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Co op Ecclesall Rd.


dalewoods8

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The old Co op store on Ecclesall Rd. was one of the places to shop in the 1950's when I was growing up. It also had what I thought at the time was a posh restaurant where we celebrated many family occasions. It was to me then like Meadowhall is today.

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19 hours ago, dalewoods8 said:

The old Co op store on Ecclesall Rd. was one of the places to shop in the 1950's when I was growing up. It also had what I thought at the time was a posh restaurant where we celebrated many family occasions. It was to me then like Meadowhall is today.

The Sharrow cycling club used to have their Annual dinners there with the prize presentation and a dance later in the evening. Here is a picture of the chief guest admiring the trophies.

Trophies 1968.jpg

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When was this picture taken? The guy holding the trophy looks like either Mr Ferris, Lord Mayor 1966-67 (I think!) or Cllr Harold Lambert. The Sheffield coat of arms neckless suggests he has been Lord Mayor.

Wazzie Worrall

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On 11/08/2019 at 20:08, Paul Worrall said:

When was this picture taken? The guy holding the trophy looks like either Mr Ferris, Lord Mayor 1966-67 (I think!) or Cllr Harold Lambert. The Sheffield coat of arms neckless suggests he has been Lord Mayor.

Wazzie Worrall

According to the writing under the picture it was Harold Lambert as the Lord Mayor and picture taken in 1966.

On 23/08/2019 at 12:34, SteveHB said:

se_cafe.jpg

The double door at the bottom when opened revealed a very small dance hall. We used to have a trio play music for the dancing after the speeches and prize presentation.

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Hi,

I realised after I sent  the posting that the picture was Cllr Lambert. For many years he lived opposite us on Archer Lane. He has the block of flats in the Park complex named after him, Harold Lambert Court.

Cheers,

Wazzie Worrall

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On 27/08/2019 at 10:57, Paul Worrall said:

Hi,

I realised after I sent  the posting that the picture was Cllr Lambert. For many years he lived opposite us on Archer Lane. He has the block of flats in the Park complex named after him, Harold Lambert Court.

Cheers,

Wazzie Worrall

All that little row of council houses at the start of Bannerdale road were tenanted by councilors according to mt Grandfather. Do you remember Mr. Jennings shop behind that row of houses?

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6 hours ago, Old rider said:

All that little row of council houses at the start of Bannerdale road were tenanted by councilors according to mt Grandfather. Do you remember Mr. Jennings shop behind that row of houses?

Hi Old Rider,

I think your Grandfather may well be right. However I don't remember Mr Jennings or any other shops around that part of Archer Lane. We moved into Archer Lane in 1979 and left in 1988. Our neighbour for the first few years was Mrs Vaugh, who together with her late husband had lived in the house since it was built in the 1930's. Mrs Vaugh once told me that before the council houses where Cllr Lambert and his wife lived were built, there was a large water tank which took a direct hit during the blitz.

Cheers, Wazzie Worrall

 

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12 hours ago, Paul Worrall said:

Hi Old Rider,

I think your Grandfather may well be right. However I don't remember Mr Jennings or any other shops around that part of Archer Lane. We moved into Archer Lane in 1979 and left in 1988. Our neighbour for the first few years was Mrs Vaugh, who together with her late husband had lived in the house since it was built in the 1930's. Mrs Vaugh once told me that before the council houses where Cllr Lambert and his wife lived were built, there was a large water tank which took a direct hit during the blitz.

 

Cheers, Wazzie Worrall

 

 

I don't know about a water tank but the stone built house behind the council houses was a little grocer's shop. Before the council houses were built the area in front was built up by a stone wall. As a child I was sent by my grandfather to go to Mr Jennings shop to buy a loaf of bread and half a dozen eggs. So what does a young lad do coming out of the shop? Jump over the wall and crash the shopping bag on the floor breaking the eggs! OOOPS!

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Old Rider you are a star. When our kids were growing up we used to call the stone built cottage 'the Farm', the kids had stories about it being haunted and that witches lived there. (At that time the biggest witch lived at No.10 Downing Street!). I never knew it had been a shop, however that would make sense. People didn't have cars to take them to supermarkets, which were also very much in the future. Basics were bought from small traders whose profit margins must have been tiny. Before we moved to Archer Lane we lived on Buttermere Road - part of the Abbeydale Lake District! If you look at any pre-1960's Kelly's Directory the number of small traders listed on Buttermere/Crumock/Conistone/Windermere etc. is mind boggling, as it is all over the working class areas of Sheffield.

Buttermere Road Abortionist - When we lived on Buttermere Road, part of the Abbeydale Road ‘Lake District’ in the 1970’s, several of the older residents told us of the famous case of the ‘Buttermere Road Abortionist’, who was imprisoned for the illegal services she performed. However, I have no idea of the person’s name or when these crimes took place. Can anybody help please?

Wazzie Worrall

 

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My very first real restaurant meal  at the age of 18 was in the S&E.... My only previous experience of eating out was a hasty pie and chips in the Rotherham Civic Restaurant and something similar in Woolies....what a difference!

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Hi Hopman,

Thanks for that wonderful picture of the S&E. It was always a landmark at the bottom of Ecclesall Road. It was a terrible loss when they were allowed to knock it down!

I wonder if anybody has a picture of the actual arcade which was inside the building?

Cheers, Wazzie Worrall

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There are a few things about this building I think I remember. I'm going back to the late 50s - early 60s.

I recall the lifts were double grilled doors and there was an attendant in them. It came as a cultural shock when we first went into Cole Brothers in Barkers Pool as these were unmanned. How daring was that?

I remember my grandmother taking my cousin and me on the traditional journey to see Father Christmas. We took our places in the Viking Boat/Sleigh Ride and the scenery rolled past us. The last time I went would have been 1960 when my mother took me on the "Magic Train" (it must have been magic because at the end of the line it only took up a few square yards of the shop floor, even though I expected it to have covered the whole length of the building) I know at the end we were given a clown toy (called Charlie) which blew bubbles.

I know in more recent times I went in to their closing down sale and bought a pair of salt and pepper grinders to remind me of the old place.

I think there might have been a cafe on the ground floor on the Cemetery Road side.

At one time there was a photo studio in the building. I've found a couple of old photos which were taken there (and which will be of no interest to anyone).

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Another Photo, taken from St Mary's Gate.

I'd quite forgotten the name Sunwin House. It seems this name was given to many Co-op stores.

Sunwin House-2.png

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Hi Hopman,

I also remember the name Sunwin House. Wasn't it the name of Bradford Coop who took over the S&E prior to it going bust? I understand there was talk in the late 60's to amalgamate the Brigthside & Carbrook Coop and the S&E to form The Greater Sheffield Society. This never happened and Sunwin took over the S&E.  Now none of them exist and the Coop shops belong to the National Coop.

Wazzie Worrall.

 

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Hi Paul,

I wondered what was the source of the name Sunwin House and looked it up on the internet, finding many occurrences of the name throughout the north of England. One building, unfortunately, is Grade 2 listed. I know that tastes in buildings can differ; what is a wonderful building to one will be someone else's carbuncle. Unfortunately Our Sunwin House never had that designation to save it.

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Sunwin House is/was the name of the flagship West Yorkshire Co-Op store and head office based in Bradford, When the B&C ‘cocked up’ the proposed merger of the two Sheffield societies by the B&C’s Chief Exec, Bert Whitham threatening the future of S&E staff during the initial and only merger open meeting. West Yorkshire Co-Op smelt an opportunity and stepped in, sadly with the intention of selling any thing S&E that they wished.

Here endeth the lesson.

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