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Hillsborough Corner


deejayone

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HILLSBOROUGH CORNER

The juction of Middlewood Road, Holme Lane, Langsett Road and Bradfield Road is known locally as 'Hillsborough Corner'. Some people refer to Hillsborough Corner as being this whole shopping area district, however the term historically refers to the very junction itself.

This is almost the gateway into Hillsborough, with it's shops and amenities, it is almost a town-within-a-town.

The face of the actual junction itself has changed many times over the years, most dramatically so in the late-80's, early-90's as developments took place to accomodate the Supertram - particularly the turning from Langsett Road onto Holme Lane for trams on the blue 'Malin Bridge' route.

 

The Langsett Road-Holme Lane corner is now very much open space, with an inset bus-stop where buses can pull in without disturbing any traffic or trams heading for Malin Bridge. A little peer over the walls reveals a small river embankment, which runs under the bridge towards the Hillsborough end of Langsett Road. Over the years, this corner has been occupied with buildings, now demolished - including the 'White Buildings' as they were known in the early part of the 20th century (named because of it's white facade). The White Buildings later made way for a newer brick-type set of buildings and hosted many shops and cafe's (notably Coffee 'n' Cream, right on the corner in the 80's) and I remember one of the shops here was used makeshiftly as a radio studio for a local temporary radio station for a few festive periods when it had gone without use for a couple of years.

 

The Holme Lane-Middlewood Road corner now stands almost derelict since Oxfam's shop ended their long tenancy on the very corner of the site. Much the same shape as it has been for a ver long the curved corner has housed a number of different shops along the years along the run of both roads, including Newsagents, coffee shops, take-aways, etc. Around the turn of the 20th century and for many years that followed, it was occupied by the 'Hillsborough Inn'.

 

Clothing stores have always seemed to dominate the Middlewood Road-Bradfield Road corner, most recently the now vacated 'Greenwoods' traditional gents clothing shop. The shop currently stands empty with rumours of a modern 'Subways' sandwiches franchise being introduced to the site. Above the shop itself is the Trickshots snooker club, accessible via a door a short way down Bradfield Road (Between the amusment arcade and wht is now know as 'The Shakey' pub - formerly the Shakespeare). Before Greenwoods, the shop was for a long time occupied by Burton's the tailors. Around the turn of the 20th century however, the site was Bush's grocers shop (pictured with the Hillsbrough Inn opposite above).

 

Legends bar is now the current occupier of the last corner, Bradfield Road-Langsett Road. Legends has been present since the mid-late 90's but before that was for many years associated with Timpson's shoe-shop. The familiar green-writing on cream-background shop front encased a small, but very well stocked shoe-shop where I remember going each year for my shoes for school (pictured opposite Greenwoods above).

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Across the road from Timo's was a flower shop, jewellers (H. Samuels?), record shop and above them was a chinese restaraunt (Silver Dragon?) which was later convert into a Gym (was it women only?) . These were all flattened to make way for Supertram.

Round the corner from Timo's - longer back still - there used to be a garage. I remember fetching blue parafin for my parents fire. The garage had a strange machine with a clear cylinder on top which I filled by pumping a lever, then let it run out into a 5 gallon drum. Probably it wasn't good for a kid to be doing that but it was back in the day before people became worried over it.

And then there was the chip shop on Braddie road where I'd go and get fish suppers for the family. I always asked for a Tail End because I thought they were bigger and made sure to get bags of scraps. There was a newspaper shop next door.

I lived round the corner on Rudyard Road... school holiday's were spent at Hillsborough baths in the Fun Sessions when they got all the inflatables out. We lived in that place. Even went to the "slipper baths" once or twice - anyone remember them?

Barclays bank was on the corner at the top of Rudyard, long before it became Sarah's restaraunt. I joined them when I was around 10 and still have an account today.

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Gym = Fizzical, both genders.

