don't think will ever be surpassed today, as they were back then. The Sheffield Christmas Lights must have been thought out and put up with a lot of love and dedication. Thank you for the wonderful memories, which I shall never forget. Even my Ma and Pa, who are now well into their 80's, still remember those Christmas visits to the Magical City Centre Wonderland of the 1960's and 1970's. Does anyone have pictures of the Sheffield Christmas Lights back then? It would be great to see the images again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazzler4 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 i guess that they would be even more expensive now given that they have to be up for a longer period to celebrate other religious festivals? leicester have there up from october right through to Jan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tessie Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I remember the very first year of Sheffield illuminations, think it was 1960/61. A school friend and I walked from the bottom of The Moor to look at them and a photographer from The star newspaper took our photo for The Star and asked what we thought about the illuminations.My friend was quoted in the newspaper as saying "We think they're smashing"! I well remember Santa's Grotto at the bottom of The Moor -it seemed enormous and magical at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bypassblade Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I remember the very first year of Sheffield illuminations, think it was 1960/61. A school friend and I walked from the bottom of The Moor to look at them and a photographer from The star newspaper took our photo for The Star and asked what we thought about the illuminations.My friend was quoted in the newspaper as saying "We think they're smashing"! I well remember Santa's Grotto at the bottom of The Moor -it seemed enormous and magical at the time. Do you mean the one that was in a maze? if so it was fantastic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tessie Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Yes- it seemed to take forever, wandering amongst the Christmas trees as if in a forest, till you reached Santa's wooden 'snow covered' chalet - which we now know was just cleverly set out on a comparatively small space! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francypants Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I'll always remember that grotto, it was just magical. I can remember a small stream with a little bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escort1 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Santa at this grotto had a large Yale key that he told us kids at the time it would unlock our house. I remember also he always gave us a couple of liquorice allsorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.