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Cambridge Grounds Hillsborough


Guest Jakers

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Does anyone know anything about the Cambridge Grounds at Hillsborough 1920's. Was it a caravan site? My mother's family lived there and checking on school lists on Sheffield Indexers there was a lot of children registered as living at the Cambridge Grounds.

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As far as i know it was a caravan site of sorts my mates father was born there, probably around the same time, haven't got round to researching as yet so would be just as interested as you.

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Guest ChrisWildsmith

Does anyone know anything about the Cambridge Grounds at Hillsborough 1920's. Was it a caravan site? My mother's family lived there and checking on school lists on Sheffield Indexers there was a lot of children registered as living at the Cambridge Grounds.

I'm also very interested in finding out about the Cambridge Grounds. I have just got hold of my father's birth certificate and it says place of birth, "#241 Caravan, Cambridge Grounds". So I guess this confirms that there were caravans on there!

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I've just been reading through some written notes my mother made about her childhood.

She was one of 5 children and they lived on a caravan site at Loxley Valley at the foot of Little Matlock Woods. This would have been around 1926. The families were not gypsies mostly poor people and families with drunken fathers, depressing times! She didn't remember how long she was there before the land was taken over and the caravans were moved on to the Cambridge Ground by the side of the River Don. Some of the caravans there belonged to gypsies. She mentions that she thought that gypsies were rich as they had better and cleaner caravans than the others. The family had another child whilst living in the caravan, 6 children and 2 adults in one small caravan. She goes on to say that the 'fair' would occasionally visit and when it did the kids living in the caravans could get free rides. She also says when some of the people were evicted (and made homeless) the other tennants and some local ruffians would set fire to or push the empty caravans into the river to get their own back on the tennants. She lived there for almost 2 years before someone found them a room in a large house in Hillsborough, they didn't stay there long before they moved into a council house on the Manor Estate, according to her a 'mansion', 3 bedrooms, bathroom and flush toilet.

She is no longer here to ask any more questions, but at least she did write down some of her memories.

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Guest ChrisWildsmith

I've just been reading through some written notes my mother made about her childhood.

She was one of 5 children and they lived on a caravan site at Loxley Valley at the foot of Little Matlock Woods. This would have been around 1926. The families were not gypsies mostly poor people and families with drunken fathers, depressing times! She didn't remember how long she was there before the land was taken over and the caravans were moved on to the Cambridge Ground by the side of the River Don. Some of the caravans there belonged to gypsies. She mentions that she thought that gypsies were rich as they had better and cleaner caravans than the others. The family had another child whilst living in the caravan, 6 children and 2 adults in one small caravan. She goes on to say that the 'fair' would occasionally visit and when it did the kids living in the caravans could get free rides. She also says when some of the people were evicted (and made homeless) the other tennants and some local ruffians would set fire to or push the empty caravans into the river to get their own back on the tennants. She lived there for almost 2 years before someone found them a room in a large house in Hillsborough, they didn't stay there long before they moved into a council house on the Manor Estate, according to her a 'mansion', 3 bedrooms, bathroom and flush toilet.

She is no longer here to ask any more questions, but at least she did write down some of her memories.

WOW - what great information!

If only I'd asked (and listened!) to my father when he was alive, I'd know vastly more about his life then instead of having to research it through the Web and Birth-Death-Marriage certificates.

My mother's still alive, but again, she did not know much about my Dad's family or his youth.

So, in terms of timing, my Dad was born at the Cambridge Grounds in 1932 - and I'd assume that there were at least 240 other caravans on that site at the time.

I'm not sure I said this before, but my mother says that my Dad told her he worked on the fair. So, and yes my Dad told some "pretty good stories", let's assume that he was 10-14 years old when he "worked" there - that means that the fair was at Cambridge Grounds until 1942-46 at least, and probably dating back well before 1932.

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I thought the cambridge grounds was small but after looking on Sheffield Indexers and searching on the schools section I found 11 pages of children registered as living there between 1925-33. Some were down twice but all the same it shows you the size of the site. I have emailed hillsboroughowlertonhistory to see if they have any information about cambridge grounds.

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I asked my 86 year old ma in law yesterday, who's lived around Hillsborough all her life, and she says it was in the area to the rear of St John's Church at Owlerton.

I was wondering about the name. I wonder if there's any connection with the Barracks? I know there was an exercise ground somewhere in the neighbourhood, and the Duke of Cambridge was the head of the army in Victorian times. Just a thought.

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I was looking through some maps on one of the sites, can't remember which one, there was a map of old public houses in the hillsborough area. There was one called the Cambridge near where the dog track is. This was near the Don so perhaps it was behind the pub.

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Yes I have a copy of that map and it does look like the area. The greyhound track would just have been in the making then, late 20s early 30s. My mother never mentions the greyhoud track just says that cambridge grounds was beside the Don.

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I contacted hillsborougholwertonlocalhistory... they had not heard of Cambridge Grounds but did research and sent me a wonderful photo of a man sat beside one of the caravans. Yes, it was on the grounds of Cambridge Hotel which was opposite the barracks.

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I contacted hillsborougholwertonlocalhistory... they had not heard of Cambridge Grounds but did research and sent me a wonderful photo of a man sat beside one of the caravans. Yes, it was on the grounds of Cambridge Hotel which was opposite the barracks.

Do they have copyright on the picture, or can we all share it?

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Do they have copyright on the picture, or can we all share it?

Will check with who sent it to me as I was given permission to view it by the owner.

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My grandad was from a fairground background and lived on the Cambridge grounds in a caravan.  An aunt of mine who had learning difficulties is registered at school with this as her address.  Some years later they lived at 444 Penistone Road where my mum and dad used to winter in the yard there with the fair with my gran and dad's brothers and sisters.  I remember that our yard used to be at the side of some sort of cement works or something.  There were some big, tall gates onto the site but I seem to think that we could get onto the works grounds from our yard.    I've been searching for some years for information about my grandad but only know that he was born in 1886 .... whereabouts not sure ... but died at 444 Penistone Road in 1946.  Unfortunately my dad died before I became really interested in family history.  

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1963 Directory has Nellie Whiting at 444 in between the Cambridge grounds and 452 Cambridge beerhouse as seen in the link from Britain above.

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