Across the road from Timo's was a flower shop, jewellers (H. Samuels?), record shop and above them was a chinese restaraunt (Silver Dragon?) which was later convert into a Gym (was it women only?) . These were all flattened to make way for Supertram. Round the corner from Timo's - longer back still - there used to be a garage. I remember fetching blue parafin for my parents fire. The garage had a strange machine with a clear cylinder on top which I filled by pumping a lever, then let it run out into a 5 gallon drum. Probably it wasn't good for a kid to be doing that but it was back in the day before people became worried over it. And then there was the chip shop on Braddie road where I'd go and get fish suppers for the family. I always asked for a Tail End because I thought they were bigger and made sure to get bags of scraps. There was a newspaper shop next door. I lived round the corner on Rudyard Road... school holiday's were spent at Hillsborough baths in the Fun Sessions when they got all the inflatables out. We lived in that place. Even went to the "slipper baths" once or twice - anyone remember them? Barclays bank was on the corner at the top of Rudyard, long before it became Sarah's restaraunt. I joined them when I was around 10 and still have an account today.
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HILLSBOROUGH CORNER

The juction of Middlewood Road, Holme Lane, Langsett Road and Bradfield Road is known locally as 'Hillsborough Corner'. Some people refer to Hillsborough Corner as being this whole shopping area district, however the term historically refers to the very junction itself.

This is almost the gateway into Hillsborough, with it's shops and amenities, it is almost a town-within-a-town.

The face of the actual junction itself has changed many times over the years, most dramatically so in the late-80's, early-90's as developments took place to accomodate the Supertram - particularly the turning from Langsett Road onto Holme Lane for trams on the blue 'Malin Bridge' route.

The Langsett Road-Holme Lane corner is now very much open space, with an inset bus-stop where buses can pull in without disturbing any traffic or trams heading for Malin Bridge. A little peer over the walls reveals a small river embankment, which runs under the bridge towards the Hillsborough end of Langsett Road. Over the years, this corner has been occupied with buildings, now demolished - including the 'White Buildings' as they were known in the early part of the 20th century (named because of it's white facade). The White Buildings later made way for a newer brick-type set of buildings and hosted many shops and cafe's (notably Coffee 'n' Cream, right on the corner in the 80's) and I remember one of the shops here was used makeshiftly as a radio studio for a local temporary radio station for a few festive periods when it had gone without use for a couple of years.

The Holme Lane-Middlewood Road corner now stands almost derelict since Oxfam's shop ended their long tenancy on the very corner of the site. Much the same shape as it has been for a ver long the curved corner has housed a number of different shops along the years along the run of both roads, including Newsagents, coffee shops, take-aways, etc. Around the turn of the 20th century and for many years that followed, it was occupied by the 'Hillsborough Inn'.

Clothing stores have always seemed to dominate the Middlewood Road-Bradfield Road corner, most recently the now vacated 'Greenwoods' traditional gents clothing shop. The shop currently stands empty with rumours of a modern 'Subways' sandwiches franchise being introduced to the site. Above the shop itself is the Trickshots snooker club, accessible via a door a short way down Bradfield Road (Between the amusment arcade and wht is now know as 'The Shakey' pub - formerly the Shakespeare). Before Greenwoods, the shop was for a long time occupied by Burton's the tailors. Around the turn of the 20th century however, the site was Bush's grocers shop (pictured with the Hillsbrough Inn opposite above).

Legends bar is now the current occupier of the last corner, Bradfield Road-Langsett Road. Legends has been present since the mid-late 90's but before that was for many years associated with Timpson's shoe-shop. The familiar green-writing on cream-background shop front encased a small, but very well stocked shoe-shop where I remember going each year for my shoes for school (pictured opposite Greenwoods above).

Nice to se this very early post brought back to the top.

As many of the pictures are no longer available in this post here is one of mine of the Holme Lane / Middlewood Road corner

Taken in 1974

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The White Buildings provided accomodation for a range of shops on the ground floor and upstairs was a snooker hall when I was a kid. The snooker hall was later replaced by a chinese restaurant in the sixties.

They weren't replaced by a brick-built building as previously posted but the white tile finish (fiance ?) was removed when it became unsafe and the building was re-clad in a orange red brick.

The end shop by the Walkley Lane ( Hill Bridge ) bridge was for years occupied by an Interflora shop with a police call box in the corner.

Under the corner of the Langsett Road bridge was a shuttle leading off the top of the present weir and a tunnel under the road to the by then drained dam which was eventually filled in and the motor dealership built on it at the top of Bradfield Road. I can't recall the name of the dealer but he sold Rootes (sp) Group motors such as Hillmans and I think his son sold Saab or Volvo from the same site.

HD

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I don't remember the snooker Hall but we moved down Rudyard in the late sixties so I guess it was already a Chinese. Across the road from Interflora was a butchers called Jack's where I worked as a Saturday lad for a while. I also delivered papers for the paper shop next door, then there was Eve's fruit and Veg shop on the corner (now Java Lounge). Going down Bradfield road I remember the Chuck Wagon burning down, leaving that unsightly mess that is there now (year?). Wonder why no-one every fixed that.

