Wicker Arches

[Falls]

The Station Hotel closed in the mid-late 90s I think, it's now some kind of sheltered housing or Asylum seeker accomodation IIRC.

The Viaduct is now an appliance or furniture shop.

Don't recall the New Inn, probably before my time? There was a big pub called the Coach House or similar between the Viaduct and Big Gun, this has since became a couple of fast food outlets.

The Big Gun is still open as a pub.

The Brown Cow was demolished to make way for the bypass to the Parkway.

The pub next to the Brown Cow is a Southern Fried Chicken place now.

 

 

Thanks for the update. Things have certainly changed around the Wicker and about time. It couldn't get any worse. It became a shadow of what it used to be when I lived there. I'm in Sheffield on a regular basis but have usually avoided that part of town because of the buses only roads,what seems to be perpetual road works and the crazy one way systems they imposed on my old neighbourhood.

 

I hope to be back this autumn with more time to see all the things that have changed. If I feel energetic enough, I might even tackle the Five Weirs Walk - but only one way.

 

Regards

[Falls]

Don't want to be a bore but- Please does anyone know if there was stables at some time in/ under the Wicker Arches Thanks.

 

 

Don't know of any stables under the Wicker Arches or any of the arches along Walker's Street. The arches under Royal Victoria Station Hotel and Victoria Station didn't have stables either. There could have been some stables at these location in the early days but not after 1940.

 

The horses that worked from the LMS Wicker Goods Yard were stabled in a yard part way up Spital Hill, on the left just above where Demsey's warehouse used to be. I don't know if the yard is still there- forgot to look when I went up there at the beginning of June.

 

The horses working in the LNER Bridgehouses Goods Yard were stabled in the arches under the end of the yard. The entrance to the stables was on Spitalfields. Spitalfields runs, or used to run, from the end of Stanley Street to Nursery Street.

 

Regards

[Texas]

The travel agents was Woodcock Travel. There was also one of Sheffield's first Chinese Restaurants. A pet shop, Jimmy James Newsagents, The Wilberforce Hotel (later acquired by the Midland Bank and now the Wicker Pharmacy). Two Betting Shops, Williams & Glynns Bank (on Ladys Bridge).

 

Associated Chemists (Wicker) Ltd bought 61 Wicker in 1951 and opened in 1952 (we have been open every day since). In 1966 we acquired the betting office next door and the wholesale tobacconist - later we took over what was Bentleys showroom 67-71 Wicker - to house the mobiliy shop.

 

69 & 71 Wicker has recently been demolished for the new inner relief road.

 

When undertaking this recent work we found some old machinery in the roof space of 67 Wicker - so someone worked up there at one time.

 

The back of the property is on Wicker Lane and includes Crucible Works which has some old beams in the roof complete with weird writing known as Baltic markings - quite rare I understand.

 

I've worked on the Wicker since 1973 but remember it from the 50s onwards.

 

Martin

I wonder if you remember the ex Army equipment shop opposite the end of Blonk Street. Is it still there?

[Falls]

I wonder if you remember the ex Army equipment shop opposite the end of Blonk Street. Is it still there?

 

Hello

 

It was next to Langton's shoe shop and as far as I remember, it was just called the Army and Navy Store.

 

Some time in the 50/60s, a number of these types of shops around town used to trade under the name "Mortimer". I don't know if the one in the Wicker was taken over by Mortimer's or remained independent.

 

Regards

[segasonic]

I think the army store was a Mortimers at one point, and Famous Army Stores as well perhaps? I remember the paintings of a delighted looking man at one side of the building front, and an equally delighted looking woman at the other side. As the years went on they peeled more and more until they were just silhouettes.

 

Texas, the shop is long gone. The building still stands but it's now part of the B+B/Hotel on the corner.

[skippy]

I worked for Harrisons Cutlery in 1960, the back door came out onto I think Wicker lane, the mortuary was next door & it freaked me out when they put the bodies outside waiting for someone to open the gates rather than leave them in the dark blue ambulance, we went passed the front gates every Friday lunchtime on our way to the Hare & Hounds on Nursery St.

It was the Peacock Chinese resturaunt, there was a great cafe also next to the picture theatre & Friedricks pork pies and sandwiches were delicious, it was my job to get the lunches in those days.

Stanley St club was a great place to go for entertainment in the 60's, I was in the Viaduct pub when I made a decision to come to Oz, I was on my way to work to start afternoon shift, it was teeming with rain, I called in for a pint and was reading the paper when I came across a coloured picture of a beach with palm trees etc, I went back home, got my wife and we went to the travel agents in the wicker and the rest is history, what a great move, but I have very fond memories of the old Sheffield.

[Falls]

I worked for Harrisons Cutlery in 1960, the back door came out onto I think Wicker lane, the mortuary was next door & it freaked me out when they put the bodies outside waiting for someone to open the gates rather than leave them in the dark blue ambulance, we went passed the front gates every Friday lunchtime on our way to the Hare & Hounds on Nursery St.

 

Growing up on the next street, I have one or two rcollections about the mortuary on wicker Lane.

 

During the blitz, a bomb dropped in the yard, damaged part of the building, blew out part of the front wall, and a gate post. The gate posts used to have large stone balls on top and when the post fell down, the ball landed in the lane. The ball was quite large when you got up close and heavy, but that didn't stop the local kids from rolling it around. In the days after the blitz, the ball seemed to get further and further away from where it was supposed to be. When the workmen finally turned up to repair the wall and gate post, the ball was eventually found quite a distance away. Can't remember if the brought it back by truck or rolled it.

 

Yes some, but not all, of the crews that made "deliveries there were too casual and left doors and gates open when they shouldn't, etc.

 

In my time in the Wicker area, "Jack" Westney (not sure about the spelling) ran the mortuary operations in a very professional manner. It takes a special kind of person to do something like that. I believe the Westney's lived in a house over the top of the Coronor's Court, next door on Nursery Street. This obviously made it one of the most difficult 24/7 jobs around.

 

Jack always said "hello" if you met him in the street. My father and Jack would pass the time-of-day together if they met. The people who lived in the area and the oldtimers who worked around there always had a good word for him.

 

Regards

[Ranger]

Hi,

 

I haven't seen the marks you speak of. However, on Effingham Road (at the Wicker end) there is a large plaque on a factory wall. This is to commemorate the first bomd that landed in Sheffield killing a number of workers. I just wondered if the marks were shrapnel rather than bullets.

 

Ranger.

[Arfer Mo]

I use to work in a very small place in the Wicker, run by some Jewish brothers, I think it was a textile firm, i just answered the phones, apart from that I don't really recall many place, pubs or shops being there, it was like a dead part of Sheffield, there were other factories there but they were all past the Wicker, not right near the archers.

Was that Switzers Poppins

[poppins]

Was that Switzers Poppins

 

Arthur, can't really remember the name, it was real small place on the left hand side comming from the town end, very close to the Arches, not many people would have known it was there.