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Norfolk Park Estate Early 70s,


s6lad

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Guest plain talker

Incidentally, does anyone have some gravy, to go with my portion of Humble-pie, please?

My normally razor-sharp memory let me down, WRT the colours of the blocks, and I have to hold my hands up and apologise, the blocks on NP and Claywood weren't colour coded. they were a grey-ish colour,

I have remembered the Claywood flats being painted, in the late seventies/ very early eighties. (A friend lived on the yellow block of Claywood in 1981)

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Would love to see pictures or read memories of the council estate. I lived there as a kid from 1967 to 72 amd really loved all the green space and lots of other kids my age. I lived on Samual Drive just above the Horse and Lion pub. I have looked on the pictures sheffield archive as i thought that there would be plenty of planners pics etc but no luck.

OK, we've made a start on the pictures so what about some memories of the place. Although I have many happy memories of friends who lived on these blocks I can also remember.

1) At least 2 suicides / accidental deaths by jumping or falling from balconies on the higher floors.

2) A murder on one of the the St. Aidens blocks in January 1973

3) A burglar known as "spiderman" whose crimes included burglaries on the higher floors of the building which he did by climbing the outside of the block and entering the flats from the open balconies.

4) Several fires on some of the blocks, possibly accidental or maybe arson inspired by watching the film "the towering inferno". These fire must have been very worrying for neighbours, especially those directly above, and must have been a nightmare for the fire brigade to deal with.

5) Being at a friends flat on the top floor in high winds and feeling the whole block physically move and sway in the gusts.

Have any members got other memories like this or can anyone elaborate on any of these.

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Guest plain talker

OK, we've made a start on the pictures so what about some memories of the place. Although I have many happy memories of friends who lived on these blocks I can also remember.

1) At least 2 suicides / accidental deaths by jumping or falling from balconies on the higher floors.

2) A murder on one of the the St. Aidens blocks in January 1973

3) A burglar known as "spiderman" whose crimes included burglaries on the higher floors of the building which he did by climbing the outside of the block and entering the flats from the open balconies.

4) Several fires on some of the blocks, possibly accidental or maybe arson inspired by watching the film "the towering inferno". These fire must have been very worrying for neighbours, especially those directly above, and must have been a nightmare for the fire brigade to deal with.

5) Being at a friends flat on the top floor in high winds and feeling the whole block physically move and sway in the gusts.

Have any members got other memories like this or can anyone elaborate on any of these.

A bit of a horror story, from me I'm afraid...

My Aunt and Uncle, and my cousins lived on the 10th floor of the Mandrake Block. One particular day, whilst they were playing, of my cousins' friends decided to peer through an open lift door on one of the upper floors, (the door had broken, the lift shaft was open,and the lift wasn't there). The lift was higher up in the shaft. Someone on a lower floor called the lift. The lift came past, struck him, and killed him.

This event would have been mid/ late seventies, as the lad killed was the same age as me and my cousins, and we were all still at school.

I also heard rumours about the lad my sister "courted" when she was still at school. (she went to a special school) The rumours were that, as a young baby, this boy was thrown off an upper balcony of the NP flats, by his parents, he survived, miraculously, but the resultant head injury left him with brain damage, and learning difficulties.

WRT the "Spiderman" burglar, I remember those burglaries being reported in the local paper. How the perpetrator didn't kill themselves, by plunging off the side of the building, I'll never know. (but, then again, I am the type of "wuss" who gets vertigo, when she wears platform shoes...!!!)

When I lived on the Beldon block, I think my next door neighbours must have been related to this "Spiderman" fella... they were proper ruffians, and druggies, and boasted to me about how they'd burgled my flat, when the previous occupant had been living there, and how they'd climbed over the balcony to get access. Dreadful, dreadful people.

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When I lived on the Beldon block, I think my next door neighbours must have been related to this "Spiderman" fella... they were proper ruffians, and druggies, and boasted to me about how they'd burgled my flat, when the previous occupant had been living there, and how they'd climbed over the balcony to get access. Dreadful, dreadful people.

Hmm.. "Druggies and ruffians". There were certain blocks / floors / landings / flats that it was best to avoid as they were places where drug dealers, pimps, prostitutes, gangs of youths, unsociable families of local notority and other social undesirables hung out. This seemed to get worse as time went by and the estate sadly became more run down. I think that people like that, "druggies and ruffians", were in part responsible for the demise of these otherwise good, modern council flat homes.

