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What was this please?/ Police Boxes


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Guest Alanpban

I remember that one, I used to lived on Southey Green Road, Near cookson and then on Meynell Road. infact that lady sat on the wall, 3rd from left looks a bit like me mum. I would say the pic is from around 1981-1983. the box was gone by then. If you look at the curb far left, it looks like you can see the old floor/mount which was left there long after the box went.

Yeah, the floor mount was there for years after it was removed, i can remember tripping over it a good few times...I can also recall the copper that used it in his long blue over coat and thick white gauntlet gloves...he used to direct traffic down there from time to time...do you remember the big clock that used to hang outside one of the shops behind...can't quite recall which shop though...Al

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Yeah, the floor mount was there for years after it was removed, i can remember tripping over it a good few times...I can also recall the copper that used it in his long blue over coat and thick white gauntlet gloves...he used to direct traffic down there from time to time...do you remember the big clock that used to hang outside one of the shops behind...can't quite recall which shop though...Al

Seem to remember a clock too, it may have been above the bank. My abiding memories of that photo would be sitting on the wall waiting for a bus and if you had to wait 5 minutes it seemed like forever. I remember the services 42, 49, 53 and 80 stopping there. Not lived that way since 91.

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There's an interesting article in today's midweek Retro, about Police Boxes.

The article says that from 1928 there were some 120 police Boxes in Sheffield. What about a definitive List of 120 :)

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There's an interesting article in today's midweek Retro, about Police Boxes.

The article says that from 1928 there were some 120 police Boxes in Sheffield. What about a definitive List of 120 :)

Today's Retro Photo's of Police Boxes include

The Wicker

Broad Street

Firth Park Roundabout

Attercliife Rd

Hatfield house Ln

Norton Lees Ln

As well as the Town Hall

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There's an interesting article in today's midweek Retro, about Police Boxes.

The article says that from 1928 there were some 120 police Boxes in Sheffield. What about a definitive List of 120 :)

Can I make a start with 3 on Rivelin Valley Road. 1 by the toilets by the bridge at Malin Bridge, another at the bottom of Hollins Lane, and a third by the Z bend at Rivelin Glen.

There was one by the White Buildings at Hillsborough Corner, another at the junction of Ben Lane/Collin Avenue, Wadsley, and one at the top junction of Beechwood Road and Hawthorn Road, Hillsborough.

Another was located on Middlewood Road near the top of Parkside Road.

That makes 7 in the general Hillsborough area by my reckoning.

I remember the one perched on the bank by Howard Road/Heavygate Road and the one at the Manchester Road/Lydgate Lane junction making 9 in total

They are of course marked on the 1950's OS maps as PCB's.

HD

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I seem to remember there was one near the gates to the NGH at the bottom of Herries Rd. Or is the mind going again? :unsure:

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I live round the corner from this 1955 view of Nether Edge. What was the hut on the left (top of Moncrieffe Rd at the junction with Montgomery Rd)?

 

 

Moncrieffe 1955.jpg

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I may be missing something but all I can see is a police box, they were all over Sheffield, I believe there is still one by the town hall.

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1 hour ago, boginspro said:

I may be missing something but all I can see is a police box, they were all over Sheffield, I believe there is still one by the town hall.

Good stuff. Couldn't see what else it could be really, but that's what I was after. I've never seen it in any other photos of the area before.

Cheers

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I'm pretty sure that it is a police box, and I believe that Sheffield had a number of these 'mini-police-stations' once upon a time, although nowadays, only one, that by the Town Hall is still retained in its original location.

I was once told that they were called Sillitoe Boxes,after Percy Sillitoe, one time Chief Constable of Sheffield, although as to whether he introduced them, I cannot say.

In 1926 Percy Sillitoe became Chief Constable of Sheffield. He was credited with authorising "reasonable force" to break the hold of criminal gangs.

Below, is a closer photograph of another one, long-gone, seen standing here, on West Street, between the junctions of Holly Street and Leopold Street, Sheffield, on 24/10/1953.

