Sheffield Lost Stations - Sheffield Victoria on the old Great Central Railway Woodhead Line

[@Stannington]

It's all incredibly sad, I seem to remember that, as a young lad in the 1970s, getting on and off the train at Victoria during the bus strikes, when trains were put on to help commuters and shoppers. I remember walking up and down the ramp from the markets to the station and hotel. I still think there's a viable commuter route from Victoria to Penistone, maybe even joining the Huddersfield line at Penistone.

[@Carolb66]

It's so interesting round that part of Sheffield its my favourite part Paul. So much to look at the old infrastructure & the new part what's been done around Victoria Quay. Victoria Station hotel & surrounding railway buildings are great to look at. ❤😊

[@WobblyRunner]

I agree. I often think it's a very uncelebrated and utilised area of the city. I can't get my head around the scale of loss of Sheffield victoria

[@Carolb66]

@@WobblyRunner yes its a huge area I never understand why it had to close the midland station isn't the same. 😊

[@lporquai9048]

​@@Carolb66agree

[@ernestbailey9194]

Brought back my lovely memories when I caught a train to Manchester then onto Crewe in 1962. My only time catching a train from here. The run over Woodhead was brill, my 1st view of Jodrell Bank will never leave me. & I managed to go round both north & south sheds at Crewe. All from catching my train from this station..The man from ICI got most things wrong. But hey it is still happening now.

[@WobblyRunner]

Great to hear the memories Ernest.

[@simonquarta3227]

Thanks for posting. Used to live near by in the late 80's and had an occasional walk around there. The stairway to the Wicker was open for a time and the platforms were still in place.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Simon. I would love to have a walk up those stairs.

[@FlyingScott]

Quite interesting to see that in the attempt to honour the history of the Woodhead line, they decorated the walls of the bridge on the approach road with a locomotive that never worked over the line. (The locomotive in question being the Bulleid Pacifics)

[@damiendye6623]

Locomotive exchange trial a bulleid did work the line. Plenty of photos of it in Sheffield

[@lporquai9048]

Fascinating video...I love the wicker arches always remember coming into sheffield as soon as you hit the arches I'd smell the hops !!!... my mum used to go drinking in the station hotel... anyone remember "hole in the road" pub ? Thank you for the content

[@WobblyRunner]

Thank you very much. I remember the hole in the road, but i was only young. I didn't realise there was a pub?

[@lporquai9048]

Sorry I meant hole in the wall not road 😂... typo...it was called "hole in the wall " it was just past wicker arches was run down when I was little 90s

[@willswheels283]

It was certainly a large complex of a station, very interesting vid mate, thanks.

[@WobblyRunner]

👍🙂

[@jamespearson3345]

Love anything to do with Sheffield Victoria, would have been amazing to see back in its former glory

[@WobblyRunner]

Me too James. 👍

[@darleytransportandtravel6353]

I used to love the lighting fast journey from Penistone down to Victoria behind a DC Electric. Pity we can't get into Sheffield so fast anymore!

[@WobblyRunner]

That's a vast contrast to the stop start round the houses trip to Sheffield you'd be enduring now from Penistone 😄

[@philsooty61]

From the wicker arches there where stairs that lead up to the platform, my Mum used to take me to visit my Aunt in Manchester in the 1950's, you could also board at Neepsend, Wadsley Bridge, Outibridge and Deepcar, can't remember Stocksbridge though I think that was a goods line.

[@JamesBrown-wf2qk]

YES it was a great railway across the the Pennines the best route to Manchester . I worked there in the early 70s at deepcar before coming back in the 1980s at Sheffield Victoria covering the signalboxes at Sheffield Victoria no.3 and Sheffield Victoria no.4 and worked at signal boxes up to deepcar

[@WobblyRunner]

Nice one James. That's some great experience there and a piece of history you're part of.

[@aljonflavin6760]

Very good thanks.

[@WobblyRunner]

👍🙂

[@fenpikey]

I can recommend a film called The Navigators. In one scene, the hotel is seen from what looks like the olde Smithfield Market, river to the left with Blonk Street behind the cameraman. In another scene is a view from one of the flats ( Park Street I think..... ) looking over the Midland station. The film itself is about railways and privatisation.

[@WobblyRunner]

I've not heard of that one. I'll keep my eye out for it 👍

[@fenpikey]

@@WobblyRunner You'll find it on here Buh 😊

[@aljonflavin6760]

Again enjoyed your video, like the NOW and as it was clips. Such a loss. They don't do things like that now,but are we living in the past?but great Monuments to what was.

[@WobblyRunner]

👍 thank you. It's nice when history is adapted into the modern world. Shame when it's lost to decay, all forgotten.

[@barrythedieselelectricstea5217]

excellent video👍 sadly another railway beeching ruined what a waste Electrifying the line another heritage gone 😠

[@Rockthecasbah3535]

Great VT👍 A Great act of vandalism doing away with SVS & the Woodhead Route In favour of the Hopeless Hope Valley Line Also the GCR Which could of been developed Into a High Speed Line.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers 👍 Agreed. Very short sighted. I'm sure they've regretted it since

[@petecotton2801]

Really enjoyable video as always Paul, I'm really interested in Victoria and the Woodhead line. I find it such a shame that it was axed. The Hope Valley line was the one originally part of Beechings cull and the Woodhead was meant to survive, but i believe a major petition was launched and they kept the HV line instead and consigned this great route to pictures and the history books. I dont know if you saw the patched up brickwork under the central arch, but that is where an unexploded bomb fell through during the Sheffield blitz and they repaired the arch. I also hope you managed to go to Imrans whilst down on the Wicker - Best Chicken in Sheffield. Looking forward to the next video mate.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Pete. I didnt notice the brickwork. Now you mention it, it does ring bells from years ago that I had completely forgotten about.

