“Millhouses Lido… that place blew my mind” – Remember the 80s in Sheffield? Star readers get nostalgic

We all love to take a look back in time, get those rose-tinted specs on and reminisce about days gone by. We asked our readers what they missed most about Sheffield in the 1980s.
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Here’s what our readers had to say when they looked back in time.

Looking back, Ann Marie McElearney has quite the list, “Hole in’t road, nightlife, Castle Market, shopping on a Saturday afternoon after work, Woolies*, hustle and bustle... all those people.”

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*Regarding ‘Woolies’, that’s the high street icon Woolworths for those not in the know.

Bingham and Browne, Castle Market, Sheffield in 1980Bingham and Browne, Castle Market, Sheffield in 1980
Bingham and Browne, Castle Market, Sheffield in 1980

Angela Rawson fondly recalls “The pubs! The 80s was my era for going daarn taarn, so many great bars and clubs.”

Rebecca Hardy can’t ever forget, “The pavement artists in the hole in the road & Wimpy.”

Do you remember this much-loved part of the city as much as Sarah Singleton, who cast her mind back to, “Millhouses Lido… that place blew my mind... too poor for holidays… that was my holiday resort on the No 4 bus.”

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Andrew Speight shared an image of a beer mat for the long gone, Wards Bitter, naturally the best, eh?

Bingham and Browne, Castle Market, Sheffield in 1980Bingham and Browne, Castle Market, Sheffield in 1980
Bingham and Browne, Castle Market, Sheffield in 1980
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Is this how your typical Saturday looked in Sheffield in the 1980s?

Being comfortable in the city I love

Andy Barclay commented that he still does, “Miss the hole in the road also the cheap bus fares also the fish & chip shop that was on Howard Street which is now How St cafe... Also the Globe Inn before it got modernised in the 1990s, which is also on Howard Street... All sadly missed.”

Mark Cotton added his most missed places, “Harringtons for jeans, Revolution Record shop, Castle Markets and the Crazy Daisy, many memories.”

Frank Henser fondly recalled enjoying a “Tea and a burger at Brian's Shaws in fish market”

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Do you miss all of the live music? Martin Fisher does, highlighting, “The music scene. For a short while Sheffield was at the forefront of British music.”

One of the most popular responses came from Sarah Luddington, who pointed out, “The Limit. Don’t let the Leadmill join it as historic venue, now gone.”

Everything was a lovely city what happened

Many people reference nights out on’t town. Lisa Haigh recalled a number of venues she missed, “Wapentake, Romeo & Juliets, Cairo Jax, Henry's, The Metro, Millionaires. The list goes on...”

Paul Register followed up with two of his faves, “The Wapentake and the Gaumont cinema.”

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Julie Ann Housley remembers, “Feeling safe to walk about the city centre the old markets were the best now its just run down and looking derelict in places.”

It’s a view shared by Mel Machin, who noted “Our clean thriving and safe city centre.”

Michelle Humberstone commented that the city had, “The friendliest people. Also Sheffield Markets on Haymarket.”

With a little mirth, Alison Atkinson Buckton misses, “Being young.” Don’t we all?

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And, Sheila Marshall wistfully remembered “The fish tank, as you walked under the hole in the road.”

Decent shops, a safe city centre, somewhere you want to go not avoid.

Mark Davenport says that, “It was always so busy, Chapel walk bustling one off shops, Meadowhall killed our city centre, some cities built shopping centres out of the centre, without any impact in the centre itself, maybe Sheffield didn't have the footfall, for two shopping areas?”

Caz Hanson misses, “The variety of shops, you could spend a full day in town, now there's only food, food and more food, oh and pound shops. Not been to town for years.” Surely we have some recommendations for Caz here?”

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Not everyone missed the 80s though, and with good reason in many respects.

David Wright recalled, “A city where you could visit in your car and support the city centre shops without Rd closures and cycle lanes. Sheffield is now the city for cyclists but with no shops or heart.”

Ellah Lockawn Nush notes – with more than a hint of sarcasm – “I miss all the strikes and narrow minded opinions and the abject racism.”

Finally, Steven William Collins says that, “I just want to be able to put my car on, or off, my drive without being blocked by parents around a school. Lived here since the 1970s, and believe me I wish it was still the 70s!” Maybe we’ll do the 70s sometime soon then.

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