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I don't remember the snooker Hall but we moved down Rudyard in the late sixties so I guess it was already a Chinese. Across the road from Interflora was a butchers called Jack's where I worked as a Saturday lad for a while. I also delivered papers for the paper shop next door, then there was Eve's fruit and Veg shop on the corner (now Coffee and Creme). Going down Bradfield road I remember the Chuck Wagon burning down, leaving that unsightly mess that is there now (year?). Wonder why no-one every fixed that.

I delivered papers for Mr. Falding further along Holme Lane, his shop was just before Haden Street. My Star round of an evening involved the streets off Holme Lane and finished over the other side of the river up Walkley Lane. Monday to Friday my last delivery was to the bank on the corner of Rudyard Road.

I hated that last delivery because it involved crossing Langsett Road twice at the height of the rush-hour. There was no crossing in those days and it usually involved standing in the middle of the road while traffic swerved around me until I could complete the crossing. Where the entrance to the precinct is located on Bradfield Road was a branch of the Yorkshire Penny Bank where I was taken by my mother to withdraw my annual holiday money paid each week to Mr. Courage the headmaster of Malin Bridge Juniors at the rate of six old pence a week.

HD

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I don't remember the snooker Hall but we moved down Rudyard in the late sixties so I guess it was already a Chinese. Across the road from Interflora was a butchers called Jack's where I worked as a Saturday lad for a while. I also delivered papers for the paper shop next door, then there was Eve's fruit and Veg shop on the corner (now Coffee and Creme). Going down Bradfield road I remember the Chuck Wagon burning down, leaving that unsightly mess that is there now (year?). Wonder why no-one every fixed that.

The Chuck Wagon was on Holme Lane but I agree with you about the state of the remains, why has it been

left like that all these years. I used to love going in there, I always enjoyed the food and the place had a good atmosphere.

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No, I paid 6d (to charity) for his autograph.

You probably got a bargain then.

A Bob Monkhouse autograph is worth a lot more than 6d (2.5p) now.

What charity was Bob supporting?

I think he did a lot of work for the Sunshine Club GB providing breaks for underpriveledged children.

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The Chuck Wagon was on Holme Lane but I agree with you about the state of the remains, why has it been

left like that all these years. I used to love going in there, I always enjoyed the food and the place had a good atmosphere.

If the Chuck Wagon was the building by Dawsons the fishing tackle shop, then before that it was a chemists shop.

It was a rather up-market place selling a lot of expensive perfumes and the lady who served you wore a spotless white coat and a disdainful expression.

I used to go in purchase a paper twist of a special dye called something like Crysodine to put in with the fishing maggots that I bought next door for my father.

When I asked for it her eyebrows shot up and her husband was summoned from the rear of the shop.

You had to hold the paper bag very carefully otherwise you finished up with "smokers fingers" for a fortnight.

On the other corner of Haden Street was the famous Gordon's radio and TV double fronted shop with old radio chassis piled up to the ceiling.

He had a display window with yellow celophane over the glass through which you could see brand new TV's and radio's dating from years before.

If you looked through the other window you could see his workshop with vast mountains of old radio valves threatening to avalanch down to the tiny area left clear on his workbench.

HD

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On the other corner of Haden Street was the famous Gordon's radio and TV double fronted shop with old radio chassis piled up to the ceiling.

He had a display window with yellow celophane over the glass through which you could see brand new TV's and radio's dating from years before.

If you looked through the other window you could see his workshop with vast mountains of old radio valves threatening to avalanch down to the tiny area left clear on his workbench.

HD

Now that sounds like my sort of shop.

But living the other side of town I usually went to Bardwells at Abbeydale or a shop whose name I can't remember which was, I think, on Tenter street and was run by 2 cantankerous old blokes who didn't seem to like teenage lads that were interested in electronics.

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I used to go in purchase a paper twist of a special dye called something like Crysodine to put in with the fishing maggots that I bought next door for my father.

When I asked for it her eyebrows shot up and her husband was summoned from the rear of the shop.

You had to hold the paper bag very carefully otherwise you finished up with "smokers fingers" for a fortnight.

Crysodine (correct spelling Chrysoidine) is one of a group of dyes called the azo dyes, made from phenylamines they contain the 2 nitrogen atom diazo group.

They were once very popular dyes, most of them being red, orange or yellow in colour, but no other colours were common within this group. They have been mainly superceeded by better, more modern dye types although they still have their uses.

