Pond Street In The 1970's... How Do You Remember It ?

[Sheffield History]

Photo of Pond Street in the 1970's

Is this how you remember it looking ?

[Sheffield History]

[Waterside Echo]

Pond Street in its heyday! Even the petrol station is there, complete with [out of view] its own classic car showroom. W/E.

[History dude]

I remember the display board that was just up the road going up Flatt Street. I just can't remember what it did now Was it a street map? I seem to recall it having lights?

I also remember the mass of passengers waiting to get on the 41 bus. They always took ages to load as there was no conductor.

[RichardB]

Time to bring back a Sheffield History classic : the Lightie-Uppie-Thingie

I remember the display board that was just up the road going up Flatt Street. I just can't remember what it did now Was it a street map? I seem to recall it having lights?

[RichardB]

51 to Herdings (or am I mistaken ? I am a well respected Transport expert you know !)

I also remember the mass of passengers waiting to get on the 41 bus. They always took ages to load as there was no conductor.

[Stuart0742]

51 to Herdings (or am I mistaken ? I am a well respected Transport expert you know !)

51, as far as I remember that did not go into Pond St

I remember the Queues for the 41, if I am not mistaken in those days you would get queues for most routes in Pond St

I also remember 1 day whilst queueing for the 41, to go home after work, there being a drunk laid out in the queue, around his neck was an expensive looking tape recorder. The drunk being Roger Moffat from Radio Hallam on his way to interview someone, obviously he had struggled to walk past a few of the pub on his way down to Pond St from Hartshead.

[DaveH]

51, as far as I remember that did not go into Pond St

Correct Stuart, 41 from Pond Street to Hackenthorpe.

51 cut across the City without going into the City, one terminus was Herdings, the other was Crookes.

Madannie will probably know the exact route and all the stops, sorry fare stages, on the way.

[DaveH]

I also remember 1 day whilst queueing for the 41, to go home after work, there being a drunk laid out in the queue, around his neck was an expensive looking tape recorder. The drunk being Roger Moffat from Radio Hallam on his way to interview someone, obviously he had struggled to walk past a few of the pub on his way down to Pond St from Hartshead.

The same Roger Moffat who was nearly lynched in 1977 by a load of Elvis fans for making inappropriate comments about Elvis soon after his death.

But I liked Roger Moffat for being honest and saying exactly what he thought of the records he played. Regularly on Radio Hallam he would play a new record, take it off half way through and say something like "Well that's a load of rubbish, I won't bother playing that again!"

[THYLACINE]

I remember Pond Street as a modern, well designed structure, very user friendly for it's day, catering for large volumes of people. The inside barriers and narrow footpaths prevented crowd crush experienced at many suburban bus stops.

The Hackenthorpe Flyer which must have been the only bus I ever caught at Pond Street left on that narrow bumpy exit beside the Queens Head. Did all the buses leave the same way?

And what was the building on the left as you approached that exit? Was it a Royal Mail depot or something to do with the history of the Post Office?

[Stuart0742]

No wonder there was always a queue for the 41, every body seems to have used it in those days

Myself, History Dude and now Thylacine. lol

[madannie77]

Correct Stuart, 41 from Pond Street to Hackenthorpe.

51 cut across the City without going into the City, one terminus was Herdings, the other was Crookes.

Madannie will probably know the exact route and all the stops, sorry fare stages, on the way.

The 51 was originally a City to Lodge Moor service: it was extended in the mid 1960s to Gleadless Townend and in the early 1970s to Herdings. It never ran to Pond Street Bus Station, running through the city via Eyre Street and Pinstone Street until various changes in later years due to one-way systems etc. It was the 52 which ran to Crookes (and still does).

I can't remember the Fare Stages anymore: they changed at some point in the later 1970s, anyway: in September 1970 the fare stages were as shown below.

Drifting off topic now: sorry.

[History dude]

No wonder there was always a queue for the 41, every body seems to have used it in those days

Myself, History Dude and now Thylacine.

If you were going to the Manor Top the 41 was quicker than the 71 which went by Norfolk Park, which stopped at the first platform. Even quicker were the X52's, but they were limited stop and the drivers didn't like anyone getting on even if you were getting off at Manor Top, which was the first allowed stop! I seem to recall some of the 41 drivers were a bit funny about people getting on who were not going past Intake sometimes.

[DaveH]

No wonder there was always a queue for the 41, every body seems to have used it in those days

Myself, History Dude and now Thylacine.

So do you 3 know each other?

having met on a number 41 bus!

Wonder if vox used it as well when he lived out Hackenthorpe way.

I used mainly 71, 51 and 64 services in to town and back.

Only used 41 when I went out to Stuarts.

