Sheffield Slums

[Sheffield History]

Time to investigate the slums I think

I'll start tomorrow when I've recharged my batteries..

Here's a starter for 10..

Apparently in the seventeenth century the locals (working class) lived in filthy cellars mostly half full of dirty water.

They existed on scraps of food, never changed their underwear-if they had any at all, and the average life span was just twenty one years.

The ones who lived in the city centre around campo lane area, threw the rubbish and sewage out of the window into channels which ran down the centre of the alley where it lay stinking in the sun-in summer- until the rains came and washed it away.

[DaveH]

Time to investigate the slums I think

The ones who lived in the city centre around campo lane area, threw the rubbish and sewage out of the window into channels which ran down the centre of the alley where it lay stinking in the sun-in summer- until the rains came and washed it away.

According to David Hey in his history of Sheffield the building of Barkers Pool in the 1400's by Mr. Barker was a big improvement in sanitation in the town. Not only did it provide clean (-ish) water (there were fines for such things as washing a sheeps head from the butchers in it) but also provided a way of removing the above mentioned waste and sewage from the streets. The pool, obviously on the site of the current Barkers Pool where the City Hall and War Memorial are, had sleuces which could be opened, allowing thousands of gallons of water to cascade down to Fargate, down High street and then down Commercial street and Haymarket, ultimately into the Sheaf and Don. residents would brush the waste along into the flowing water so as to clean the streets of waste.

[popt]

It was always known that the at the bottom of the Park district around Duke street had some of the worst living conditions.

The houses at the bottom of the hill were flooded everytime it rained.

not only were the dwellings flooded but all the waste and filth from further up the hill was washed into these lower dwellings.

Living near the city centre was not much better as the smoke from the early industry made it impossible to see very far and it created breathing problems for the people living near the top side of the present Moor area.

Happy days Indeed ! PopT

[Guest Danny]

The old slum dwellings area another are which fascinate me.

The available pictures on PS show some truly horrific conditions. And i find it funny to think of people living actually in the 'centre' of town, eg The Moor.

I know it seems we are gradually moving back to inner city living, but it is more like 'city fringe' living

I would love to have the time to go snooping around to see if ANY trace of the terrible slum houses still exist. Might have to devote an upcoming weekend to this.