Sheffield retro: Rarely seen video captures forgotten Star Walk which attracted 250,000 spectators in heyday
It was once one of the biggest events in Sheffield, drawing up to 250,000 spectators in its heyday.
But more than two decades since it stopped, the Star Walk has been largely forgotten.
Now new rarely seen footage of the amateur walking race, organised by The Star newspaper, has been uncovered.
This video, showing competitors and spectators on Middlewood Road and Parkside Road, in Hillsborough, during the 1950s, was discovered by the Hillsborough and Owlerton Local History Group.
The footage, in which crowds are seen lining the route to cheer on walkers, is part of a series of four archive films called Hillsborough and Owlerton Retale, capturing a lost way of life during the 1930s, 40s and 50s.
They were acquired by the group in 2019, converted by the Yorkshire Film Archive using lottery funding, and professionally edited to make a retro video lasting just over an hour.
Jennifer Morton, chair of the history group, said that many people watching the film had never heard of the Star Walk and wanted to find out more.
She is keen to learn more about the route during the early 50s, when this footage was recorded.
While it’s understood the race began outside Kemsley House, on High Street, Sheffield, and passed through Hillsborough, Grenoside and Ecclesfield before finishing outside Owlerton Stadium, the exact route back then is not known.
What is known is that the Star Walk was run annually from 1922 until 2000, with the course varying in length from 12 to 20 miles.
It was a prestigious event, with some entrants, including Roland Hardy and John Warhurst, going on to represent their country at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
The race was initially only open to men but women were allowed to enter from the early 1970s.
The Star Walk’s popularity declined in the 1990s and it was cancelled, with the last race being held in 2000.
It was revived for a one-off event in 2013 to raise money for the Women of Steel statue at Barker’s Pool.
Anyone with information about the Star Walk during the 1950s, especially the route of the race, is asked to contact the Hillsborough and Owlerton Local History Group, which owns the footage.
For more about the group, visit: https://hillsboroughhistory.co.uk/