Images of Tibshelf past
This page is still being developed. More photographs will be added as they become available.
Parish Council Minutes Tibshelf Past Tibshelf Now
The following photos show Tibshelf as it was prior to Second World War and indeed earlier. Photographs of the village as it now, and which will be posted on the site later will show how much, or how little Tibshelf has changed. Click on 21C in text box to see the same view today.
|
|
|
|
21C This is the bridge on High Street which carried the main road over the Great Central Railway line from Sheffield to Nottingham. It effectively divided the village in two giving rise to the names Bottom End and Top End for the northern and southern ends of the village respectively. The residents are known as Top Enders and Bottom Enders. The building to the left is the old vicarage, with railway workers cottages to the right. The Parish Church of St. John The Baptist can be seen in the distance. |
21C Chesterfield Road, as the name implies, is the main road out of the village (one of five) to Chesterfield some 8 miles to the north. The nearest building on the left was a small shop selling bread, cakes and sweets, amongst other provisions, and was affectionately known as "Waggies" after the proprietor, Mr. Wagstaffe | 21C High Street again, this time a little further south than in the first picture. The buildings on the left are now demolished, a house having been built on the site in the 1950s. Similarly the gable end and the buildings immediately beyond, have also been demolished. The building in the distance is the Wheatsheaf Hotel, whilst in the distance, the Parish Church can just about be seen. | Known locally as Rock House Corner, this is the junction of High Street at its southern end, and where it becomes Doe Hill Lane, with Alfreton Road. The picture was taken in the 1930s/40s after work had begun on the road widening scheme. Rock House Farm can be seen just on the right of the picture. |
|
|
|
|
| Rock House Corner again, this time a much earlier picture showing how the road was cut through the rock | 21C One of seven watering holes in Tibshelf can be seen in the background, the White Hart, which stands at the junction of Chesterfield Road to the left, and Mansfield Road. This part of Mansfield Road is now called High Street,. with the former now starting at the road junction with Chesterfield Road. The bus is going to Underwood some10- miles to the south. The buses still stop here. | 21C The White Hart again, this time with the view point a little further south, and slightly to the west, showing Mill Farm and the associated buildings, long since demolished. |
Mill Farm, full on, from then, Mansfield Road. The house still remains, but all the out buildings have long since disappeared. Originally a steam driven corn mill, I believe. A pond once stood on this site, presumably to provide the water for the mill. |
|
|
|
|
| 21C Taken from outside the Savoy Cinema which stood next door to the "Slap & Tickle" public house. The farm buiilding to right has disappeared, the site now being occupied by a late 20th century bungalow. | 21C Taken from High Street close to the junction with Staffa Drive. The photograph is pre 1912, as the stone buildings on the left were demolished to make way for the brick semi detached houses "up the steps". The date on thses houses is 1912. |
21C Another view of High Street, probably taken just before or just after World War II. Certainly prior to the widening of Hifg Street because there is no footway on the left hand side of the road. Note the open highway drainage channel. Croft's the Chemists original shop still stands. It was also a provisions and grocery store then, as well as an agricultural supplier. |
21C The rear of the original vicarage at the top end of the bridge, demolished in the 1970s. Again not much of this view remains, the railway cutting also having been filled in years ago. A glimpse of the old wooden Church Hall can be seen on the extreme right. |
|
|
|
|
21C Tibshelf Parish Church prior to its remodelling at the turn of the 19th century. It was then dedicated to SS Peter & Paul, and Tibshelf's feast day is still those saints' day, June 29th. Thats when the wakes used to set up on the old Co-op Field opposite the Post Office, where the flats and the Village Hall now stand |
21C Taken from just below the old telephone exchange, this is Sunny Bank probably in the 1950s. The road was unmade then, and continued right up to the ponds, known then as "The Rezzer". Originally owned by St. Thomas' Hospital, the properties were eventually owned by the Blackwell Rural District Council who demolished them as unfit properties. They would have ben occupied by the miners' who worked at the "Bottom Pit", the slag heap of which can just be discerned in the distance. | 21C Prospect Terrace once stood where the new Staffa Health Centre is located. All that remains in this view is the stone retaining wall. The Off License was owned by the long serving Chesterfield F.C. centre half, Dave Blakey, who incidentally, played more games for Chesterfield FC than any other player. | Taken on 6th May 1935, the photograph is of the open air service held on the Sports Ground on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of His Majesty King George V. The chimnies of the original houses on Sunny Bank can just be seen in the background. |