Many of them are carcinogenic (cancer inducing) and have been banned.

There is a risk that fishermen could put themselves at risk of oral cancers from the habit some of them have of putting chrysoidine dyed maggots in their mouth (YUK!!, WHY? :wacko: ), although the risk of just using and fishing with dyed maggots is thought to be small.

Interesting then that some azo dyes are used as food colourings, for example the yellow dye Tartrazine, also identified in food as E102, was once used extensively. It is known to cause sensitivity and a variety of allergic reactions in some people and has been linked to other health risks.

No wonder the woman in the chemist shop gave you a funny look and summond her husband to serve you.

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The motor dealership built on it at the top of Bradfield Road. I can't recall the name of the dealer but he sold Rootes (sp) Group motors such as Hillmans and I think his son sold Saab or Volvo from the same site.

HD

Fred Wilson Motors.
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Now that sounds like my sort of shop.

But living the other side of town I usually went to Bardwells at Abbeydale or a shop whose name I can't remember which was, I think, on Tenter street and was run by 2 cantankerous old blokes who didn't seem to like teenage lads that were interested in electronics.

The shop on the corner of Tenter Street/Queens street was called Dobson's although I don't think it was connected with the other shops of that name that traded in TV rentals.

The two lower windows were filled with WW2 surplus junk and the top window was new stuff, BSR turntables and the like.

They used to have a sale every year when the price tickets on the new stuff went up by a couple of pounds, some sale. :rolleyes:

When the corner was re-developed they removed to a tiny shop just down Corporation Street on the right hand side but they didn't last long there.

From what I remember the two old blokes didn't seem to like anyone, whatever age.

HD

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The shop on the corner of Tenter Street/Queens street was called Dobson's although I don't think it was connected with the other shops of that name that traded in TV rentals.

The two lower windows were filled with WW2 surplus junk and the top window was new stuff, BSR turntables and the like.

They used to have a sale every year when the price tickets on the new stuff went up by a couple of pounds, some sale. :rolleyes:

When the corner was re-developed they removed to a tiny shop just down Corporation Street on the right hand side but they didn't last long there.

From what I remember the two old blokes didn't seem to like anyone, whatever age.

HD

That's the shop I was thinking of hilldweller.

You have described it perfectly.

It seems you even remember the two miserable old blokes that ran the place as well, - and it sounds like you had a similar customer service experience.

I once went in to get one of the older, obsolete even in the late 1960's plastic moulded octal base valves (I think it was most likely a Mullard EL 33, but I am not sure now) which they had in stock but was told to "go away" (in stronger language than that :o ) and to "stop wasting our time".

I'm suprised that they ever sold anything if they treated customers like that. No wonder they went out of business.

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From the late 50s right up until they moved I was a regular customer at that shop. The secret was getting served by the right assistant who had an interest In what you was doing, there were three assistants later on and you got to know who was likely to be keen on what you were doing, When I was around 10 or 11 I had a thing for crystal receivers and found the oldest chap keen and very helpful, later on when my interest was record decks and amps the youngest was the one to see. The rot set in sometime in the 70s when I started doing a bit of TV DXing, even though the shop was full of the stuff I needed they just did not want to know. Spent some happy times just looking in the windows though waiting to get the right assistant. If you timed it wrong you did what the News of the World reporters used to do, made an excuse and left. W/E.

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There is a risk that fishermen could put themselves at risk of oral cancers from the habit some of them have of putting chrysoidine dyed maggots in their mouth (YUK!!, WHY? :wacko: ), although the risk of just using and fishing with dyed maggots is thought to be small.

.

It's a long time since I went maggot drowning, but when you're balanced very precariously on a basket with very deep and cold water in front of you, it pays to keep movements to a minimum. Bend down and take two maggots out of your open tin, place one between your dry lips while you skewer the first one on your hook, and then remove the other from your lip and place it beside the other.

I don't recall ever catching anything very nasty but I do remember an old bloke who bred maggots in the back end of an old Brooke Bond Tea van at Wardsend.

When he opened the back door the stench was horrific from the lumps of festering meat hanging on rusty meat hooks. When we saw him coming it was time to find somewhere else to play.

