Jump to content

Christmas Illuminations


Stuart0742

Recommended Posts

Found these slides of the 1976 illuminations, a bit dissapointed I thought there were more. But as DaveH pointed out, we probably got fed up and went to the pub, it was raining that night.

Has anybody else got any old illumination photos

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Found these slides of the 1976 illuminations, a bit dissapointed I thought there were more. But as DaveH pointed out, we probably got fed up and went to the pub, it was raining that night.

Has anybody else got any old illumination photos

As I remember it we went in the Brown Bear on Norfolk Street.

I also thought we had taken a lot more as well. Perhaps even in 1976 the lights weren't up to our expectations.

A few of my pictures which seem to have mainly been taken in December feature the lights (see then & now Pinstone street and Fargate) just because they happened to be there at the time but except for this one occasion I don't think either of us has set out with a camera to deliberately target the lights.

Has anyone else got pictures of the lights to post into this season Sheffield display? Even this years?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I remember it we went in the Brown Bear on Norfolk Street.

I also thought we had taken a lot more as well. Perhaps even in 1976 the lights weren't up to our expectations.

A few of my pictures which seem to have mainly been taken in December feature the lights (see then & now Pinstone street and Fargate) just because they happened to be there at the time but except for this one occasion I don't think either of us has set out with a camera to deliberately target the lights.

Has anyone else got pictures of the lights to post into this season Sheffield display? Even this years?

Obviously the Library/Local Studies weren't impressed either as there are only a couple of Picture Sheffield and you can view them for some reason.

I found this photo of some Attercliffe children in 1960 committing what is now PC crime by acting out the nativity.

http://www.picturesheffield.com/cgi-bin/pi...ff.refno=u01416

and we're probably committing some crime by just looking at it! :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hope this is a better copy

Thanks for those mickjj.

Obviously the top of Fargate with the Christmas tree and the old Goodwin fountain seems to be the most popular place to take this type of photograph as 3 of the pictures on offer in this section show this location.

Unfortunately my picture from this location was taken during daylight with the lights off and shows the current 2008 lights. Those blue bauble things look rubbish in the daylight but are quite good at night when they are lit up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2008

Thanks SteveHB, this years light do actually look really good when they are lit up don't they?

At one time Christmas colours were predominantly green, red and gold

Now blue seems to be the "in" colour for Christmas lights

Is this what Elvis was on about when he sang "Blue Christmas"? lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have though for many years that the number of light put up has been reducing and their extent across the City is getting less. At one time you could go all the way from Moorfoot to Haymarket, quite a distance, without going out of a display of lights. At the time we probably could, over Christmas at least, rival Blackpool.

That said, as the Corporation lights have decreased over the years, business and private displays have increased. Many private houses having more lights on the outside than some public buildings, goodness knows how big their electric bill will be.

Yesterday I had to go to Northern Avenue shopping centre on the Arbourthorne and was surprised to find it had its own Christmas lights

{surprised because it is fairly out of the way and is quite a rough area where the lights are likely to get smashed, vandalised or stolen}

Unfortunately I only had my old mobile phone and it was quite dark, so risking being mugged by a gang of hoodies I took these poor quality, VGA resolution pictures. Sorry about the glare!

The sign above the Co-Op reads (without the glare) "MERRY CHRISTMAS ARBOURTHORNE", obviously a custom made set of lights as I can't think of anywhere else in the world called Arbourthorne.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While on the subject of Christmas lights outside shops there is a village in Derbyshire called Holmewood, roughly half way between M1 junction 29 and Clay Cross on the main road.

This is the place where Roy Wood out of the group Wizard should live because it really is Christmas every day in Holmewood.

The reason is they have a row of shops displaying Christmas lights but after Christmas although they switch the lights off they can't be bothered to take them down. Even if you drive past in the middle of June or July those Christmas lights are still there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't remember having Christmas entertainment like this at the lights years ago.

Taken this year in Barkers Pool. May be worth going on for £3 to get some pictures of Sheffield from the top.

You would get a good close up of the top of the Cenotaph

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some more traditional Christmas entertainment in the City

There has always been Carol singers and the Salvation Army band in the town centre performing at Christmas but this group pictured on the Moor were a little more upbeat and modern in their choice of seasonal tunes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Found this photo in another topic, this is from the day's when Sheffield had proper illuminations

Christmas 1968

photo credit to gippeswyc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Found this photo in another topic, this is from the day's when Sheffield had proper illuminations

Christmas 1968

photo credit to gippeswyc

Great long exposure night picture here.

I take it that this is the Moor, taken from the bottom end looking upwards?

As well as the very extensive Christmas lights we also have vehicles, including a bus driving along what is now a pedestrian precinct and a whole row of long forgotten shops.

Nice one, - how about using it for December in the 2010 calendar?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great long exposure night picture here.

I take it that this is the Moor, taken from the bottom end looking upwards?

As well as the very extensive Christmas lights we also have vehicles, including a bus driving along what is now a pedestrian precinct and a whole row of long forgotten shops.

Nice one, - how about using it for December in the 2010 calendar?

As well as being a classic shot of the Christmas Illuminations, also the majority of the shops on the righthand side have now gone. The road is a pedestrianised. A truly historical photo and only 40 years old

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As well as being a classic shot of the Christmas Illuminations, also the majority of the shops on the righthand side have now gone. The road is a pedestrianised. A truly historical photo and only 40 years old

Only 40 years old!!