|
|
|
|
| The old bridge which carried High Street over the railway line. The bridge was replaced around 50 years ago when it became unsafe. Passengers travelling on the upper deck of buses passing over it, had to walk over the bridge in order to spread the load. Its replacement, which was a then, state of the art construction still stands, and will have soon have lasted longer than the original structure. | Tibshelf Town Station looking south. Originally the Great Central Railway, then the L. N. E. R. In the distance can be seen the goods shed and signal box.The Station buildings to the right were replaced in the 1950s by a smaller shelter type structure. From here the line went to Nottingham Victoria via Kirkby Bentinck, Hucknal Tokard and New Basford. | Tibshelf Town Station looking north sometime between 1960 and 1967. The old Vicarage is still standing as is the Church Hall, but the old cottages have already been replaced by the flats on High Street. The next station was Pilsley, thence to Chesterfield Central via Heath. By this time the station had undergone some changes. | Another view of Tibshelf Station, this time much earlier, and judging from the posed station staff, probably an official Great Central Railway photograph. The canopies are much larger here, extending to the edge of the platform. |
|
|
|
|
| 21C Judging by the fashions, this photograph was probably taken before the First World War. This part of High Street was then known as Staffa Street, the view point being just above the Tibshelf Equitable Co-operative Society's main shop. opposite the infants' school. All these buildings remain today, although some have changed, and not for the better, needing to combat the scourges of crime and vandalism. | An aerial view of High Street just below the bridge. The Derwent Drive/ Peveril Road estate isn't there so it has to be pre-1955. Also missing are the council bungalows on Back Lane. The little cottage which was dated around 1627 was replaced by a modern bungalow many years ago. It would have probably been a Listed Building had it survived the demolition madness of the 50's through to the 70's. | A very early photograph taken outside a new looking "Wheatsheaf". What was the parade for? King Edward VII's Coronation, Queen Victoria's Jubilee, Victory Parade at the end of the First World War, Whit Sunday Walk, Carnival? Any ideas? Please let us know. | No historic photographic record of Tibshelf would be complete without an image of what is probably the best known building in the village after the Church. Judging by the fashions on the posed residents, this photograph probably dates back to the 1920s at the very latest. Until very recently, the cottage which dates back to the 1600s, only had thatch to the front of the roof, the rear being pantiles. It is one of only three Listed Buildings in the village. |
|
|
|
|
Tibshelf's main claim to fame is the location of the first land based oli well in the UK being with the parish boundaries. The well was sunk in the early 1920s, producing small amounts of high quality oil. Production ceased in the 1930s although it recommenced during the Second World War to assist with the war effort. Production ceased with the end of hostilities. All that remains is a storage tank and various pieces of pipework. |
Town Farm house on High Street, prior to alterations. Didn't it look a handsome house with the chimneys still on it? May be someday, a sympathetic owner will put them back and restore the building to its former glory. | Another aerial view this time takem from over the railway line. Tibshelf Town Station layout can be seen very clearly. The fields on the left are now built on; the Staffa Drive estate. It can also be seen, that whilst West View had alraead been built, the Derwent Drive estate had not. This dates the photo to the very early 1950s.The Savoy cinema is also visible on the extreme left | Another view looking towards the Church from over the bridge.The old Church Hall can clearly be seen peeping out just beyond the row of terraced houses. This was the centre of Village social life, providing a home for many village organisations, and hosting the Saturday Night dances, and the Church Yout Club. What no one realised, that being all wood, it was an immense fire risk, but we survived. |
Click on photo to enlarge |
Click on photo to enlarge |
||
| A colour retouched
photograph of the pricipals at the first Tibshelf Carnival in 1935. The Carnival
Queen in the pink dres was Miss M. Irons, and the carnival King in the pale blue
jacket was Roy Hall. The attendants were D. Smith (far left), and Joyce Woodland (far
right), with Bill Gardner at the back. Photograph kindly loaned by Mrs.Joyce Holmes |
The crowning of the Carnival Queen by Charlie Wass, a local
luminarie. Also in the photo is the, then, local midwife, Nurse Morriss, and Mr. Reynolds.
The dresses were made by local dressmaker, Mrs. Reddigton who lived at 28, Spa Croft. Photograph kindly loaned by Mrs.Joyce Holmes |
Tibshelf street names which have now disappeared, plus significant events in Tibshelf's recent history.