HD

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From the late 50s right up until they moved I was a regular customer at that shop. The secret was getting served by the right assistant who had an interest In what you was doing, there were three assistants later on and you got to know who was likely to be keen on what you were doing, When I was around 10 or 11 I had a thing for crystal receivers and found the oldest chap keen and very helpful, later on when my interest was record decks and amps the youngest was the one to see. The rot set in sometime in the 70s when I started doing a bit of TV DXing, even though the shop was full of the stuff I needed they just did not want to know. Spent some happy times just looking in the windows though waiting to get the right assistant. If you timed it wrong you did what the News of the World reporters used to do, made an excuse and left. W/E.

I never had much success with any of them, so I eventually gave up and went to Bardwells instead. Bardwell was exactly the opposite, - friendly, interested and helpful. So good that at certain times you had to queue up and wait to be served in his shop to get served.

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The rot set in sometime in the 70s when I started doing a bit of TV DXing, even though the shop was full of the stuff I needed they just did not want to know.

.

In the Bernard Babini set of radio constructor books there was one with a very long title called something like "How to receive foreign television programmes on your television set by making simple modifications" (Something like that, - I still have a copy somewhere) and having read it I was tempted to give it a try. However, as DX signals are more likely on VHF frequencies than UHF it required an old VHF 405 line set to "modify" and I got the book when 625 line UHF was coming in and there were plenty of the older sets lying about for next to nothing. Unfortunately we seem to be the only country in Europe that used 405 line TV, most already used 625 or 525 like America, and France even used 819 line, a sort of 1960's HD TV. This meant a lot of messing about with scanning and timebase circuits and synchronising signals so I never got the picture to work. I did get the sound to work though and got TV sound from several German stations, - until the mains transformer burnt out in the old TV I had acquired.

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It's a long time since I went maggot drowning, but when you're balanced very precariously on a basket with very deep and cold water in front of you, it pays to keep movements to a minimum. Bend down and take two maggots out of your open tin, place one between your dry lips while you skewer the first one on your hook, and then remove the other from your lip and place it beside the other. I don't recall ever catching anything very nasty but I do remember an old bloke who bred maggots in the back end of an old Brooke Bond Tea van at Wardsend. When he opened the back door the stench was horrific from the lumps of festering meat hanging on rusty meat hooks. When we saw him coming it was time to find somewhere else to play. HD

Never been fishing or had much of an interest in it HD so I wouldn.t know.

So basically you put a maggot in your mouth because you needed 2 of them and you were handling one of them so your mouth is a good place to put the other one and it helps protect you from falling in the river while you do it. :blink:

I suppose there is some perverse logic in that somewhere <_<

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Never been fishing or had much of an interest in it HD so I wouldn.t know.

So basically you put a maggot in your mouth because you needed 2 of them and you were handling one of them so your mouth is a good place to put the other one and it helps protect you from falling in the river while you do it. :blink:

I suppose there is some perverse logic in that somewhere <_<

I should have pointed out that when you're match fishing on one of the Lincolnshire drains you are likely to find that when you arrive at your "peg" that it comprises a tiny step cut out of a bank side that slopes like the north face of the Eiger.

The last time I went to the South Forty Foot near Hubberts Bridge I had to cross the railway line at an approved spot, walk along the bank top for about half a mile, and then virtually absail down the bank with my basket around my neck holding on to bushes and tussocks of grass.

When I got down the "peg" had all but disappeared into the water and I had to get my trusty WW2 folding entrenching tool out of the basket while it was still around my neck and cut out a shelf big enough to get my basket on. This activity took place under a barrage of expletives from my fellow anglers who were trying to fish by this time.

When I was finally sat on my basket fishing I had to splay my legs out to either side otherwise they would have been dangling in the water.

Just then a train went by above and the embankment began to shake like a huge jelly. The newly dug shelf earth began to trickle into the river.

Then it began to rain, heavily ! :(

I prodded the water with my long landing net stick and decided that if I fell in it would come way over my head, deep joy.

Eventually lunch time arrived and at the first rustle of my packing up I was joined by about a dozen very hungry looking Coypu of which there had been no previous sign. They're the size of a cat with the biggest, yellow-est teeth you ever saw. The snap was shared out in the ratio of about ten to one, guess who got the one.

I sustained myself with the two quart flagons of Tetley's ale kindly provided by the match sponsor landlord. The coypu didn't seem interested in that. :rolleyes:

'So you see you need all your hands free when you are "enjoying" this recreation.

By the way, that was the last time I went fishing, over thirty years ago.

HD

Stop Press.

Just Googled Coypu and found out that they were eradicated in the UK by 1987.

They were an invasive species, first introduced for their pelts, and caused great damage to river banks with their tunnels.

HD

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