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Talking of dangerous landings and the risk of falling from high places here are a couple more of my old (1979) pictures taken in one of the blocks. they both show a view from the top floor down the centre of the spiral staircase. Very scarey places to be at times. I haven't got a shot down the lift shaft though, although it would look even scarier and more impressive it is not easily accesible or practical to take without great risk to your life as plain talker has pointed out

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The 3 blocks facing City Road were St Aidan`s Drive, St Aidan`s Close and St Aidan`s Mount. The 2 blocks adjacent the park entrance were Guildford Close and Guildford Drive.

Thanks everybody for the memories posted on here, I lived and worked on the estate from 1974 till 1983. I do have a few photographs taken from the flats but I need to work out how to upload them. he he

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Hi there

I'm a new member and those flats shown are not the kenninghall mount blocks. These flats are the ones where the new Norfolk School is now built but i never knew the names of these ones.I lived in the Kenninghall mount block, the one right on top of the hill that overlooked the long field down towards the Earl Marshall pub and yes i can remember the gale force winds.It was a nightmare getting home if you were out.

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Guest plain talker

Hi there

I'm a new member and those flats shown are not the kenninghall mount blocks. These flats are the ones where the new Norfolk School is now built but i never knew the names of these ones.I lived in the Kenninghall mount block, the one right on top of the hill that overlooked the long field down towards the Earl Marshall pub and yes i can remember the gale force winds.It was a nightmare getting home if you were out.

Hi, Nat.

Welcome to the Sheffield history forum!

this pic

http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/i...ost&id=3756

is definitely a picture of the blocks that were on Kenninghall Mount, and not the ones on Guildford.

The clues are:-

a ) the blocks on Guildford would have had Arbourthorne playing fields' hill and the two blocks of flats that were adjacent to Northern Avenue visible, and

b ) Guildford didn't have the bridge over Park Grange Road, which you can quite clearly see in the lower left hand side of the pic. There were two such bridges over Park Grange Road. One went between the shops and Tower Drive, the other a few hundred yards up the hill, went between the Mandrake block and Kenninghall Mount. (the one in that pic)

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Lots of points of interest on this aerial view

this was taken from my hot air balloon in the mid sixties ..... hahahaha

Would someone kindly put names to the tower blocks numbers please.

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Lots of points of interest on this aerial view

that was taken from my hot air balloon in the mid sixties ..... hahahaha

Would someone kindly put names to the tower blocks numbers please.

OK Steve, I've been working on this one for a week or two now. Surprising how these blocks have only been gone a few years and already the details are becoming confused and vague. After a fair bit of searching and asking people I know who lived in the flats heres a first attempt. I can't guarantee its 100% accurate, especially when 2 blocks with different names share the same street address so corrections would be welcomed. As this is a data table I would also like to add a column for the colour of each block which it was painted in its later years.

Using SteveHB's photos and numbering system,

1 Guildford View (Guildford)

2 Guildford View (Shrewsbury)

3 Guildford Drive (Beechview)

4 Guildford Close (Bankside)

5 Beldon Close (Mickley)

6 Kenninghall Place (Cliffe)

7 Kenninghall Mount (Talbot)

8 Park Grange View (Jervis)

9 Beeches Drive (Mandrake)

10 Park Grange Mount (East Bank)

11 Park Grange Mount (Spring)

12 Tower Drive (Grange)

Missing from the photo somewhere off top left are the 3 blocks on St. Aidens,

13 St. Aidens Drive (Howard)

14 St. Aidens Close (Fitzalan)

15 St. Aidens Mount (Granville)

These are the 15 blocks on Norfolk Park, off the estate towards town were 3 other blocks on Claywood

16 Claywood Drive (Claywood)

17 Claywood Drive (Fitzwalter)

18 Claywood Drive (Norfolk)

An down in the City itself there is one block built to this same design still standing

19 Exeter Drive (Hanover)

Hope this information is useful. I will update / correct it if more details become available

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Hi there

I'm a new member and those flats shown are not the kenninghall mount blocks. These flats are the ones where the new Norfolk School is now built but i never knew the names of these ones.I lived in the Kenninghall mount block, the one right on top of the hill that overlooked the long field down towards the Earl Marshall pub and yes i can remember the gale force winds.It was a nightmare getting home if you were out.

Hi Nat07,

You are correct, the 2 blocks closest in my picture are the blocks on guildfords drive and close called Bankside and Beechview. The picture was taken from the top floor of the other guildford blocks on guildford view at the bottom of Northern Avenue. As you say this is now the site of the new Norfolk School just outside Norfolk Park. To make it a bit clearer about the bridge, (this is much further away, nearer the Kenninghall and Beldon Road blocks) I have found 2 extra, rather scratchy photos from the same viewpoint. The first shows a view downwards, showing Park Grange Road, Guildford Walk and its Vic-Hallam houses and just the base of these 2 blocks of flats. The second picture shows the view slightly to the right of the first and includes not the bridge but the underpass ubder Park Grange Road and the footpath down to the Park Entrance at the lodge and cottages.