STAFFA STREET
Now part of High Street between Vicar Lane and Hardwick Street. Disappeared in the 1960s as a result of some umimaginative standardisation of street names by Blackwell RDC. Named after the Isle of Staffa in the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland, by the man who invested in the erection of the shops along Staffa Street between Vicar Lane and Hardwick Street, because he was so impressed with the island. The same gentleman had connections with the Seeley family who owned the "Bottom Pit". The name lives on in Staffa Drive at the "Bottom End"
JESSAMINE TERRACE
Small row of terrace houses of which now only one remains. The site is now Dennis Rye Ltd's. builders yard.
PRIMROSE TERRACE
A picturesque and evocative name which belies its location in the bottom pit yard. A small group of miners' houses built around 150 years ago but long since demolished, being unfit for modern habitation.
ST. THOMAS' ROW
Two long rows of artisans' houses built to accommodate the miners who worked at Tibshelf "Botom Pit". As with the houses on Primrose Terrace, which were similar in style, they were condemned and demolished in the late 1960s. They (St. Thomas' Row) formed part of a small but distinct community with its own pub, (Tibshelf and Newton Miners' Welfare), Church (The Mission, now the HQ of the Scouts and Guides), Alfreton Road Chapel, (long demolished and now a car park adjacent to the school), a grocery & general provisions shop (A branch of the the Tibshelf Co-op), and a fish and chip shop (Ada Ford's, who made lovely greasy, and overflowing with chlorestrol, traditional fish and chips). The Parish Sports Ground was also part of this thriving and unique community. Named after a major landowner in Tibshelf, St. Thomas' Hospital, the name lives on in St. Thomas' Close.
PROSPECT TERRACE
A row of terraced houses overlooking the then Mansfield Road (now High Street), and demolished in the 1970s. The Staffa Health Centre now ocupies the site. Ther northern end was an off-licence, the propietor being a stalwart of Chesterfield FC, the centre half (somewhere between mid-field and the back three, four or five) in the 1950s, and later, a scout for Burnley FC.
FOX PARK
A small row of terraced houses on Doe Hill Lane near the junction with Peewit (Pyewye) Lane, (also known as Nethermoor Lane). Demolished in the 1960s because they were considered unfit fior human habitation. The garage opposite (now Maun Motors) was known as Fox Park Garage, selling Esso Petrol, and later Jet.
THE CHICKEN RUN
Now part of the Five Pits Trail, the Chicken Run was a narrow footpath which ran from the Station Yard, parallel to the former railway, to Sunny Bank, opposite Elm Tree Row. The route is more or less that which is that followed by the Five Pits Trail.
BRYAN'S YARD
Adjacent to the the former chemist shop (now a travel agent's office), and named after the farmer who lived in the adjoining farm to the north east. The site is now ocupied by a detached house which erected in the early 1950s.
BREWERY ROW
Row of terraced cottages behind the Crown Hotel, and demoloished in the 1930s
SPIKE ISLAND
That area around the White Hart, and including the old cottages opposite. Exact boundaries not known.
GIANT'S BUM
A man made topographiclal feature between Staffa Drive and the Five Pit's Trail. Created as a result of tipping during the construcion of the Great Central Railway in the late 19th Cebturty. The form of the tipping was descriptive of a giant's bum. It is now largely overgrown and its original form is much less discerinble
TIBSHELF'S TORNADO
Not a tornado, but a whirlwind which wreaked havoc at the "Top End" from Chesterfield Road to Hardwick Street, and Brooke Street. The name was immortalised in Tibshelf's own successful marching band of the 1980s.......The Tibshelf Tornados. More information on the whirlwind will be included in the future.
THE FLOWER SHOW
A major event in Tibshelf which took place in early August every year at the Parish Sports Ground. Apart from the horticultural displays, and competitions for baking, animal breeding etc., the afternoon was taken up by an athletic event including runniing, cycling, tug-of-war etc. In the days before professional athletics, all prizes were in the form of goods which were displayed in the windows of the Tibshelf Equitable Co-operative Society Limited on High Street, or Staffa Street as it was known then. A page on Tibshelf's Flower Show w ill be included in the future.
THE WOODYARD FIRE
The Bottom Pit Yard was the repository of timber baulks which were used as pit props in the local mines. It was known locally as the Wood Yard. One day it caught fire.........!!!!!!! Its location was just beyond the reservoirs which are now the fishing ponds.
LANE END FARM FIRE
Two major fires within a short space of time. Lane End Farm is located near the junction of Chesterfield Road and High Street. Lane End Farm was noted internationally for its pig breeding. Unfortunately, the fire caused irredeamable loss to the concern.
