John Cartwright Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 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 More sharing options...
Edmund Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 I can't hep beyond posting a photo of the end of the road (from PictureSheffield) and a map of each end - nothing obvious? note: the rp on the map is "revision point" worth a separate thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHB Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 Mystery posts near Halfway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snozzle Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 Could they possibly be vent pipes from a sewer ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tozzin Posted July 27, 2020 Share Posted July 27, 2020 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 More sharing options...
John Cartwright Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 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 More sharing options...
Edmund Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rover1949 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 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 More sharing options...
History dude Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cartwright Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 That would make sense, the top post would have been the highest point in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rover1949 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 Simples. Presumably they didn't have sewer stack pipes in Victorian houses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edmund Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 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. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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