Flat's entertainment

Peter York, one of the 75,000 people who lived there (from 1989-92) but probably the only tenant who has memorised Henry Purcell's harpsicord scores, says: "Peculiar people went down well at Kelvin.

"The fact that you lived on Kelvin meant that you automatically belonged. The place was full of characters and you had to be a character to survive."

Ducking and diving meant knowing you could buy a teabag for 2p from Betty's shop, not paying your rent and the council not getting too worried, getting free EEC butter and meat, free trips abroad and, as for free sex, you only had to ask.

Once someone robbed the post office and handed out 20 notes to residents like Robin Hood.

Pete, a 39-year-old musician, has written a book about life on Kelvin flats called, helpfully, Life On Kelvin Flats. You can buy it at Rare and Racy on Devonshire Green for a fiver but hurry, there is only one copy in the world although if it sells he will print some more.

Or you can download it from the internet.

Peter went on to live at Hyde Park (1989-92) and Park Hill (until 1999), from which he could see his old bedroom in the half demolished block for a good six months, flying ducks still on the wall.

He came down to earth in Lodge Moor but felt uneasy and now lives on the 12th floor of a council block in Hull. But Sheffield is where his heart is.

Peter, who writes very well and takes evocative pictures, says: "You've heard of John Betjeman touring England and writing a book? I tour council flats."

He says there was "an invisible barrier around Kelvin" and it drew people together. They had something in common.

As he writes: "The longer I stayed at Kelvin, the more I realised that somewhere along the line, almost everybody was related.

"Or at the very least, most people were somebody else's ex, and their ex also lived next door.

"A lot of the rivalries were between one extended family and another.

"Even after a family split, the parents would just get separate flats on the same block, and Kelvin became more and more like one big happy family."

Peter, who says he was "a good boy" and kept away from sexual entanglements on Kelvin, tells some good yarns.

When the local Safeway complained tenants were nicking from its shelves they organised a boycott and the flats' newsletter advised people to take the service 33 to Netto in Walkley.

"The funny thing was, a lot of people were pinching from Safeway!" he writes.

Seeing Red Tape studios had got a council grant to set itself up, he got 250 from the Prince's Trust for one in his bedroom. It was well used.When tenants got new 1,000 security doors they were actually paid for the hassle of having them installed.

If you hold strong views on councils and others handing out money to the less well-off then Peter's book will only make your blood boil.

If you lived on Kelvin and kept out of the scams you might be angry at being tarred with the same brush.

As for Peter, he's written it "to get it out of my system. I was fed up talking about it."

Visit the website www.freewebs.com/lifeonkelvinflats