fbb Makes A Ghastly Mistake (1)

But it was NOT a mistake to go to church yesterday - far from it.

But first, a look at Kilmington Baptist Church "Car Park Service" as attended by the fbbs yesterday. The Newquay event featured on yesterday's Songs of Praise was very much a drive-in service in the style of drive-in cinemas, popular for a while in the USA.

It took place on part of the Mount Wise car park.

Fortunately the recently rebuilt Kilmington Baptist Church has its own car park, much of which became Sundays church non-building.

The service was also live-streamed via the the Church's YouTube channel ...

... so several zillions of pounds of electronic wizardry had been hired in/borrowed.

Happy Birthday was "sung" to the accompaniment of a choir of car horns - the fbbs beeping on the red PPY obediently!

Of course it rained; this is England and it is still almost summer; but not sufficiently precipitative to spoil things - except the kids drawing game. Memo : non-permanent felt tip pens are made non-visible by a wet whiteboard.

Minister Darrell did the sermon bit (it was a good 'un; a challenge in today's challenging environment) and having been punctiliously socially distanced and told to go home and not stay and chat, people stayed and chatted.

That was good. One of the challenges of Faith is to balance medical or statistical prudence with the ability of an omnipotent God to protect should He so choose. fbb will stick with God any day rather than gangster gear. Even if the virus does get him (remember, he is obese!) heaven is a whole lot better than East Devon, so it is up to Him in the end - literally!

Not all churches have their own car park, nor people who can ackle the technology, but it was good to meet up again after 25 weeks of electronic on-line stuff.

Car Park Services continue throughout September.

So To That Untypical Extreme Error

And the story begins with Sheffield Industrialist and philanthropist Marc Firth (1789 to 1850).

Firth was elected to the office of Master Cutler in 1867, which he held for the following two years. He was elected Mayor of Sheffield in 1874. In 1875, he bought Page Hall on the northern outskirts of the then town of Sheffield. He also built a mansion for himself on the outskirts of Sheffield at Oakbrook, Ranmoor, now part of Notre Dame High School. In 1879, he opened Firth College ...

... to teach arts and science subjects, which later became part of the University of Sheffield.

The original block of the University is now known as Firth Court.

It was in Firth Hall, within the curtilage of the above block, that fbb's University career nearly came to an ignominious end in 1964 as he failed his first year exams. Fortunately he passed the re-sits!

Page Hall opens up the background to the "Tale of Horror" for your elderly blogger.

Built 1773, in surroundings of great beauty by Thomas Broadbent founder of the Sheffield Bank. Other owners included George Bustard Greaves and James Dixon. The estate was then bought in 1874 by Marc Firth, part of which he donated by "deed of gift" to the Sheffield Corporation for the people of Sheffield for a Public Park" for ever". The Park was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales in 1875.

Here is an aerial view of Firth Park today ...

... with Page Hall lower left. The original building, now a nursing home, has been substantially extended ...

It is just about possible to match the reality with the rather stylised original engraving.

Soon, Marc's park became an attractor for more new housing . Here are the plans for the 1920s "Brushes" Estate ...

... with the Firth Park shopping centre to be developed at the bottom right. Here it is for real today.

We are now looking the right way round with the park itself on the right and the shopping centre upper right. Trams eventually arrived via Firth Park Road ...

... and soon the whole area, park plus houses plus shops, took on the name of Firth Park. With the demise of the trams in 1960 the replacement bus routes were 33 and 75.

75 will reappear in tomorrow's blog and re-reappear in the tale of fbb's ghastly mistake.

But we rush ahead of ourselves. Development northbound from Firth Park continued apace, and the Council, seeking to provide better quality housing than the slums of the East End, were eyeing up a swathe of hillside leading down to the boundary with Wortley Council, marked by the Hartley Brook.

The brook curves in from centre left and round the top to pass close by the long closed Grange Lane Station. In this swathe if open farmland were two small communities. Adjacent to Pismire Hill (a name which has disappeared from use in Sheffield) was Shire Green, a collection of cottages on Hatfield House Lane.

Half way down the hill was Lower (or Nether) Shire Green.

The new estate that developed from 1931 onwards would be known a Shiregreen and one of the main roads was given the name Nethershire Lane.

It is buses to these places that harboured fbb's ghastly mistake.

More tomorrow!

"70" plate P.S.

Just for the record, as well as a 70 plate for GoAhead North East ...

... Diamond Bus North West had one out on the road.

So the critical question has to be, "Which one was the first in service, the first to be available for paying passengers?"

Somebody "out there" may know.

But does anybody care?

 Next ghastly mistake blog : Tuesday 8th September