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

I’ve been here!

[@andrewmarriott4033]

Great explore great to see what’s left shame there’s not more 👍

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Andrew. I bet there's a few bits and bobs on the old trackbed and buried in those woods.

[@seamusmcevoy2011]

That looked like a brilliant day out, the history just teems out of the place, and it's great that so much of it is still intact. You can't keep away from 'Fiery Jack' can you, it keeps drawing you in😆. As you moved slightly towards the entrance I was thinking you might pay it another visit, especially as it's been tidied up a bit!!! I'm definitely having a day there some time to capture the history, I just hope they leave it all standing as I noticed some building work going on where you were walking, it would be a tremendous shame if it was reduced to rubble, or another car park put in. That photo @17:45 looks really sad as it seems to depict the end of the Stations life, the track is gone and the place looks deserted, still we've got good people like you keeping its memory alive👍.

[@WobblyRunner]

Nice one 👍 It sure if a location rich with history. I've been sent various photos since this video that reveral more things. It's unbelievable what still exists away from the public eye. In some ways it's a shame that something so large and decrepid is left, essentially cutting off the city in half with a wasteland that hasnt been used for 50 years. I wish they could do more with it.

[@eastmidlandparkway6267]

hi I have just seen part 2 video of victoria station since you filmed it I have noticed that all the overgrown shrubbery on arches and viaduct has been cleared and looks so much better I wonder what they are going to do with it so sad to see it how is now I can remember how it looked when I was a small boy in the early 60's great video best wishes kevin from Beighton

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Kevin. Nice one. I know the steel trains have stopped now so Im intruiged to find out what the vegetation clearance is about. Maybe it's the surveying for the proposed opening of the line from Barrow Hill or Stocksbridge for passenger trains.

[@eastmidlandparkway6267]

@@WobblyRunner thanks for your reply if you find anything else about the reopening of the line please let me know as I would to see trains running again l will also keep looking as l pass it at least 4 times a week when I take my son to work Thanks again Kevin

[@johnsometimesoffandsometim8933]

If you look up under the main arch you can see repair work following the Sheffield Blitz. Uncle Adolf scored a direct hit.

[@WobblyRunner]

I'd been under that arch hundreds, possibly thousands of times in my lifetime and never noticed until someone pointed it. Intriguing piece of history.

[@aston56134]

I have been up investigating Victoria Station area but I didn't know the memorial plaques were now in the garden area of the hotel. This was originally displayed under the right side walkway (as you leave the city centre, ie the opposite side of the road to the station pub and it was on the left, also here waa a old police box, I recall it being green in colour and not blue). When the station was abandoned and derelict my self and my friends use to play on the station as kids (oh to have a camera then!!). I recall the subway, the huge roof and lots of little station doorways. I don't know how true it is but I was told the story that quite a lot of expensive paintings were found in a room on the station shortly after we used to play there. Also if you look under the wicker arch as you go under from the station pub there is a huge patch on the roof. I was told by an old railway man that during the war a massive bomb was dropped and when thru the arch hitting the road, but did not explode!!! The signalman saw the plane drop it and thought he was a gonna! If it detonated the bomb would have destroyed that end of the city.

[@WobblyRunner]

Crikey lucky escape with the bomb. Used up a bit of luck used up that day. I remember that memorial under the arches. I went looking for it not knowing it had moved. You're right about having a camera back then. The next generations are so lucky everyone these days are capturing everything

[@RaggyAl1971]

More than I ever thought exists,certainly more than we have of Nottingham Victoria although a lot is hidden or out of bounds to the public.

[@WobblyRunner]

👍 I would love to see in the cellars and tunnels under the Victoria Centre. Such a shame

[@Knight-Rider01]

If you get chance go into the hotel as they have some more pictures and articles of the past to look at.

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers Adrian. I did consider going in. I'd love to stay there though.

[@mrbetamax1969]

Spider in the tunnel is from RAG week I think ? Top stuff paul cheers 🍻

[@WobblyRunner]

🤣

[@mrbetamax1969]

@@WobblyRunner raise and gave . Students bed pushing in 70s n 80s .

[@judewilson927]

I can confirm that the black and white photograph is the same staircase from the Wicker. The house type structure above still stands, however, the gantry on the left is gone and the roof has too. But a fireplace still remains inside. I have a recent picture if you would like to see it?

[@WobblyRunner]

Cheers for confirming Jude. I think it was the house above that threw me. Id love to see the picture 👍.

[@judewilson927]

@@WobblyRunner Sure thing. Do you have an email?

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Great video! For higher vantage shots have you thought about acquiring a drone?

[@WobblyRunner]

Haha yes, many times I've almost bought one.

[@pinacmediauk2905]

Gd video Paul keep up the gd work mate I've got two channels one of my channels is more successful PinacMediaUK and PinacMediaUK2, I would have looked to seen Sheffield Victoria up and running It would be brilliant I like that war memorial It reminds me of memorial at Manchester Victoria I wish they would reopen it do something with it maybe one day in the far future

[@WobblyRunner]

It would really rejuvinate the area if they did find some use for it. I'm not sure how they would link the two together though. Bit of a wierd setup in Sheffield. Maybe a tram.

[@nigelkthomas9501]

Absolutely should never have been closed! Stupidity off the scale.

[@WobblyRunner]

That Woodhead line would have been so useful these days.