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VIDEO : Sheffield City Centre in 1960


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Sheffield in 1960.jpg

Terrific video of Sheffield City Centre in 1960 with some really great shots of our city from the past

Have a watch. This is brilliant stuff

 

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Superb video. That brought back some memories. Hadn't realised that scaffolding had been up so long on Fargate - certainly seems that way :-) Thanks for posting.

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4 hours ago, Peter Walker said:

Superb video. That brought back some memories. Hadn't realised that scaffolding had been up so long on Fargate - certainly seems that way :-) Thanks for posting.

Totally agree, quite superb. What really strikes a cord, is just how busy, vibrant, and bustling the city centre was back then. A veritable ghost town by comparison today.

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Certainly there were more pedestrians in evidence ( Meadowhall creamed  away a lot of them). Pedestrianisation and the introduction of one way systems tended to make certain roads "highways" and the elimination of alternative routes( rat runs?) concentrated road traffic on these "highways"  Traffic wardens, parking meters ( none of which existed in 1960's Sheffield) all made driving in town more of a problem . I haven't driven there for almost 14 years...I use public transport and have a twirlies pass)^_^

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1 hour ago, lysander said:

Certainly there were more pedestrians in evidence ( Meadowhall creamed  away a lot of them). Pedestrianisation and the introduction of one way systems tended to make certain roads "highways" and the elimination of alternative routes( rat runs?) concentrated road traffic on these "highways"  Traffic wardens, parking meters ( none of which existed in 1960's Sheffield) all made driving in town more of a problem . I haven't driven there for almost 14 years...I use public transport and have a twirlies pass)^_^

You beat me to it. The answer to the question obviously depends as to whether you are talking pedestrian, or vehicular traffic. Certainly, more pedestrian traffic is in evidence in 1960, than today, and most probably for those reasons that you have stated. As for vehicular traffic, it could be stated that as there is less pedestrian traffic in evidence, i.e., less shoppers, then by default, there might be less vehicular traffic. However, that would not reflect the true reality of today's situation, where there is much greater segregation between pedestrian, or vehicular traffic. Two of the principle areas featured in this footage, Fargate and The Moor, are of course now closed to vehicular traffic, so, they would, by default, not be present along those former, busy highways today.

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The traffic and pedestrians would depend on the time of day. From the clocks featured it was around 12.30. So that being lunch time could indicate more shoppers and people hanging around town. Just like today.  

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I can only relate to my own family living , very happily, on a large Council estate in 1960's Sheffield.Shopping in those days was often less of a pleasure activity and more of a chore for many a housewife than it is today. It should be remembered ,in 1960,  few men did any shopping( except for themselves) and there were far ,far more full time housewives than there are nowadays and often , after a weeks washing, polishing, mending/making clothes, cleaning, ironing, cooking ( with almost no labour saving devices) and looking after children, Saturday was the day for a trip into Town...leaving husband to go to the  match or stay at home...perhaps to do some gardening or diy.

As there were far fewer private cars public transport was the means of getting around and buses were often full with standing room only and at fares everyone could afford. Sheffield, as unitedite returns suggests ,was a vibrant, bustling place, with full employment and the certainty ( misplaced as it turned out) that the world needed Sheffield with its skills and technology.

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