PT332-Sheffield Transport No.500 at West Street, between junctions of Holly Street & Leopold Street, Sheffield-24-10-1953-EDITED.jpg

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There used to one of these police boxes built into the wall of the playground of Hunters Bar school, on Junction Road. It was there in the 60's as we used to climb on the roof from the playground, until we got caught! The box was removed and the wall rebuilt, you can still see the different stonework where it was.

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16 hours ago, Lemmy117 said:

There used to one of these police boxes built into the wall of the playground of Hunters Bar school, on Junction Road. It was there in the 60's as we used to climb on the roof from the playground, until we got caught! The box was removed and the wall rebuilt, you can still see the different stonework where it was.

 

Picture Sheffield image of the Junction Road box

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5 hours ago, Unitedite Returns said:

I was once told that they were called Sillitoe Boxes,after Percy Sillitoe, one time Chief Constable of Sheffield, although as to whether he introduced them, I cannot say.

In 1926 Percy Sillitoe became Chief Constable of Sheffield. He was credited with authorising "reasonable force" to break the hold of criminal gangs.

Correct, he also introduced forensics, radios and Sllitoe Tartan - the blue/white chequered pattern on police uniform. His autobiography 'Cloak Without Dager' is well worth reading, he had a fascinating life.

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Hucklow Road/Firth Park Road http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s11072&pos=42&action=zoom&id=14093 

http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?action=zoomWindow&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s15827&prevUrl= 

don't know what the other boxes were for. 

and there used to be one on Firth Park Road opposite  Hamilton Rd/Addison Rd . 

 

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The police telephone boxes were first introduced in Newcastle.  Sillitoe recommended their adoption for Sheffield in 1927 and the Watch Committee agreed on 5th September.  Doncaster had 15 already in use during 1926, but Sheffield agreed to install about 100.They allowed a centralisation of the police force, which included closure of 6 owned stations (Neepsend, Wincobank, Millhouses, Woodseats, Woodhouse, Hillsborough) and 9 rented stations (Tinsley, Darnall, Stanhope Road, Beaver Hill, Handsworth Road, Coisley Road, Wolverley Road, Revill Lane, Queen Mary Road).  Three ambulance / utility vehicles were to be purchased (£750 each) to collect "customers".

In October 1927 the first 2 boxes (two distinct types, for evaluation purposes) were installed on the road to Whirlow,  The local box was designed by Mr F.T.Walker, using oak and Ketton stone (see the recent T W Ward thread), while the national specification was designed by the Standard Telephone Company. The plan had now been increased to 150 boxes. Application to Parliament for powers to install the boxes was made during 1928. During February 1928 they were being installed at the rate of nearly one a day

5a49fde71fe8d_HillsboroughPoliceBox.png.0553962e8a81e941621850db4885c8e1.png

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I have merged the old Police Boxes topic with Calvin72's topic of yesterday to keep things tidy and remove unnecessary duplication.

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16 hours ago, madannie77 said:

I shall add one not on that map, at the top of Prince of Wales Road.

I have another to add that is not on the map as far as I can see. This was at the top of Olivers Drive, at the junction with Main Road/Handsworth Road, corner nearest the bridge.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo to back this up but someone on here may have one?

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I remember the one at the end of Rustlings Road I passed on my way to school.

Later in life I helped at children's cycling proficiency courses. The main instructor was an retired police officer who told me that in his day beat policemen would start their shift at a police box they had been told to go to. Once in the box they logged on at the box by ringing the police station to get their instructions. Then they were off patrolling their beat. At the end of their shift they had to log off at a police box and get their instructions as to which box to go to for their next shift.

Working this way the police force would get the maximum time on the beat from their officers. Today you never even see a policeman on the beat and only very occasionally see one passing down a main road in a police car.

The family of a friend had a bakers shop and had to work Friday night to bake Saturday's bread. One cold night a beat policeman came into the bakery to get a warm standing in front of he ovens when the policeman's radio came to life. He told his sergeant he was about half a mile away from where he actually was "Checking property". The sergeant said I will meet you. My friend said you could hear the policeman's boots in the still of the night running up Crookes!

 

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