Wonder if I was on when History Dude or Thylacine were on? <_<

[THYLACINE]

I was the scruffy looking kid with the vacant look, staring out of the window, thinking about motor bikes, football, the next trip to Skeggy and occasionally, the girl with the black hair who worked in the co-op.

[History dude]

Tended not to sit next to scruffy looking persons on the bus

At least you wern't the "nutter" that everyone hoped wouldn't sit next to them - as in the Jasper Carrot sketch ;-)

[madannie77]

Pond Street Bus Station meant lots of buses to me, so I liked it .

It also meant having to make a choice, as the four buses I could catch to get me somewhere near home all went from different platforms: one each from Platforms B, C, D & E. As I used the 51 more often, I could never remember the departure times from Pond Street, so sometimes would not get the first bus to Gleadless due to being on the wrong platform.

[DaveH]

Tended not to sit next to scruffy looking persons on the bus

At least you wern't the "nutter" that everyone hoped wouldn't sit next to them - as in the Jasper Carrot sketch

"Iv'e got an atomic bomb here", - it was his lunch box!

I used to go to town on the 71 a lot and there used to be a place for mentally disabled teenagers and young adults on Park Grange Road between the flats at the bottom of Northern Avenue / Spring Lane (Guildford blocks) and the Fellbrig pub (before that rent and housing place was built). There was also Norfolk Park School (not to be confused with Norfolk School) lower down Park Grange Road near the park and the Beldon Road area which was a school for similarly affected children.

The carers of these people regularly used to take them on on trips town and used the 71 bus so I regularly used to find myself in the situation Jasper Carrot describes in his classic, funny, but probably politically incorrect these days, sketch.

It makes sense though, the people with mental issues find it difficult to do simple tasks we would take for granted, tasks like getting dressed, going out, getting on a bus, going into town, doing some shopping, paying for goods with money etc. They also find it very difficult to relate to other people in an appropriate way and in the "homes" they only really get to meet their carers. By taking them out on these trips which many members of the public thought was threatening or unpleasant (Oh no!! The nutter has got on, - I hope he doesn't sit next to me) they were being trained on how to cope with ordinary everyday life.

These days we call it "Care in the community"

[THYLACINE]

Your post reminded me of a humorous story I read about which I think was true because it began like this:

When travelling to certain functions, Denis Thatcher quite often preferred to travel anonimously by train than to accompany his wife in the official car. He would hide himself behind his copy of the Times in the corner of a carriage. On one such occasion, a group of young adults of the type described in Dave's previous post boarded the train and noisily crowded into the same carriage. The carer called them to attention and attempted to do a head count . . .14 . . . .15 . . .16 . . .17 . . Denis peered up from behind his newspaper. 'Who are you?' asked the carer. I'm the Prime Minister's husband . . 18 . . .19 . .

[bypassblade58]

Pond Street I still refer to the new place as that, I remeber 2 tramps 1 male & 1 female, Pond Street Cyril, and Nutty Nora. It was not a nice place to be after dark but as only way to get home was getting a bus there had to use it.

Toilets were horrible & remember the cafe that was in Pond Street, the bus home for me was either the 27 or 41 better known by Hackenthorpe locals as twenty bev, and hacky flier.

Mind you only cost 9p to get home & 2p for kids god that seems an age ago, I can still remember guying in Pond Street mind in those days it was all the rage before bonfire night.

[DaveH]

Pond Street I still refer to the new place as that, I remeber 2 tramps 1 male & 1 female, Pond Street Cyril, and Nutty Nora. It was not a nice place to be after dark but as only way to get home was getting a bus there had to use it.

Toilets were horrible & remember the cafe that was in Pond Street, the bus home for me was either the 27 or 41 better known by Hackenthorpe locals as twenty bev, and hacky flier.

Mind you only cost 9p to get home & 2p for kids god that seems an age ago, I can still remember guying in Pond Street mind in those days it was all the rage before bonfire night.

Welcome again bypassblade58

Now the "Hacky Flier" is clearly the No 41 as it went from Pond Street to Hackenthorpe terminus just outside the Hogshead boozer (or "Ogseeaad" as we called it)

But the Twenty Bev?? :huh: Youv'e lost me there.

In fact I can't even remember where the number 27 went.

[madannie77]

in the 70s route 27 ran to Dyke Vale Road via Arbourthorne. From Manor Top it ran via Mansfield Road, Birley moor Road and Silkstone Road to get to Dyke Vale Road.

[DaveH]

in the 70s route 27 ran to Dyke Vale Road via Arbourthorne. From Manor Top it ran via Mansfield Road, Birley moor Road and Silkstone Road to get to Dyke Vale Road.

Thanks for the route madannie, - I knew you would know.

Bur why the "Twenty Bev"?

I am still not with it on that one.