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Norfolk Park Estate Early 70s,


s6lad

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

Dho... arn't I a duck-egg!!!

And It's just down from where i live :(

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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.

After a bit of searching I have found a photo I took of the Kenninghall flats to satisfy those posts that mistakenly think my earlier picture was of these blocks. This picture is dated December 1969, so it predates the strand title (early 70's) by a month. It is also one of my earliest attempts at a panorama by joining 2 overlapping pictures together. The juin is not perfect and there is an annoying change in brightness from one half to the other. Remember there was no digital imaging in 1969, I had to do it all by darkroom work. Interestingly when I rescanned the negatives and asked modern software to make me a better panorama it couldn't do it, - just told me the 2 pictures had no features in common, - even though there was about a 15% overlap.

The picture is taken from the bottom of Eastern Drive (note the old street lamp on the left) where it meets Kenninghall Mount. The tower block on the right is the Kenninghall Mount block from right to left you can just about make out the edge of Park Grange Road. In the distance we can see part of the city, including the 3 tower blocks on Cliffe Street just off London Road. the older housing further to the left are way down the Black Bank on the other side of East Bank Road on the Heeley / Lowfields area. The road which is very prominent running away from camera in this area is either Myrtle Road or Waldon Road, most likely Myrtle Road as I think you can just make out the SUFC training ground on the left. Finally around the street lamp it looks high, bleak and desolate at the top of Black Bank, indeed a very windy area.

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DaveH,

You're right ,

that is Myrtle Road and on the far left at the top of Spur Lane(d) (just this side of the Sports Ground) is Ash Farm(a).

On the brow of the hill where Myrtle goes out of sight stands the Ball Inn PH(B),

Heeley Bank School© can just be seen.

My house is also on the view,

but I ain't marking it as I don't want you buggers on here coming over and robbing me! lol

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DaveH,

You're right ,

that is Myrtle Road and on the far left at the top of Spur Lane(d) (just this side of the Sports Ground) is Ash Farm(a).

On the brow of the hill where Myrtle goes out of sight stands the Ball Inn PH(B),

Heeley Bank School© can just be seen.

My house is also on the view,

but I ain't marking it as I don't want you buggers on here coming over and robbing me! lol

How about walking up there then and doing one of your panoramas from the same spot now? Then you can put the 2 together like you did with the bottom of Norfolk Park views the other week.

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How about walking up there then and doing one of your panoramas from the same spot now? Then you can put the 2 together like you did with the bottom of Norfolk Park views the other week.

I have not long ago come back from that area,

may nip up there later on or in the morning.

The bottom of Norfolk Park view is one photo (not a panno), no stitching involved on my shot

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What a fantastic effort from everyone concerned. The balloon shot did it for me, not sure what anyone else thinks but I think that the concept of the estate was fantastic. All that green space with modern flats and masonettes. We left there is 1972 and moved to a two up two down terrace in Commonside, Walkley with a shower cubicle in the corner of one bedroom and an outside loo. No central heating just electric 3 bar fires.

What a bleedin shock as a kid moving from the warm aired heating system to lying in bed with frost on the inside of the bedroom windows blowing smoke rings with the condensation. Peeing into a potty lol Funnily enough I have great memories of living there too.

Many thanks to everyone who took the time and effort to post

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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

Blocks 13 to 19 are missing from this brilliant arial photograph. Of these blocks 16 to 19 are not really on the Norfolk Park Estate at all, although they were exactly the same design.

That just leaves us with blocks 13 to 15, the so called "Saint Aidens blocks" without a picture, a group of 3 on the top of St. Aidens mount sat overlooking (in one direction at least) City Road Cemetry.

OK, so its a nice summers day in 1970, the sun is out and people are enjoying themselves in Norfolk Park. Taken from a position just down from the old pavillion cafe towards the playground area (now the centre in the park) what do we see dominating the skyline but those 3 St. Aidens blocks.

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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.

What a fantastic ariel shot of the area, i have never seen this before, brought back so many memories late 60s/70s, fantastic place to live. Seeing the old Midhill Club (before it was the Earl Marshall), and the light blue vehicles parked up belonging to the Water Depot at the bottom of Walden Road, not to mention the recently demolished garages at the site where Jepsons now is on East Bank Rd.

I cannot believe how things have changed since i was last up there and the old Midhill (Earl Marshall) being the only pub left going.

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What a fantastic ariel shot of the area, i have never seen this before, brought back so many memories late 60s/70s, fantastic place to live. Seeing the old Midhill Club (before it was the Earl Marshall), and the light blue vehicles parked up belonging to the Water Depot at the bottom of Walden Road, not to mention the recently demolished garages at the site where Jepsons now is on East Bank Rd.

I cannot believe how things have changed since i was last up there and the old Midhill (Earl Marshall) being the only pub left going.

Which is Jepsons on East bank Road?

Is it the large building at the bottomright which used to be S.R. Gents "nicker factory"?

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Which is Jepsons on East bank Road?

Is it the large building at the bottomright which used to be S.R. Gents "nicker factory"?

Jepsons, car Number Plate manufacturers is the next building down from 'SR Gents'

old building, that was once a "nicker factory" (we will have to mark Gents on the view) lol

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Guest transit

Which is Jepsons on East bank Road?