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Hope this information is useful. I will update / correct it if more details become available

Thanks for Your help Dave,

we shall wait and see what the other members can add.

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8 Park Grange View (Jervis)

9 Beeches Drive (Mandrake)

I think these two blocks are swapped over.

Mandrake was the one by the bridge to Kenninghall Mount, immediately below the "horse and flying bottle" (horse and lion) which was Park Grange View, (my aunt lived on the 10th floor of this one, from the sixties).

Jervis was the dark blue block which stood by Bluestone School/the shops, on Beeches.

OK plain talker, thanks for spotting the mistake. That makes more sense about what you and others have said in this thread about Mandrake, and it also makes more sense that Jervis, on Beeches Drive near the shops is also closer to the Jervis Lum pub. So ignoring the colours for the time being here is my first update

1 Guildford View (Guildford)

2 Guildford View (Shrewsbury)

3 Guildford Drive (Beechview)

4 Guildford Close (Bankside)

5 Beldon Close (Mickley)

6 Kenninghall Place (Cliffe)

7 Kenninghall Mount (Talbot)

8 Park Grange View (Mandrake)

9 Beeches Drive (Jervis)

10 Park Grange Mount (East Bank)

11 Park Grange Mount (Spring)

12 Tower Drive (Grange)

13 St. Aidens Drive (Howard)

14 St. Aidens Close (Fitzalan)

15 St. Aidens Mount (Granville)

16 Claywood Drive (Claywood)

17 Claywood Drive (Fitzwalter)

18 Claywood Drive (Norfolk)

19 Exeter Drive (Hanover)

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A full resolution image of my previous one.

And another duel image with some places of interest marked on it.

Can any of our members add more to the list?

A / Travelers Rest, PH

B / Norfolk School

C / Carlton Cinema

D / Arbourthorne Hotel, PH

E / Arbourthorne Pond

F / Fellbrigg PH

G / Norfolk Park, Pavilion/Cafe

H / Foot-bridge over Jervis Lum

I / Horse & Lion, PH

J / Jervis Lum, wood

K / Bluestone School

L / Black Bank (area)

M / Jervis Lum, PH

N / Park Gange Dv Shopping Area,

also on site a Community centre / Social club

O / Midhill WMC

P / SR Gent's

--------------------------------------

Yet to be added to the alphabetical list & view are ...

Vulcan PH

Olive Grove PH

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Guest plain talker

A full resolution image of my previous one.

And another duel image with some places of interest marked on it.

Can any of our members add more to the list?

A / Travelers Rest, PH

B / Norfolk School

C / Carlton Cinema

D / Arbourthorne Hotel, PH

E / Arbourthorne Pond

F / PH ? *

G / Norfolk Park, Pavilion/Cafe

H / Foot-bridge over Jervis Lum

I / Horse & Lion, PH

J / Jervis Lum, wood

K / Bluestone School

L / Black Bank (area)

M / Jervis Lum, PH

N / Shopping Area

O / Midhill WMC

P / SR Gent's

*I can't remember that pubs name ?

The fellbrigg, now the Beacon church building?

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Guest transit

A full resolution image of my previous one.

And another duel image with some places of interest marked on it.

Can any of our members add more to the list?

A / Travelers Rest, PH

B / Norfolk School

C / Carlton Cinema

D / Arbourthorne Hotel, PH

E / Arbourthorne Pond

F / PH ? *

G / Norfolk Park, Pavilion/Cafe

H / Foot-bridge over Jervis Lum

I / Horse & Lion, PH

J / Jervis Lum, wood

K / Bluestone School

L / Black Bank (area)

M / Jervis Lum, PH

N / Shopping Area

O / Midhill WMC

P / SR Gent's

*I can't remember that pubs name ?

In between M & N was the Norfolk Park Tennants Association . A sort of "working mens club" inbetween the shops and pub. Had turns on (with bingo!) on Wed & Sat , and great youth club Tues and Fri ,run by Gordon mid 70's !

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Guest transit

In between M & N was the Norfolk Park Tennants Association . A sort of "working mens club" inbetween the shops and pub. Had turns on (with bingo!) on Wed & Sat , and great youth club Tues and Fri ,run by Gordon mid 70's !

