“I remember the first computer at Town Hall”: 100 year-old Doris recalls how Sheffield has changed

- Doris Shakespeare, Sheffield resident, 100 years young

“Today I turn 100 years old, and I’ve never had so much fuss made over me in my life. I’ve had lots of cards and so many lovely residents from my flats came together to celebrate with me. We had a party with three hours of singing all our favourite songs.

Looking back, Sheffield has changed more than I could have ever imagined.

I moved to Chapeltown in 1964 with my family. My husband worked for BP, near Ecclesfield and Brightside, and I took a clerical job with an oil company in Deepcar. I also worked for a while at the Northern General Hospital.

Our children went to school in Ecclesfield, so we were properly settled into life here.

I’ll never forget when we moved to Chapeltown. There were coal mines at Thorpe Hesley called the Smithy Wood Collieries.

My son was just a little boy, and he looked out the window and shouted, “Mummy, there’s Butlins over there!”. He was pointing to the buckets of coal being transported.

They moved like a fairground ride, floating through the air. That colliery was a major place - cable belt transport, two shafts and 590 men producing hundreds of thousands of tons of coal.

Back then, Fir Vale was known as a geriatric hospital - I remember it being called Fir Vale Infirmary before it became part of the Northern General Hospital in 1967.

I also remember being told about the Hallamshire hospital being built too. When I lived in Sheffield it didn’t exist.

There was a massive hospital, which I think was the Royal Hospital on West street. I remember that hospital had nightingale wards - large open-plan wards with dormitory-style accommodation.

It's strange to think how hospitals have changed since then - just like the city around them.

The Moor used to be so busy. It was the shopping heart of Sheffield.

I still remember the stores we all loved - Woolworth, Robert Brothers, C&A,Cockayne’s - which became Schofields, BHS and the toy shop, Redgates.

We were even lucky enough to have two Marks and Spencers, one on the Moor and one in Fargate.

There was also the Sheffield Central Post office on Fitzallen square.

I recall going in to buy the children's uniform from Cole Brothers too.

Now most of them are gone - the only one still going is Atkinsons.

Everything else has changed with all the new office blocks and flats in the city centre. It feels like another world.

One of my clearest memories is from when the first computer was delivered to the Town Hall.

It was election time, and I was helping out with the vote.

I remember seeing a huge crowd outside the Town Hall so I asked someone what was happening, and they said, “They’re delivering the computer.”

It was the size of a fridge freezer- huge - nothing like the tiny things we have now. We were all amazed.

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When I first came to Sheffield, bus fares were just 15 pence. The council ran the buses, and you could get to pretty much any part of the city for that. Imagine that today - now the fares are two or three pounds.

Even with all these changes, there’s so much to love.

I think Sheffield is very pleasant. I adore the trees and there’s a lovely bank of them across from where I live.

I still go out walking frequently, or scoot around in my buggy to stay active.

That’s one of the secrets to enjoying living to an impressive age like mine - keep enjoying life, and living well.

One of the best things about Sheffield is how quickly you can be out in the countryside too. Just a few minutes and you’re surrounded by green fields and rolling hills that feel like they go on for miles.

Sheffield has changed alot in my time, but I am still very happy to call it home.”