Is it the large building at the bottomright which used to be S.R. Gents "nicker factory"?

...Jepsons is a newish building (around 25? years) and is located on the sandy area to the left of SR Gents in the ariel photo. They specialise in making /supplying registration plates and other signage using perspex. ;-)

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OK, thanks for that SteveHB and transit, I've found it on the photo and I'm with it now.

From memory i remember some large old garages/workshop type places which were demolished to make way for Jepsons. I am not sue if these origionally belonged to the City Surveyers Sports ground, as you could get access to them from the ground.

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Across East Bank Road from Jepsons were some old wrought iron fencing (which was never commandeered during the war and melted down), and some old stone gate posts, through which a later path to the Park Spring area of the estate was built.

This in turn met up with the avenue of trees, which the undergrowth was well overgrown by then (which no doubt can still be seen today), and looking at older maps of the area was the origional and grand approach to Queens Tower with the Gatehouse building fronting East Bank Rd (and still there, when i last visited)

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Across East Bank Road from Jepsons were some old wrought iron fencing (which was never commandeered during the war and melted down), and some old stone gate posts, through which a later path to the Park Spring area of the estate was built.

This in turn met up with the avenue of trees, which the undergrowth was well overgrown by then (which no doubt can still be seen today), and looking at older maps of the area was the origional and grand approach to Queens Tower with the Gatehouse building fronting East Bank Rd (and still there, when i last visited)

Still is, boston

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Still is, boston

Hi Thanks for these SteveHB, I am glad to see al lot of the older history of the area is still intact. I remember a really old lady living in the Gatehouse, and we always knew the field opposite Jepsons/SR Gents below Park Spring ( as the Horses Field (which probably explains the wrought iron fencing remaining).

My Dad who has lived on the Arbourthorne since it was built in the 30s , remembers the walk up lower East Bank rd from town, to East Rd (SR Gents) as being really eerie, past the woods and grounds of the large houses which owned much of this part of the Norfolk Park area.

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The Claywood Drive blocks being built by 'Gleeson Construction'

Great picture Steve.

I think between the two of us we have now provided a picture of every single one of these blocks except the one in town which is still standing so it is still possible to go and photograph it today.

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Great picture Steve.

I think between the two of us we have now provided a picture of every single one of these blocks except the one in town which is still standing so it is still possible to go and photograph it today.

I have added a view that shows the Exeter Drive (Hanover)

Block to the Norfolk Park 80's-90's Topic

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Guest carlie167

Great picture Steve.

I think between the two of us we have now provided a picture of every single one of these blocks except the one in town which is still standing so it is still possible to go and photograph it today.

Thank you Steve and Dave. I have been waiting a long time to see good pics of Norfolk park tower blocks and now there are plenty to go at.

Also thanks for the amount of history everyone has provided, I have had a lot of enjoyment reading about the estate and just wish I had taken more notice when I was living there, but isnt that always the way! :(

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I have added a view that shows the Exeter Drive (Hanover)

Block to the Norfolk Park 80's-90's Topic

So thats every single block of this type in Sheffield covered. I don't know why the Hanover block is where it is or what its current purpose is. Presumably it is residential like all the others but it is a bit misplaced, and 19 blocks seems a bit of a strange number to build, not a nice round number like 20! I assume, for those people who lived in these blocks and have a nostalgic feel for them like Carlie167 and S6lad it should be possible to visit this last remaining block and have a look around inside, - certainly on those cold dark dingy landings.

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Guest plain talker

Yes, dave, you are correct, that this block is indeed still residential, and the last of its type within Sheffield boundaries.

there is a brilliant site about high-rises in Sheffield by a chap called Muddycoffee, covering blocks from Jordanthorpe and Greenhill, past Herdings, and down into Gleadless Valley and Norfolk Park/ Claywood, and then out Via Netherthorpe and Upperthorpe, to Middlewood and High Green.

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Yes, dave, you are correct, that this block is indeed still residential, and the last of its type within Sheffield boundaries.

there is a brilliant site about high-rises in Sheffield by a chap called Muddycoffee, covering blocks from Jordanthorpe and Greenhill, past Herdings, and down into Gleadless Valley and Norfolk Park/ Claywood, and then out Via Netherthorpe and Upperthorpe, to Middlewood and High Green.

Sound very interesting plain talker, just the sort of stuff we have been discussing here.

Have we got a link or a name for this site?

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Just found out another photo.

This one is dated 1979, it is taken from the same location as my first picture in an earlier post but is much sharper and clearer, unfortunately it also has a few "marks" on it. At least the detail in the flats and further beyond is better.

Sometimes I amaze myself and I am totally surprised by what I can turn up with. Having produced the above photo, and others like it from the 1973 - 79 period using my black and white negative collection I now find I have some colour slides as well, so here is the same picture (almost) but in colour.

Amazingly the colour slide predates the black and white pictures by at least 3 years, being dated April 1970. It must have come from the very first roll of Ektachrome I ever used, and I didn't use a lot as for a schoolboy interested in photography it was expensive to buy and at that time also expensive and tricky to the point of nearly impossible to develop it yourself at home, which of course was half the fun.

The picture shows that originally the blocks were not colour coded, just the same concrete grey appearance.

Still not found a colour picture of the Carlton yet, but hey, - who knows?

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