Honestly. The weather up North has been decent. You’d expect nothing less from me.
No-one else seemed interested in my Latest Lockdown (3) Walk to the Wardsend Cemetery on the Owlerton Industrial Estate, which should tell you a lot.
My first venture into industrial Hillsborough, where views of the Don are vanishingly rare.
I’ve only been to two greyhound stadiums ever. Once, in Walthamstow, because Blur had just made greyhound racing more popular than football. And once in Chester-le-Street when the venue made the GBG a decade ago as part of the programme to get all CLS’s clubs and sporting venues in the Guide.
Sadly the Owlerton Stadium doesn’t feature on WhatPub, but the functional looking Old Crown outside on the A61 promises “2 changing beers” and a touch of ’20s elegance. Alan Winfield (not shown) visited in 2010.
You wouldn’t know we were in Lockdown. ALL of the industrial units along the A61 are full of unmasked life, repairing Bentleys, boilers and Beko fridges. You can’t buy a pint, watch a gig, or celebrate a rare Sheffield United goal (all fair enough), but you CAN get your white goods upgraded. Discuss.
I went round the back of Owlerton, fearing the worst.
Oooh look, the Bassett man. Let’s call him Dave.
A footbridge leads to steep steps up through the (invisible) gates of a picturesque cemetery, the scene of a riot on 3/6/1862 that matched the furore at home last night when I drank the last can of craft Mrs RM had her eye on.
The ascent, steep but not slippy, takes you to the northern end of Parkwood Springs, and gives gorgeous views to more than 237 Sheffield breweries.
During Lockdown some Sheffield Wednesday fans have climbed here to attempt a view of the footy action at Hillsborough (top pic). But not many.
I was interested in pubs, dead or alive.
The descent into scruffy Shirecliffe (see : the little park south of Donovan Road that resembles a war zone) is a mud bath, but I finally get my reward as the Forty Foot hoves into view.
Yes, it’s keg. No, Alan didn’t make it there. And who knows if it’s REALLY named after the 40 foot washes in my own Fenlands.
But Johns is £2.50 for Loyalty Card members. And you know how us tickers love a loyalty card.
“repairing Bentleys”
Bentley’s Yorkshire Breweries of Woodlesford, Leeds was acquired by Whitbread in 1968 with with 380 tied houses.
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What does it mean “to get your white goods upgraded”? And over here we expect honesty from everyone. And with that comment I don’t think I need to define over here.
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“White goods” meaning fridges, freezers, hoovers etc. Still defined as essential goods so you can still buy or get them repaired.
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One effect of Covid has been the lack of fridges and freezers here in the US. A combination of lower output from factories hit by Covid cases, and people having nothing else to do but home improvement projects.
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A lack of fridge and freezers ? No wonder Trump lost the election.
You read a lot of opinion that we should have a stricter lockdown with all factories and shops, but you know there’d be uproar if folk hear couldn’t get a microwave or ready meal or car service.
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“the lack of fridges and freezers” but a surfeit of microwaves ’cause Tim’s stopped buying them up !
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“Honestly. The weather up North has been decent.”
No snow yet ?
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I guess those photos were taken yesterday, Paul. It’s certainly snowing now and has been for many hours.
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It might be in your part of town, Paul, but the sun always shines on the righteous pub ticker. ;-0
It was Tuesday. Haven’t left the house, even for my Walkley Beer Co. take-out.
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Will, Martin,
So which of you lives nearest Brightside ?
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Which pub are you hoping I’ll go and take photos of, Paul ?
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Brightside, recorded in the fifteenth century as “Brekesherth”, apparently takes its name from some ploughed land belonging to someone called Brik. There is no evidence that he was of a particularly sunny disposition.
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That ain’t the Brekshirth we voted for…
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Martin,
I think it was a Railway or a Crown I’d see from the train but I don’t think I’ve noticed them since the railway station closed maybe about a quarter of a century ago.
Don’t go out of your way to take pictures of them though.
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There was a station at Brightside ?
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I did !
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Martin,
Yes, and I’ve just looked up the details.
Brightside railway station is a former railway station in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The station served the communities of Brightside and Wincobank and was situated on the Midland Main Line on Holywell Road, lying between Attercliffe Road and Holmes railway station.
The station opened on 1 November 1838, at the same time as the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway from Wicker station and had two platforms although four tracks went through. The two outside tracks were for freight use whilst the two inside tracks were used by both stopping and express trains.
Despite the opening of Meadowhall Interchange in 1990, the station remained open until 1995. A limited service had continued in its last three years and the station closed without fanfare with a poster announcing that all remaining trains could be caught at Meadowhall.
Both platforms remain today albeit stripped of their features and in a bad state of repair; the standard South Yorkshire style bus shelters which had replaced the station buildings by the early 1980s were removed in early 2006. The footbridge remains open a public right of way from Dearne Street to Station Lane, however access to the platforms has been blocked off since the station’s closure.
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Huge covering today, Paul. Already turning to sludge so didn’t stop me going for a couple of pints takeout of the Red Willow just now.
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Just fog in Stafford now.
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“My first venture into industrial Hillsborough,”
You seem a bit down, so I won’t make fun of any names on the OS map. 😉
“where views of the Don are vanishingly rare.”
That’s a cracking good photo below.
“Alan Winfield (not shown) visited in 2010.”
Sigh. Look, our youngest and his g/f just arrived to pick up the 1982 RV we purchased on their behalf. So kindly forgo with the seductive photos as I can’t even go for a lie down, let alone… you know. 😉
“but you CAN get your white goods upgraded. Discuss.”
Um, is that where you exchange your tighty whiteys for proper boxers?*
* asking for a friend who is habitually in his underpants. 🙂
“the scene of a riot on 3/6/1862 that matched the furore at home last night when I drank the last can of craft Mrs RM had her eye on.”
Egads! Though, this explains somewhat why you’re constantly out of the house the next day. 🙂
“During Lockdown some Sheffield Wednesday fans have climbed here to attempt a view of the footy action at Hillsborough (top pic). But not many.”
Tsk, tsk. Buy a drone and use that. 🙂
“And who knows if it’s REALLY named after the 40 foot washes in my own Fenlands.”
If you believe that, Brooklyn bridge for sale and so on. 🙂
Cheers
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Mrs RM “DON’T leave the house ! Not for ANYTHING. It’s dangerous !”
.
8 hours later.
.
Mrs RM “Go and get us some beer”.
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#priorities
Beer > RM
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Good spot, our Scott. And my lad wanted me to go out for a loaf of bread at 9pm last night.
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9pm???? Ye Gods, haven’t been out that late since March… Is there life at such an hour these days????
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Morrissey and Marr misspelt “cemetery” in the title of The Smiths song Cemetry Gates, about Southern Cemetery in Manchester, although I’m not sure anyone knows why.
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Educashion in Salford isn’t much cop.
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Belligerent ghouls run Manchester schools…
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(applause)
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