Sheffield retro: Remembering Ken Cornthwaite, the unsung hero who looked after Hole in the Road fish tank

Celebrated in song and art, the aquarium which was built into a wall of the subway is fondly remembered by those who used the subway at Castle Square in the city centre before it was filled in in 1994 to make way for the new tram system. But not everyone is familiar with the selfless figure who gave up his time to look after the fish it contained.

Ken Cornthwaite would travel by bus five times a week from his home in Highfields to feed the fish, which included rudd, roach, goldfish, carp and bream, and to clean out the tank.

The former pipefitter took on the role voluntarily after writing to the council to complain that he felt the fish weren’t being properly looked after and the tank was in a poor condition. He was paid only his expenses.

Before the Hole in the Road was filled in, many of the fish were moved to a pond in Ken’s back garden. He sadly died in 1996, aged 63, just weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.

Speaking before the Hole in the Road was filled in, Ken, who was a keen fish-fancier, told how many people didn’t realise that fish had their own personalities. He said: “You can get shy fish, fish that are really bold, fish that won’t feed until your back’s turned.”

As well as looking after the existing fish, Ken re-stocked the tank after assuming responsibility.

He described how he would feed the fish a mixture of maggots and pellets, and they could consume a pint of maggots in two days. He said the tank was ‘like a four-star hotel’ for the fish, which you could tell by how healthy they looked, but he despaired of people scrawling graffiti on the tank or ‘slapping’ their takeaway leftovers on the glass.

Ken’s sister Kath Hammond spoke of her pride at how he had looked after the fish, smartening up the tank which had been in ‘such a sorry, dirty state’ before he took over. She said he ‘enjoyed every minute’ of looking after the fish as he was so fond of them.

The Hole in the Road had been created in 1967 with the fish tank a part of it from the start. The subway and roundabout was built when many of the old streets damaged by bombs during the Sheffield Blitz were cleared to make way for the new Arundel Gate dual carriageway.

As well as the fish tank, it contained shops, stalls and toilets, with elevators connecting it with the streets above. In its later years it became blighted by graffiti, vandalism and crime.

We’d love to hear of any unsung heroes, past or present, who you feel deserve recognition for their contribution to the city. Email [email protected].