That's not as old as us, in fact at the time this shot was taken we were already coming up to half way through secondary school together, now that is worrying but not as worrying as this little incident that happened to me in the mid 1990's and which I previously related in a Sheffield Steam Society newsletter.

I can well remember a day at work about 12 years ago when I was asked to supervise a GCSE history exam. This was a paper on building up a true historical story of an event by being presented with lots of information about it from, for example newspapers, photographs, contemporary scripts etc, - the sort of things practicing historians do all the time. Now this paper was all about the Mai Lai massacre in the Vietnam War in 1968. I can also well remember that very day back in 1968, a nice April morning when I went out to do my paper round and on the front cover of every paper were these very same stories, headlines and images that now appeared in this history paper! On seeing the exam paper my actual thoughts were “****** hell! I’m history!”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the Christmas decorations in our homes?

When I was younger all the Christmas decorations were removed on "twelfth night", the Catholic Epiphany. So just about everyone had there decorations and light up until January 5 and took them down on January 6.

We have taken ours down this morning, Sunday 4 January because we are back at work tomorrow and I suspect a lot of other people will do the same.

But what has surprised me this year is the number of people who have taken their decorations down early, - by New Years day many of are well decorated and externally illuminated neighbours festive apparel had already gone.

I don't know if this is due to the current climate, uncertain futures in jobs and finance, the cost of fuel etc. or just that people are generally more miserable this year.

Has anyone else noticed this trend?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the Christmas decorations in our homes?

When I was younger all the Christmas decorations were removed on "twelfth night", the Catholic Epiphany. So just about everyone had there decorations and light up until January 5 and took them down on January 6.

We have taken ours down this morning, Sunday 4 January because we are back at work tomorrow and I suspect a lot of other people will do the same.

But what has surprised me this year is the number of people who have taken their decorations down early, - by New Years day many of are well decorated and externally illuminated neighbours festive apparel had already gone.

I don't know if this is due to the current climate, uncertain futures in jobs and finance, the cost of fuel etc. or just that people are generally more miserable this year.

Has anyone else noticed this trend?

I do belive that in our over politcaly correct world many of the old traditions are disappearing. Like you Dave it was always the twelfth night with us wich I believe was when the Three Kings delivered thier gifts. I don't know about in England but over here the schools are not allowed to do the Nativity anymore nor wish people "Merry Christmas". It has to be "Happy Holidays" so as not to upset those of the Non Christian faith.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do belive that in our over politcaly correct world many of the old traditions are disappearing. Like you Dave it was always the twelfth night with us wich I believe was when the Three Kings delivered thier gifts. I don't know about in England but over here the schools are not allowed to do the Nativity anymore nor wish people "Merry Christmas". It has to be "Happy Holidays" so as not to upset those of the Non Christian faith.

If Christmas is one of the keystone festivals of the Christian faith (hence its name) then, -

1) Why is it such a bad thing that Christians may want to celebrate it with, for example a traditional school Nativity? we live in a world supposedly where we are all well educated, well travelled and very multicultural and therefore should accept each others beliefs and festivals for what they are.

2) Is Christmas really Christmas any more? Instead of being a religious festival it now seems to be a holiday period fueled by commercialism, sales figures greed and glutony. I don't remember any of these ideals being part of any Christian teachings, in fact in most cases quite the opposite.

3) If so much fuss is going to be created over the Christmas festival, what are they going to make of those 2 other Christian festivals Easter and Whitsuntide?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do belive that in our over politcaly correct world many of the old traditions are disappearing. Like you Dave it was always the twelfth night with us wich I believe was when the Three Kings delivered thier gifts. I don't know about in England but over here the schools are not allowed to do the Nativity anymore nor wish people "Merry Christmas". It has to be "Happy Holidays" so as not to upset those of the Non Christian faith.

This is slowly happening in England too but it is our duty to stand up and be counted and not let this happen.

When you visit Belgium, Holland or Germany at Christmas the town squares are full of Nativity scenes and

very well done too. Why do we give in to the minority all the time, I make an effort to shop for Nativity cards

each year just out of protest, although not many shops stock them.

When I was asked at the post office if I wanted Christmas stamps I said yes..what did I get? Stamps with

Little Brittain [so called comedians] on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3) If so much fuss is going to be created over the Christmas festival, what are they going to make of those 2 other Christian festivals Easter and Whitsuntide?

Whistsuntide has long past as being recognised the schools here have "Spring Break". As for Easter again no mention anywhere of any religious connection just another huge commercial venture promoting the Easter Bunny delivering easter eggs :angry:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whistsuntide has long past as being recognised the schools here have "Spring Break". As for Easter again no mention anywhere of any religious connection just another huge commercial venture promoting the Easter Bunny delivering easter eggs :angry:

I teach in a school out of Sheffield in a fairly rural part of Derbyshire.

Whitsuntide is, as you say now replaced with "spring Bank Holiday", - no new clothes and processions now. Further to this, giving the area I work in, in autumn there is only "half term", no harvesting / potato picking week and in school no such thing as a harvest festival, not even in this rural area with a strong farming community.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't remember having Christmas entertainment like this at the lights years ago.

Taken this year in Barkers Pool. May be worth going on for £3 to get some pictures of Sheffield from the top.

You would get a good close up of the top of the Cenotaph

This is an oil painting of Barkers Pool by Sheffield artist Les Cornthwaite.

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...