JOHNSON'S NURSERIES
Chrysanthemum growers of world wide fame. The location of the nurseries was where St. Thomas' Close is now. They later moved to where Newton Road Stables are now, but by then it was too late. A sad loss to Tibshelf's heritage.
EDUCATION.
Before comprehensive education, pupils in Tibshelf who were successful in the 11 Plus went to Tupton Hall Grammar School. Those who were successful in the 13 Plus went to William Rhodes School, or Violet Markham's, both in Chesterfield. There are many instances of Tibshelf pupils who went on to greater things after failing the 11 Plus. Tibshelf School continues to be a beacon of local education.
TIBSHELF CO-OP
Tibsshelf Co-op was once known as the Tibshelf Equitable Co-operative Society Limited. It had branches not only at St. Thomas' Row, but also at Newton (near the War Memorial), Morton (opposite the Live and Let Live pub), and New Higham (near the cross roads on the A61). The Co-op boasted a butchers'. a drapery store, a general grocer's and provisions store, plus, in earlier times a bakery, cobblers, and many other outlets which you would expect from a major retail provider. Tibshelf Co-op was there before ASDA. A later branch, West View, was opened on Derwent Drive in the 1950s, which is now known affectionately as the Paki Shop for obvious reasons, and still thrives as a local retail outlet. Tibshelf Co-op was taken over by Mansfield Co-operative Societ Limited, and then by The Greater Nottingham Co-op. It has now lost all its branches and is just a local Late Shop.
CROFT BROS.
Once a major retail outlet in the village. Croft Brothers' was located on the open area of land opposite J&S News. Croft's were not only the local chemists', they were also a significant provisions merchants, rivalled only by the Co-op, and a provider to local agriculture. Croft Bros. had the first telephone number on the Tibshelf Exchange, Tibshelf 1, and this is still reflected in the telephone number of Croft's the Chemist at Waverley Street (872201) having gone through several metamophoses instigated by changes in the telephone numbering system.
DOCTORS' SURGERIES.
Prior to re-location at Tibshelf Health Centre, near the Church, and now the site of Enable, there were two doctors' surgeries. The "Top End" was served by Doctor Hurst, and later by Doctor Hunt, at Heathfield, on High Street, opposite Staffa Health Centre, and by Doctor Graham, whose surgery was in the building occupied, until recently, by Derbyshire Drapes. It subsequently became a Dental Surgery, relocated from Hill Brow on Alfreton Road, when it was known as Hesketh's Dental Surgery, inspiring much fear into the inhabitants of Tibshelf. I should point out that this fear was not caused by the practice itself, but by the fear which the populace in general had in respect of having ones' teeth pulled. "Fairy Scent" did nothing to allay the author's fears.
THE RAILWAYS.
Tibshelf once boasted three railway stations. The main station was Tibshelf Town, in the middle of the village, and accessed via Station Road at the side of the Wheatsheaf Public House. The line was built in the late 19th century by the Great Cental Railway Company, later to become part of the LNER. Lord Beeching sounded the death knell in the 1960s, all traffic ceasing in 1967. Doe Hill Station, although nearer Morton, is still in Tibshlf Parish, survived a little longer, and is located on the Midland Llne between Chesterfield and Nottingham. The line became part of the LMS. The third station, which closed to passenger trafiic in the 1930s, is now the location of Smith's Scrap Yard on Newton Road. The old station booking office is still there. The line itself remained open as a goods line serving the North Nottinghamshire Collieries at Silver Hill, Butchers' Wood, and beyond, providing an outlet to the main line at Westhouses well into the 1980s. This line was also part of the Midland line.
THE HILLY FIELDS
Depending on whether you were a "Top Ender", or a "Bottom Ender", the Hilly Fields were either down Westwood Lane, or the fields beyond Harrisons Lane. Thre streams once provided endless hours of pleasure for teh local childrren wither "fishing" for minnows, sticklebacks and bullheads, or tadpoles. Althernatively, you could build a "dam" with grass sods and create a small pond. Yes it was safe for kids of any age to go down the Hillies without adult supervision.
We are hoping to form a Tibshelf Historical Society, the aim of which will be to further the knowledge of Tibshelf's past and that of the immediate locality, to preserve the remaning historical fabric, and to encourage the restoration of lost areas of Tibshelf wherever it is practical and possible to do so. If you would be interested in helping in the formation of the Tibshelf Historical Society, please contact Mike Coupe on spacroft@aol.com or telephone on 01773 872780