Jump to content

Newton Chambers & Co Underground Hospital


Guest Lakin

Recommended Posts

In the early 1980s i used to play in what i thought was air raid shelters at thorncliffe. just of thorncliffe road. I now no it to have been an underground hospital. it was built into the hillside & made of reinforced concrete with bomb proof doors.

It was demolished not long after. I went for a walk around the site & found some of the ground as opened up & you can still get into parts of it still. I have taken some photos from inside & out. I must stress that if some one does go looking around there. Too be very careful as land is giving way under foot. I have been trying to find photos & info about it but have hit a brick wall. Can any one help in finding more out about it. & some of the photos are of a box with something in it but have not got a clue what it is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fascinating Lakin, I hope we do fined out more about this place.

How many places like this are around that we don't know about?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was underground bunkers in this area that i used to play in as well.

It now as houses built on them. When they were building this estate I

was told that one of the houses had fallen down into one of these

underground bunkers. I hope they found the rest of them & filled them in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the early 1980s i used to play in what i thought was air raid shelters at thorncliffe. just of thorncliffe road. I now no it to have been an underground hospital. it was built into the hillside & made of reinforced concrete with bomb proof doors.

It was demolished not long after. I went for a walk around the site & found some of the ground as opened up & you can still get into parts of it still. I have taken some photos from inside & out. I must stress that if some one does go looking around there. Too be very careful as land is giving way under foot. I have been trying to find photos & info about it but have hit a brick wall. Can any one help in finding more out about it. & some of the photos are of a box with something in it but have not got a clue what it is.

I used to go to Newton Chambers works to a Medical centre to service a mobile XRay machine. early 60's could this be the same place.

The box is a three phase switch unit.

jiginc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

jiginc I have been looking on some maps. i am finding it hard to work out what it says but i think it says CTC or CTS were the building was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi jiginc

Below is a link to the bing maps GPS of the location.

I hope it jogs your memory.

Across the road from it was were buses stopped to pickup & drop of workers

http://bing.com/maps/?where1=53.474492,-1.469262

That looks like the right area.

The entrance was through a large metal door and inside did not have any natural light as it was under ground.

CTS = Casualty treatment centre

For more information see here http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=11726&highlight=newton+chambers

Many large works had extensive medical facilities although not underground. I remember at least two steel works in Scunthorpe and one in Middlesborough with X-Ray facilities. I am sure the steel works in Sheffield were equipped the same. They could have been a legacy of pre NHS times.

jiginc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Before the new estate was built, a company was contracted to clear the site and deal with hazardous substances and unsafe structures, a process known as "remediation". I visited the site quite a few times in connection with my work and never heard of any mishaps during the building, so I would assume any underground structures were suitably filled in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My info come from a brick layer who had built it & had to rebuild it again after work had been done to sort the problem out. The under ground shelters had hinged floor lids on them & you climbed down steel laders. Did they find them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Newton Chambers was an important centre for weapons production during WW2. Apart from the manufacture of cranes used in building military facilities, they made Churchill tanks,(one of which was displayed on a plinth a few years ago and may still be there). They also fabricated mid-ship sections for small naval vessels...completing the equivalent of 100 ships, as well as parts for the "Mulberry" harbour and "Pluto" pipeline.

As an important part of the national Arsenal they may well have seen the need for an underground hospital...but, at the time, most large works sufficed with just an "ambulance room".

What appears to be copper "gubbins" seen on the photos,seem to be a part of some sort of electrical components...Could it be that "hospital" was a cover name for something more interesting?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Nimrod

This was Thorncliffe CTC [Casualty Treatment Centre] Built during the second world war. It was bomb proof. After the war it was used as a sort of works clinic. It was where Churchill Way is now. I have been in the place a few times during the '60s when I worked for Thorncliffe Engineering. It had treatment rooms and heat lamps etc for strains. Local doctors used to visit as well to see and treat employees. It was built in a hole and buried in earth and loads of concrete so as to escape bomb blasts. All you could see from the road was a short white painted façade and green painted steel doors. It was in use up to around 1970. An air raid shelter was dug to the right of this building and that has gone as well.

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...