Nostalgic visit to Sheffield

[Runningman]

Perhaps the 1981-82 season ?

 

A pointless response !! I won't bother quoting the years of some of Wednesday's worst seasons.

[steve68]

Hi Gordon - glad you returned to visit your roots. Yes, Hillsborough Park is still very nice and hasn't changed a lot (the rowing boats went in 1955, the bandstand in 1958 - the paddle boats survived to the early 1970s). The park keepers were really good to us 1950s kids, especially Paul (a war refugee from White Russia, he once saw me tearfully returning home with a broken scooter, and promptly repaired it for me in their workshop!) Ronnie Starling was a great bloke - I was his relief paper boy in 1960-61.

 

One of those paddle boats survived, despite its terrible condition it's been tarted up and will be put out as a very large planter next weekend.

 

[hillsbro]

Hi steve68 - it's good to know that one paddle boat has survived and will soon be on view. I must pay a visit and take a trip down Memory Lane! But where they ever yellow? I remember them being green and white, but I'm going back to the 1950s (when it cost 6d for 20 minutes!)

[steve68]

Hi steve68 - it's good to know that one paddle boat has survived and will soon be on view. I must pay a visit and take a trip down Memory Lane! But where they ever yellow? I remember them being green and white, but I'm going back to the 1950s (when it cost 6d for 20 minutes!)

 

I can say with a little bit of confidence, this particular boat has been originally blue, green, white.....and mostly at least seven coats of yellow, I know this because, I had the pleasure of sanding down the boat.

 

6d for 20mins that sounds like a real bargain.

 

It always worth a visit, the Friends of Hillsborough Park have been busy at the walled garden and especially in the wildlife Area it's recently had a new stumpery, a small willow structure igloo/snail depending on how you look at it has been constructed, there are also plans to improve the islands in the Lake and bring back life to the small wildlife pond which has had some improvements.

[hillsbro]

Yes, in 1955 you got 20 minutes in a paddle boat for 6d. - the same as a round on the putting green, and equivalent to about 60p today according to the Bank of England inflation calculator. There was a little shed on the east side of the lake where one of the park keepers sold green tickets which had a clock face on them; he would mark the time when you set sail and would call out the numbers of the boats that were due to dock. Woe betide any kid who tried to duck under the wire that separated the paddle boat area from the rest of the lake.

 

It's good to know that the Friends of Hillsborough Park are working so hard to maintain what has always been a wonderful local amenity. My own memories of the park go back to c. 1954 when the lake was drained and the concrete banks constructed. I have a small collection of old postcards: here are five of them !

[steve68]

Thanks those are Great images from the past, I'm sure a few of the current Keepers at the park would have enjoyed sitting in the shed, shouting out for the boats to come in.

 

One of those concrete walls has breached, there are plans to carry out some repairs within the next few months, they intend to use the opportunity to take out a small amount of the silt and leaves from that area, when they fix it, it's only as far as the diggers bucket reaches, but its something.

 

I forgot to say that green was the second coat after blue on the boat, so that ties in as being the earliest colours on the boat.

[TimeBandit52]

Good job you didn't drive around, you would need two new springs and running gear not to mention a fine from the local council for driving somewhere you shouldn't .