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Gray, George (, Victualler Norfolk Hotel). Address: Handsworth, in 1871. Recorded in: Whites Sheffield & District Directory - 1871. Mary Elizabeth Gray 1901 George's second wife 1911 George Wilby-vict Norfolk Hotel to 1922-dies Near to Finchwell and The Hall

So do I...but I do find it very strange that the Crimean War memorial should have been largely forgotten...if not destroyed... whilst the trees have received so much publicity.Stone memorials only "die" from neglect and ignorance, whereas, trees planted a century ago have a finite life. One memorial has virtually no current political interest whereas, the other has! Surely, the answer could be to combine the two in an area not "threatened" by traffic or town planners...in other words, a memorial arboretum. I know this idea has been posited in the local press.

The Norfolk Hotel building is still there, it is now the Highgate Day Nursery. I had always thought that the building, shown above, had bay windows added to give the current building but looking at the photos there is not enough room for the upper floor windows of the current building, so it must have been a rebuild. Yhe wall is still there but unfortunately the tree has gone. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Highgate+Day+Nursery/@53.3748172,-1.3921616,3a,75y,25.72h,92.02t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sHiiHQEj8Wgqypz9kfdupbg!2e0!3e11!7i13312!8i6656!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x48799d6491f96a51:0x9e0b5f4dbfb7c0e1!2sFinchwell+Rd,+Sheffield+S13+9AR!3b1!8m2!3d53.3763093!4d-1.3882821!3m4!1s0x0:0xc8a9e91c9da6a5f9!8m2!3d53.3749997!4d-1.3921114

There was a Norfolk Hotel at the junction of Handsworth Road and Finchwell street (which led down to Handsworth colliery) but it was a more substantial building with two big bay windows. If you search Picture Sheffield for trams, Handsworth you will find it, their reference number s16477. I think this was a rebuild on the site of your pictures because the wall and tree at the right seem to be the same. For a long time the Handsworth tram terminus was here.

The Messerschmidt 110 seems to have been well covered but the Heinkel has quietly disappeared. Most certainly both types were not either at the same place or at the same time. The Blitz had been and gone and the area round Bramall Lane. Denby St. Sheldon St and Boston St had been cleared and levelled. We learned that a touring display of a Heinkel bomber was to be set up there. As usual it was a money-raising exercise for one or other of the wartime funds. As I recall at this range it too was roped off and cost 6d (2.1/2p) to get close. Look but don't touch and keep out. I expected a wreck but it was in fairly good order. Sort of good belly landing. For another 6d. I bought the official photograph which was most of the week's pocket money gone. Certainly there wasn't enough for the third method, the National Saving stamps. Two members have done a marvellous job of analysing the photo and the plane.Rather them than me. with the reservation that I doubt If it was taken in Sheffield. I suspect it to be the official photograph on sale at every site as the surroundings don't look right. The canopy l don't remember but I could be wrong. I think the plane itself is right. Pity l didn't make notes at the time but l didn't expect to tell the tale seventy odd years on. . One thing that sticks in my mind was an information board with the plane details. For weeks l regaled everybody with the story of seeing a Heinkel He 111 M K V A. Years after it dawned and it became a Mark 5A. The good dr_gn says type H1. I take his word. It was one of the usual wartime morale boosters, more so in this case because we had not so long before heard but not seen what was bombing us. I went out of curiosity. No thought of animosity to it or the crew who from the state it was in should have survived. It was just one more that wouldn't bother us again. I have since wondered why that site was chosen. It was big enough, easy access, flat and free but definitely off the beaten track, unlike Barkers Pool. Anyway, been there, seen it, done it so cycle back to Hunters Bar in time for tea and hope we wouldn't hear the sirens that night.

The station remained reasonably intact, post closure for many years, and if I remember rightly, was temporarily reopened late in 1976, in order to facilitate the electrification of the points and signalling systems at Sheffield Midland Station, following which, it closed once again. However, shortly after the electrification scheme was completed, Sheffield Midland Station was flooded out, when the River Porter breached its banks, and the new points and signals were rendered useless. So, Victoria Station reopened again, as a temporary solution, and remained in use until such time that the wiring had been dried out. That was early January 1977. The attached photograph, taken by me on a snowy day on 06/01/1977, shows a Sheffield Victoria bound D.M.U. at Woodhouse Station. I caught this train, which was on the Lincoln to Sheffield service in order to arrive at Sheffield Victoria.