They enjoyed great views, bustling pubs, all the mod cons, handy shops and plenty to do for everyone from children to pensioners.
But the thing which really set the huge high-rise housing complex apart were the wide walkways, dubbed the ‘streets in the sky’, which were designed to foster a sense of community among those living there.
The brutalist concrete blocks of flats were hailed for their design, seen when they first opened as a blueprint for modern city centre living.
They were certainly a huge improvement on the slum housing they replaced on the slopes overlooking inner city Sheffield.
The dream would eventually turn sour, with those living there plagued by crime and anti-social behaviour, and it would be many years before the latest redevelopment breathed new life into the complex, making it one of Sheffield’s trendiest and most sought-after addresses.
But these rarely seen photos, taken from Sheffield City Council’s ‘Park Hill Redevelopment Scheme’ brochure, produced in 1961, capture the good times when people had just moved into the new flats.
From darts in the pub to teenage discos, shops to the laundry, and much more beside, they show life in all its variety during the early 60s.
If you lived there back then, or knew someone who did, these nostalgic photos are sure to bring back plenty of memories.
They are shared courtesy of Picture Sheffield.
1. Hanging around
Children hang out in the playground at Sheffield's Park Hill flats in 1961 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
2. In the pub
Darts in the pub, believed to be the Parkway, at Park Hill in 1961. When the development opened, there were four pubs, with the others being the Earl George, the Link, and the Scottish Queen. | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
3. Coffee bar
In the coffee bar, with its jukebox, at Sheffield's Park Hill flats in 1961 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield
4. Bridges
Children playing on one of the bridges linking the blocks of flats at Park Hill in 1961 | Picture Sheffield Photo: Picture Sheffield