...just to elaborate .. it was a community centre / social club , and you had to be a member , and sign in like a WMC. Cant believe this place has'nt already been mentioned as it seemed to be the heart of the whole estate!

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The fellbrigg, now the Beacon church building?

Both spot on,

A Travellers Rest, now boarded up for demolition

B Norfolk School, now demolished except for "referal unit", see schools thread

C Carlton Cinema, actually Omega Lampworks in this picture, demolished 1999

D Arbourthorne Hotel, public house with uncertain future, frequently closed.

E Arbourthorne Pond

F The Fellbrigg, now the Beacon church of St Leonards & St. Pauls

G Norfolk Park Pavillion Cafe, now demolished and replaced with "The Centre in the Park"

H The metal bridge over the stream which runs through Norfolk Park (Jervis lum wood)

I The Horse and Lion, now boarded up awaiting demolition / redevelopment

J Jervis lum wood and stream valley through western side of Norfolk Park

K Bluestone Junior school, now demolished and replaced with the new Norfolk school on the site of the 2 blocks above it in the picture.

L Black Bank wood

M Jervis Lum P.H. now demolished

N Norfolk Park shopping centre, still there but largely boarded up

O Midhill Working Mens club, now the Earl Marshall, the only public house in the photo which is still open!

P S.R. Gents, a factory making ladies underwear. Also closed and no longer in business.

As stated in previous posts all those tower blocks, and several other sections of housing shown in this picture have all been demolished.

To avoid repitition,

C Carlton Cinema - see thread in Sheffield Cinemas and theatres.

E, H, H, J, M - see thread on the Jervis Lum

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Ooops!

Missed one out Steve!

At the top of your picture you can see The Vulcan P.H. on Northern Avenue.

Guess what? That's closed down and boarded up too.

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Ooops!

Missed one out Steve!

At the top of your picture you can see The Vulcan P.H. on Northern Avenue.

Thanks Dave,

but I'm a little confused as to the exact position

after all it must be over thirty years since I was last in there

Also thanks to ...

plain talker and transit,

I have now updated the list in post #39

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Thanks Dave,

but I'm a little confused as to the exact position

after all it must be over thirty years since I was last in there

Also thanks to ...

plain talker and transit,

I have now updated the list in post #39

Thats it you have ringed and questioned.

It is on Northern avenue opposite the end of Craddock Road which goes down to City Road past the old Norfolk School. as tou walk down Northern avenue towards Norfolk Park estate it is the last building on the right hand side before Arbourthorne fields start.

further down on the field you can also see the old changing rooms (used for Sunday matches) and the old driveway to them

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1 Guildford View (Guildford)

2 Guildford View (Shrewsbury)

3 Guildford Drive (Beechview)

4 Guildford Close (Bankside)

5 Beldon Close (Mickley)

6 Kenninghall Place (Cliffe)

7 Kenninghall Mount (Talbot)

8 Park Grange View (Mandrake)

9 Beeches Drive (Jervis)

10 Park Grange Mount (East Bank)

11 Park Grange Mount (Spring)

12 Tower Drive (Grange)

13 St. Aidens Drive (Howard)

14 St. Aidens Close (Fitzalan)

15 St. Aidens Mount (Granville)

16 Claywood Drive (Claywood)

17 Claywood Drive (Fitzwalter)

18 Claywood Drive (Norfolk)

19 Exeter Drive (Hanover)

This is the latest tower block list, but using SteveHB's picture this probably makes it clearer. You will need to zoom to full size to read it (Block names only) but I hope eventually to recolour those text boxes with a colour to match that used on the actual block.

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Talking of dangerous landings and the risk of falling from high places here are a couple more of my old (1979) pictures taken in one of the blocks. they both show a view from the top floor down the centre of the spiral staircase. Very scarey places to be at times. I haven't got a shot down the lift shaft though, although it would look even scarier and more impressive it is not easily accesible or practical to take without great risk to your life as plain talker has pointed out

Managed to find another negative and scan it. Having given 2 views from the top down (down the stair well) here is a view from the bottom up, 15 floors of vertical housing. Still pretty scary if you suffer from vertigo. Those balconies just show how easy it would have been for someone like "spiderman" to carry out his criminal activities, providing of course you have nerves of steel and no fear of heights.

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Guest transit

Ooops!

Missed one out Steve!

At the top of your picture you can see The Vulcan P.H. on Northern Avenue.

Guess what? That's closed down and boarded up too.

....what about the "Olive Grove" pub to the right of S.R. Gents (P) ? ;-)

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