Sheffield History Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Does anyone remember the weighing scales in Sheaf Market in Sheffield? Was it something to do with guessing your weight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auntiechaos Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I don't remember the one in the market, but I do remember when I was very young there being an old lady in Endcliffe park with a weighing chair - you paid something like 3d, sat in it and she told you your weight. Predated having scales at home. I imagine this was the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysander Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 I well remember the lady with the weigh scales in the old "rag and tag". If memory serves me correctly the cylinder with the pipe hanging down was some sort of illumination for use on dark winter days. It was nothing to do with guessing ones weight but rather finding out , fairly accurately, how much it actually was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyn 1 Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 If I recall it correctly she did have a go at guessing your weight and then weighed you to see if it was correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartshome Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I also remember them being in the 'rag n tag' market very well. They were in the covered part, and were polished brass, must have been quite a weight. An old lady sat on a chair by the side of them, then when you paid her, she helped you sit still on the seat for the correct weight. She was there for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_exS10 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 On 12/03/2018 at 18:34, lysander said: I well remember the lady with the weigh scales in the old "rag and tag". If memory serves me correctly the cylinder with the pipe hanging down was some sort of illumination for use on dark winter days. It was nothing to do with guessing ones weight but rather finding out , fairly accurately, how much it actually was. Up to 1939 if fine we went every Saturday evening round the rag market. My recollection is a little different; an elderly lady with her highly polished scales on the town side of the main cross aisle somewhere near the middle. Certainly not under cover, which even then made me wonder what happened to them if it rained and were they left out all night. Altogether it still looks an awkward thing to have to move. I remember the bright light over the weight pan. As Lysander says the tank and vertical pipe are the upper part of a light, a naptha flare, a simple device advertised as being intended for fairground and market use. Liquid naptha flowed down the pipe which was heated by the flame to vaporise it, ending up in a ring burner with with about a dozen horizontal holes.Dead simple, with only a stop tap under the tank, huge ring of open flames, something of a fire risk and more or less gone by WW2. Effective but obsolete.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartshome Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Hi Keith_exS10, my recollection of the scales lady being undercover, was late 50s early 60s. I think a lot of the stalls around her were fruit and veg. It was a longish building, like a hall, that was open either end. The road opening was onto Shude Hill i believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IreneL Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 I remember this being in the old 'rag and tag market before Sheasf market was built. I'm sure it was just a straight forward weighing machine, with weights. I don't remember seeing it after the new 'Woolworth's was built (now Wilkinsons) because they had a big red coin operated machine in there. I aslo remember getting weighed on the machine in the ladies toilets in the 'ole in the road' in late 60's. (Only 8stone then!) We popped in to cchech our hair etc after braving the wind from our walk up snig hill from bridge street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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