These nostalgic photos capture Sheffield as it looked during the 1940s and 50s, a period fast fading from living memory.
They show how Sheffield stood strong during the Sheffield Blitz, as the aerial bombardment brought buildings crashing down but failed to crush citizens’ spirits.
And they depict how Sheffield dusted itself off and rebuilt during the post-war years, shaping itself a bold new identity from amid the wreckage.
In the city centre, Walsh’s and Atkinsons department stores were rebuilt after being reduced to rubble. The Marples Hotel, where an estimated 70 people sheltering in the cellar had been tragically killed in a direct hit by a German bomb in 1940, also rose again.
Further out, construction started on Sheffield’s futuristic ‘streets in the sky’, as the Park Hill flats, replacing the old slum housing, were famously dubbed. It was also when work began on the ‘dreamland’ Gleadless Valley estate, while swathes of new homes were created in other suburbs.
This retro photo gallery shows youngsters queueing up for their school dinners and enjoying themselves in the playground, with those images likely to bring back memories for anyone who grew up in the 1940s or 50s.
The atmospheric black-and-white images take us along Fargate, The Moor, High Street and other major city centre thoroughfares, showing popular shops of the era, including Cole Brothers, Woolworths, Burton and Barratts.
They also take us out into the suburbs, including Handsworth, Hillsborough, Burngreave and Firth Park.
A steam train chugging out of Sheffield Midland station, the historic steelworks where Meadowhall now stands, a popular confectionery store and the old Mikado Cafe on Haymarket are just some of the other arresting images in this trip down memory lane.
Do these photos bring back any memories for you of Sheffield during the 1940s and 50s, and are there any old businesses you recognise?
1. Haymarket
Haymarket, Sheffield, where hay was once bought and sold, is pictured here in the 1950s. It was dominated at the time by Davy's food store, with 'The Old No 12' restaurant next door, and, beyond it, Davy's Mikado Cafe. Before the war, the Mikado offered an old-style Yorkshire tea, complete with ham or bacon and egg, for 1s 6d. Further along, the old Brunswick pub can also be seen. | Sheffield Newspapers
3. Corn Exchange
General view of the old Corn Exchange, Sheffield, showing the new Park Hill flats in the background and part of the wholesale fruit market, in 1959. The building was severely damaged by fire in 1947 and demolished in 1962 | Sheffield Newspapers
4. Haymarket
Haymarket, Sheffield, in 1955. On the right is Burton tailors, Lipton and Timpson's. Across the road, you can see Davy's Cafe and the Old No. 12 | Sheffield Newspapers