East End of Sheffield, June 1989

[HughieD]

OK, so there's been a bit of lead time in me sharing this explore (23 years to be exact). But hopefully people will find it interesting. Here's a bit of background.

Back in 1989 the East End of Sheffield, Attercliffe and Brightside, resembled something out of 'Apocolypse Now'. It was a very sad fall from grace for the area of a city that was once the powerhouse of the industrial revolution and home of Benjamin Huntsman who pioneered the crucible steel process back in 1740 and Harry Brearley who discovered stainless steel in 1912. The year of 1989 was a particularly grim one for Sheffield. The city, already reeling from the terminal decline of its once proud steel industry, then endured the horrors of the Hillsborough Disaster. You could almost taste the desolation in this part of the city.

In 1989 I was doing my "City and Guilds in Photography". For my Black and White Photography module I chose "Dereliction" hence took a number of pictures of the city's decaying steel industry. The thing that struck me when I went down the East End was the sheer scale of dereliction: factory after factory waiting to be knocked down. The other startling thing was the complete lack of people in this once prosperous part of the city. And it wasn't just industrial dereliction. All the pubs, cafes and shops that supported the armies of steel workers also slipped into a terminal decline.

Anyhow, hope you like the pictures.


Eastend23_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend01_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend02_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend03_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend04_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend05_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend06_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend07_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend08_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend09_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend10_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend11_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend12_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend14_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend15_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend16_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend17_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend18_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend19_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend20_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend21_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

 

[wolseyone]

Awesome stuff

 

[Silent Hill]

These are important images of the era, and would really benefit being shown in an exhibition of some sort to highlight the industrial decline in the area.

Beautifully captured mate. Stuff like this excites me, and thanks for putting them up

 

[MCrosbie]

Very nice. do you have any more? shame about the Gents clock though

 

[HughieD]

These are important images of the era, and would really benefit being shown in an exhibition of some sort to highlight the industrial decline in the area.

Beautifully captured mate. Stuff like this excites me, and thanks for putting them up

Cheers Silent Hill. You're right. Was trying to find exisitng pictures via Google picture search to try and help me identify individual factories etc but there is little up there to be honest.

 

[shatners]

Really nice set Hughie.. good to see some nice old film shots

 

[HughieD]

Very nice. do you have any more? shame about the Gents clock though

Thanks MCrosbie. There may be one or two others - will have a sift. All on negative of course so not as easy to find as digital images! If I find any more will add them to this thread.

We did shoot a video for my then band in the building shown in the first picture. Here's a link so you can see inside the building...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaWslqSEiJ8"]Poisonous Little Creatures - Head[/ame]

 

[Silent Hill]

Well that vid got my feet tapping Cool

 

[perjury saint]

Very nice indeed!

 

[Ramsgatonian]

Certainly different, love seeing old urbex photographs!

 

[Pen15]

Very special batch of images, Hughie and agreed with Silent Hill. They should be displayed in an exhibition. Sheffield is now a very forward looking city and very proud of its heritage. I would think that you would have a great opportunity to show these fine works and they would be received well.

Although I do have a strong bias about Sheffield

Music wasn't bad either!

 

[mookster]

Beautiful photos!

 

[ajarb]

Back in 1989 the East End of Sheffield, Attercliffe and Brightside, resembled something out of 'Apocolypse Now'.

Some parts of Sheffield STILL resemble something out of 'Apocalypse Now'!

 

[flyboys90]

Those photos were superb,thanks for sharing.

 

[krela]

That's some proper history right there! Fantastic stuff.

They might be giants AND Aztec Camera...

 

[Wakey Lad]

Simply stunning - This is what its all about :yes:

 

[HughieD]

Thank you all for your lovely comments. I only found Derelict Places a few weeks ago. I'm so pleased to find such a great bunch of like-minded people interested in exploring, photography, dereliction and architecture.

I've just found a few more pictures - including some rare colour pictures.


Eastend27_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend26_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend25_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr


Eastend28_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...and one last black and white one....


Eastend24_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

 

[Dexter24]

Fantastic photos, especially the third colour one that's a cracker, Film certainly gives a new dimension to the images that you don't get with digital.

 

[theoss]

OK, so there's been a bit of lead time in me sharing this explore (23 years to be exact). But hopefully people will find it interesting. Here's a bit of background.

Back in 1989 the East End of Sheffield, Attercliffe and Brightside, resembled something out of 'Apocolypse Now'. It was a very sad fall from grace for the area of a city that was once the powerhouse of the industrial revolution and home of Benjamin Huntsman who pioneered the crucible steel process back in 1740 and Harry Brearley who discovered stainless steel in 1912. The year of 1989 was a particularly grim one for Sheffield. The city, already reeling from the terminal decline of its once proud steel industry, then endured the horrors of the Hillsborough Disaster. You could almost taste the desolation in

I started an apprenticeship just outside Sheffield around the time these were taken. Used to walk accross the building site of Meadowhall every morning- have you any pictures of what that area looked like before the land was sold off for a quid? One of my first explores was after I deviated from the canal and into a site under the viaduct (hatields I think). I think the decline was just starting. I remember seeing the weekly job vacancies notices outside many industrial sites, you could literally walk out on one job Friday and start another Monday back in the day. My mum's dad was a foreman at forgemasters and the genorisity of people in thay day was incredible, if he was waiting a bus, he would pay the fare of everyone waiting, if he knew them or not.

I was up on Wincobank Hill looking across towards Tinsley sheds were just last Friday, and I saw the orange glow of steel being brought out. Last Summer, I was talking to security at Shepcote lane steelworks, and now the main plant has gone, he told me they cannot keep up with orders.

I think the irony of meadowhall is when it was built, job creation was a major selling point to Sheffield as the process of industrial decline bit in, but now we see the same changes occuring in the retail sector. People finding cheaper and more convienient ways of doing what they need to do.

it's a whole new landscape now, still got the same level of council ineptitude we had that gave us a licensing officer (still employed by the council) that failed to ensure compliance at Hillsborough (Many agencies seemed to have slipped under the responsibility radar regarding that event) . Now the council want to close a range of facilities down including everything from respite centres to Don Valley Stadium.

 

[wolseyone]

i find it quite sad seeing the decline of sheffields industrial past much the same as leicesters hosiery and northamptons shoe trade