Jump to content

Everton Road, mystery poles


John Cartwright

Recommended Posts

As a child in the 50's I lived on Everton Road, Hunters Bar which is a cul-de-sac at either end, access being from Brocco Bank by either Wiseton Road, Newington Road or Rossington Road. The top end was higher than the bottom end and our unofficial entrance to the park via a hole cut in the wire netting.  At each end there was a metal pole taller than a wooden telegraph pole with a metal basket on the top, presumably to deter the birds. Despite all our efforts to climb them etc. I still do not know what the poles were for. On a recent visit they were no longer there. Has anyone any ideas what their purpose was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't hep beyond posting a photo of the end of the road (from PictureSheffield) and a map of each end - nothing obvious?

172678726_EvertonRoad.png.6abbe299ba136c590166f18a2dec5e77.png

1690976783_EvertonRoadmap.png.05e019bff6d576b6a2301e82e225e65a.png

1599546705_EvertonRoadmap_2.png.fc10b03eaf4eaf15bdb29c8d7c533cb3.png

note: the rp on the map is "revision point" worth a separate thread

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, SteveHB said:

Mystery posts near Halfway

 

These post were for venting methane from mine workings I believe, houses were supposedly built on or over dangerous abandoned mine tunnels full of gas. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The photo shown was probably taken in the 60's as the road surface for the period I'm talking about was still cobbled. Perhaps they had been removed before the photo was taken.  The posts were located exactly between the rp points posted on the maps.  Another post suggests sewer vent pipes which is a possibility which leads to an anecdote about an 'experiment' we tried at the time. There were several manholes positioned down the centre of the road and to test whether these poles were connected somehow to the poles, we 'modified' several bangers to make a 'bomb' and whilst one of the gang lit and dropped the bomb down the hole used to lift the most central manhole, other members of the team positioned themselves at the other manholes and the poles to see if they could hear the explosion. The bomb went off but no one else heard the explosion. With hindsight possibly not the best idea if they were vent pipes to get rid of methane Gas! Obviously H&S just did not exist at the time as one of our budding scientists obtained the ingredients to make gunpowder and we made a muzzle loading blunderbus that took a chunk out of the bottom of the telegraph pole you can see on the left of the photo, but that is another story!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sever ventilation was a great concern in the early 1900's. Suggestions included using electric tram power columns as vents.  As the new housing was built elevated above Hunters Bar, fumes would have risen through the sewers.

567617216_SewerVent1900.png.45d1aacd10e99396e9a5cb2ca9ce1900.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting, was this real or perceived problem?

Sheffield has expanded considerably since 1900 but I don't recall seeing sewer vents on modern estates. If it was a real problem surely they would be everywhere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you look at modern houses you will see that the waste pipes to all toilets have what is called a stack pipe that goes right up to the roof area open at the top. This allows air to get into the sewer system. And stops sewer gas going into your house.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSRxgwHXc_u_Jz8mnGRmSl

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That would make sense, the top post would have been the highest point in the area. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most houses were lucky to have a water closet in the yard, privies were still predominant (let alone indoor water closets).  As late as 1926 1,820 Sheffield privies were converted to water closets, which certainly didn't have a stack pipe or vent.  This number of conversions was about average for the period from 1904, though numbers fell to virtually nil during the war.

The council changed its policy in 1919 - prior to the war they allowed one wc to two houses. This policy change meant that an additional 5,000 wcs would be provided (1,000 conversions and 4,000 additional).  The council did the work but were not allowed to contribute to the cost.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...