Jump to content

Need Help - Oak Avenue


saw119

Recommended Posts

Ok so I'm having trouble locating this street. Doesn't appear to exist anymore. I know it's in the parish of St Mary's, down Bramall Lane Way. Somewhere off Oak Street near London Road perhaps? Little London area I'm thinking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was off Oak Street Heeley in 1916, see cutting below. Doesn't appear in the Whites 1911 Directory. Unfortunately old-maps.co.uk has been trashed and is no longer useable, will keep trying for a map that shows Oak Avenue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the 1911 Census entry for Arthur McClarence age 14, Telegraph Messenger, soon to be Sapper. His address is given as house 1 court 1 Oak Street. Also below is the list of addresses the enumerator visited. Did they "gentrify" Court 1 with a new name?

By the way, Harry Wainwright was the publican at the British Oak.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I have some interesting addresses. For example "6 Oak Avenue, Oak Court", "1 Court 6 Oak Street" and " 6 Oak Avenue" which all lead me to conclude that the 1 Court Oak Street was, by some, called Oak Avenue. These addresses all belong to one family. So what do people think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Harts removals were next door to Court 1 at No. 17, there is a rather childish drawing of their yard in their advert from the Chapel's "Oriental Bazaar" handbook of 1910:

Harts Removals No 17 Oak Street

and here's a photo showing the area around the entrance to Court 1, opposite the house next door to the pub (the entry is behind the Austin.

Oak Avenue opposite British Oak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a good second photo but it stretches credibility somewhat to suggest they could have got away with calling that jennel and court Oak Avenue. I think there are some aerial shots of the area that I will look at tomorrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's a wonderful collection of aerial photos on this site:

www.britainfromabove.org.uk

If you type in Sheafbank works you get 5 pictures that all shgow the warren of courts that lead off from Oak Street. It really shows what a survivor that little cluster of houses was, a real relic of an earlier time. All the surrounding streets are straight forward terraces with back gardens. It doesn't take a huge leap to imagine that people classed their court as a separate entity in the post WW1 era.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just found this rather bizarre item in the 1911 census. It's the enumeration for 6 Oaks Avenue Oak Street which is exactly the address I want but just before the people I'm interested in moved there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have discovered an Oak Terrace (appears to be 10 Court), Oak Place (there is a 3,4 & 5 Oak Place, Oak Street), Oak Grove (appears to be 7 Court) and Oak Avenue (appears to be 1 Court except or an anomalous 3ct 5hs on Oak Avenue and a 7 Oak Avenue) all recorded on the 1911 census mixed up with the Oak Street enumerations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep I can see all that but there is definitely an Oak Avenue around there somewhere but it just isn't marked on any map that I've looked at. It definitely seems to appear in the late Edwardian period and I am quite confident that it is Court 1. It is nearly always written as 'Oak Avenue, Oak Street' or a variation thereof.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the map I found.

attachicon.gifoak street.jpg

Note how Heeley Station looks to be further south and not where the current station building is.

Hello andy1702

That looks a bit like the curved track that was there when the station was open and could still be seen through the scrap yard later.

Was there not some kind of underpass near the station entrance on London Road, it is a long time ago and I can't quite picture it now.

You can see the track on this Picture Sheffield view from 1935 :-

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s12431&prevUrl=

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm still scratching my head about this one so thanks for any, and I do mean any, help here. The main problem I am having is the apparent interchangeable nature of the addresses. I have members of my family living at "6 Oak Avenue", "6 Oak Avenue, Oak Court", "1 Court 6 Oak Street" and "1/6 Oak Street". I also have members of my family living at this address from 1915 until at least 1958 with several dates in between to suggest a constant occupation of the address. This includes a newspaper article within the timeframe for "6 Oak Avenue, Oak Street, Heeley". I really cannot find another explanation apart from an (informal?) naming of the court. I have never come across anything like this before, has anyone else?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in complete agreement with you andy, it's a real mystery and a very peculiar situation. It does stretch credulity somewhat to suggest that people called that yard 'Oak Avenue' but it seems the only conclusion that can be drawn in the face of the evidence and common sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For anyone interested in a problem solved I offer you what I believe to be conclusive proof that Court 1 Oak Street was also known as Oak Avenue.

From the 1939 Kelly's Trade Directory (although I know also have many other examples as well).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...