It ran roughly parallel with Fargate and High Street with numerous narrow streets and alleys joining the two.
21 on the map became Sheffield's Cathedral with another long-lost memory being the markets at the bottom of the High Street (Shambles). Aged Sheffielders will remember this block becoming C&A.
21 on the map became Sheffield's Cathedral with another long-lost memory being the markets at the bottom of the High Street (Shambles). Aged Sheffielders will remember this block becoming C&A.
At the bottom of the hill ...
... Norfolk Street became Bakers Hill and descended to the ponds at the appropriately named Pond Street.
In about 1900 the Market Street/Jehu Lane block was levelled and rebuilt as Fitzalan Square complete with a magnificent shelter for bus and tram users.
In about 1900 the Market Street/Jehu Lane block was levelled and rebuilt as Fitzalan Square complete with a magnificent shelter for bus and tram users.
The square went through a number of iterations including the addition of subterranean public conveniences and a dungeon-office for transport inspectors.
These lasted well into fbb's residence. The bus shelter was eventually replaced by a tram shelter on the opposite side of the square.
Behind the photographer of the three pictures above appeared the grand Head Post Office Building ...
... abandoned for many years as an unused but listed building. It is now part of the ever-expanding Hallam University as their department of Art and Design.
Fitzalan Square itself has lost all of its character through road widening and "improvement"!
Bakers Hill ...
... became a set of steps leading down from the Square to Pond Street.
Sadly this little used link is now the target for vandalism ...
... and only the cobbles remain to, possibly, remind the few users of its heritage.
To tackle the problem of the hidden bus stops, we need to move back up the hill to Norfolk Street itself. Here is the road of old, with the distinctive tower of Victoria Hall on the left.
The road continued in a straight line right down to Fitzalan Square.
The Victoria Hall still stands ...
... with the TNT van obscuring the back doors of The Crucible theatre (as in Snooker's World Championship).
Today, Arundel Gate has expunged the ancient Change Alley from the map and thus the route through to the last bit of Norfolk Street ...
... which is now by way of underpass and gloomy steps ...
... to a bit of road renamed Esperanto Place.
And there, Tada!, is the former post office and the denuded Fitzalan Square.
But Sheffield City Council has a cunning plan. The square will be part pedestrianised (where will the buses go?) ...
... and the depressing Esperanto Place ...
... will become a pleasant through walkway to Arundel Gate, the Crucible and Norfolk Street.
To achieve this opening-up, the three rather tatty shops ...
... (through whose tunnel you currently have to travel) are being demolished.
Which brings us, at last, to the bus stops in that question posed in today's blog title!
For those blog readers who loudly chorus "Oh no, not MORE Sheffield", please bear in mind that fbb knows the city well and can speak from experience. The problems outlined in a typical Sheffield blog are often generic. As we will see tomorrow, how "they" deal with roadworks is something of a universal hassle.
Which brings us, at last, to the bus stops in that question posed in today's blog title!
For those blog readers who loudly chorus "Oh no, not MORE Sheffield", please bear in mind that fbb knows the city well and can speak from experience. The problems outlined in a typical Sheffield blog are often generic. As we will see tomorrow, how "they" deal with roadworks is something of a universal hassle.
Next missing bus stop blog : Wednesday 27th March
No comments:
Post a Comment