Steve457 Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Hi everyone, I received this postcard in the post today to add to my collection. It features a police station believed to be in Sheffield. On the far left of the building can be seen a road name plate which appears to read "SPOONER RD." The postcard has been used, it is postmarked SHEFFIELD W.D.S.O. and dated JU 24 12, which I read as June 24th 1912. It was sent to an address in Cleethorpes, but the message makes no mention of the subject matter of the photograph on the front. The Sergrants and Constables in the photograph are all wearing the Victorian crown wreath patern helmet plate worn by the Sheffield City Police until 1902. Over the front door is a lovely carved stone arch bearing the title "POLICE STATION", the key stone of this arch features the city's coat of arms carved in stone. Having looked at Spooner Road on Google Street View it looks as if the building depicted in the photograph is now long gone, as I was unable to find a building looking like it still in place. Can anyone give me more information on this building please? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boginspro Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Broomhill Police Station, 23 Spooner Road, mention a couple of times in ths police stations topic, --------- https://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/topic/7680-police-stations/ --------------- and here on Picture Sheffield ------- http://picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;s12457&pos=1&action=zoom&id=15373 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boginspro Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 It's interesting that the helmets predate the postmark by ten years, I am sure you have read the post mark correctly, W.D.S.O. postmarks below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boginspro Posted November 13, 2019 Share Posted November 13, 2019 Looking at Google Earth it appears that there is now a rather grotty looking pub covering that area. Map from NLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmund Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 At the 1861 Census, Samuel Matthews was a police constable living with his family at 33 Fulwood Road (next to the Wesleyan Chapel), which presumably would have been the original police station. By the time the new Station was opened he was a Sergeant there. 27th July 1871 - Tender for erection of Broomhill Police Station by George Foulstone for £940 accepted. 12th October 1871 - The Mayor’s motion to lease a plot of land from William Spooner for 500 years for the new Police Station was agreed. In the 1950s the building was used as a base for the Scouts. The current 16th Sheffield (Westborne) Scout Troop hut is now on the site. In 1966 Arndale Developments Ltd proposed building the re-sited South Seas Hotel Public house with self-contained flat over. And in 1967 Plans for Ten saleshops with roof top parking at Fulwood Road and off Spooner Road, were drawn up. This may have incorporated demolition of the Station building? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boginspro Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 Looking at the maps this tall old wall looks like it could have been the police station back yard wall and the change in brick work on the scout hut seems to suggest that the scout hut may be an extension of the old building in the back yard of the police station, certainly there are two stages of building and some window alterations.. Below is an old map over new one to show where the boundaries were, ---------- https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.3778189,-1.5018106,3a,30y,306.55h,92.81t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEIOBdJuI1qEOnZUMqeJ1-w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=19&lat=53.3780&lon=-1.5018&layers=168&b=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmund Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 The postcard was sent by Lily Bancroft of 84 Tasker Road, the wife of Police Constable Benjamin Bancroft (keen on mushrooms and seaside rock) who was based at Broomhill Police Station. Lily sent the card to Elizabeth Waltham, who was the mother in law of Police Constable Arthur Walton of 36 Tasker Road, also based at Broomhill Police Station. Arthur had married Lily Waltham in 1903. Elizabeth Waltham had a Provisions shop at 93 Meadow Street. That year Elizabeth had gone on holiday to Mrs Marriott's guest house at Cleethorpes, 5 Rowston Street. Elizabeth Waltham died aged 60 at 36 Tasker Road and was buried at Burngreave on 19th November 1917. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve457 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 Hi everyone, Once again I am amazed by the collective knowledge of members of this forum, and their willingness to readily share their knowledge. In response to boginspro the postmark is type S-WDSO.01, which is interesting given you give the date of earliest use of this mark as 8th November 1909 and the police constables in the photograph have Victorian pattern crowns on their helmet plates. Also thank you for the link to the earlier police stations topic and to the Picture Sheffield site as well. Many thanks to Edmund for the fund of information in relation to the Bancroft family and also the recipient of the postcard, Mrs Walton. Now here is a puzzle, the postcard you have added to this thread is identical to the one in my possession, which I acquried from a dealer not far from where I live in Essex. So I am assuming that Edmund must have had this postcard in his possession at one time and scanned/photographed it before he parted company with it! I have recently acquired some copies of old Police Almanacs dating from 1858 through to 1869 and from 1901, so I will extract the information from these for Sheffield City Police and post it to the forum in the hope that it will be of interest and maybe use to some of you. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmund Posted November 15, 2019 Share Posted November 15, 2019 29 minutes ago, Steve457 said: So I am assuming that Edmund must have had this postcard in his possession at one time and scanned/photographed it before he parted company with it! No, I found it on ebay with a search for sold items : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Police-Station-Sheffield-1912-Real-Photo-Postcard-C014-/372827515093?hash=item56ce4068d5%3Ag%3AtL4AAOSwqQpdvApl&nma=true&si=ICzt20w7%2F84Ivg8tESE0nUTzauc%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve457 Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 Ah, that explains it Edmund. When I first saw the text part that you had posted it was quite spooky - the exact same text as on the [postcard in my collection! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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