From a family gathering round the table for Sunday dinner in Parson Cross to workers at a sweet factory in Owlerton, they show often intimate everyday moments within the city’s tight-knit communities. BMX riders racing in the park, pigeon fanciers looking after their birds, eyes down at the bingo hall and drinkers enjoying a few pints in a sun-drenched beer garden are among the other nostalgic black and white images in this retro photo gallery.
Plenty has changed, like the video stores which used to be commonplace on our high streets, before Netflix and the other streaming giants made them redundant, and the popularity of the city’s working men’s clubs, which were thriving back in the 80s before their popularity took a knock and many were forced to close, though there are still a number of survivors still successfully pulling in the punters.
But some of the habits shown are reassuringly familiar, like the weekend rituals of washing your car (more frequent for some than others), trimming the lawn or taking your children to the local fete.
All the photos are shared courtesy of Picture Sheffield.
1. BMX riders in Parson Cross Park
BMX Riders in Parson Cross Park with Keppels Column on the skyline in 1989. The specially constructed circuit there is popular with BMX riders Photo: Picture Sheffield
2. Sunday dinner in Parson Cross
A family gather round the table at a home in Parson Cross, Sheffield, for their traditional Sunday dinner in 1989, when the weekly meal was still an 'institution' on the estate. Photo: Picture Sheffield
3. Cleaning the car
A resident on Sheffield's Parson Cross estate cleaning his car in 1989, when, according to the caption of this photo, nearly three-quarters of households in some areas lacked use of a car Photo: Picture Sheffield
4. Bassett's factory workers
Workers at the George Bassett and Co Ltd confectionery factory in Owlerton, Sheffield, out in support of the ambulance workers in 1989. The caption to this photo describes how many women worked the 'twilight' shifts, on which it says the local economy was 'very dependant. The factory is today owned by Mondelez International but still makes iconic sweets including Liquorice Allsorts and Jelly Babies . Many local women work the twilight shifts, on which the local economy is very dependant. The company has been taken over by the Cadbury/ Schweppes group, and now has an uncertain future. Photo: Picture Sheffield