Sodom

Allocation of pupils for Hunningley Lane One School 1951

Area known as Sodom within Stairfoot

Albion Road Sodom (Top) , Industry Rd (Bottom)

Memories of Living in Stairfoot

Joyce (nee Beevers) Wildblood in her own words

We used to go pea and potato picking down in the fields near to the farm which was at the back of the railway lines. We would all go for a walk on the canal bank and play on the locks near Wombwell Bridge (Aldham), play cricket in the backyard, jump on backs on Swaine’s Wall, and then run down cutting washing lines down.

I can remember the street party for the Queen’s Coronation, everybody in Sodom went. We used to have a big Bonfire in the backyard and we’d all put a potatoe on.

There used to be a sunshine corner down on Waterfield Place and all the kids would go.

There was Sadie Jacksons sweet shop in Albion Road, she used to have a Tabernacle in her allotment.

We lived in a 2 bedroom house with a setpot in the kitchen, Mam used to put a coal under to boil water , and the water for the tin bath. We had oilcloth on the bedroom floor, and when we got out of bed it used to be freezing to our feet, then Mam bought Jute carpet for the stairs, we though we were posh….

I remember catching the train in Stairfoot to go on trips to Cleethorpes. We had a good bus route to Barnsley – Trackies, Burrows and LP buses. You could always get a late one home from town..

I went to Hunningley Lane School from the Old School which was across from what they called The Home Guards, then to Ardsley Oaks School, then when that closed we went to Kendray Oaks.

There was a sewing factory called Sutcliffe’s (off Stanley Road), there was Thornton’s scrap yard, Frank Wilde’s. and Sagars shop on the main road (Doncaster Road), Walherdines butchers, Coop & Globe (tea) food shops, Creighton’s dentist on the corner of Gordon St, Ethel Fletcher’s hairdresser, Cotton’s shop, a wet fish shop, Roberts clothes shop, Snell’s Garage, we even had a pop shop. Horbury’s flower shop on Hunningley Lane.

Mr & Mrs Swift were the first to have a TV, we all used to sit on the floor to watch it.

Joyce Beevers Albion Road Sodom

Ian Thomson Chronicle article - Sodom

Sodom – a recollection written by Maurice Wolstenholme

The houses in the area known locally as Sodom, were built by Ben Rylands in the early 1870s to house workers employed at his Hope Glass works which opened in 1867 off Wombwell Lane. This factory was famous for the manufacture of glass Codd bottles with a marble stopper to preserve fizzy drinks, and the Hope Glassworks became the largest factory of its type in the world. Rylands was unable to cope with the demand for the bottles and built a second glassworks off Hoyle Mill Road which later became occupied by Beatson Clark

The Worstenholme family lived at 48 Albion Road . I remember many things about Stairfoot and I spent a lot of time with Auntie Louisa, she lived in a two up two down house with a black lead range. There was always a smell of bread cooking and she taught me to make Yorkshire puddings. I remember she ironed with a flat iron and the clothing was ironed perfectly and then put on the rack above the fire.

The very first thing I remember when I was quite young mother and me pea picking in the allotments, I was put with other youngsters under some covering and a colander of peas was put in from of me . I think I must have been about 2 years old.

I remember playing down under the viaduct fishing for tadpoles, I played with my cousin Richard, Aunty Rias son. There was an attic at Aunty Louisas home and thats where we slept. She was very kind to me and I stayed with her whilst mum had my sister Beryl and I did not want to go home when she came to collect me. She had one daughter Joyce who was a few years older than me we have kept in touch throughout the years and she now lives in Monk Bretton.

Aunty Louisa and Aunty Ria moved to Garden House Close Monk Bretton and lived next door to each other. When Auntie Louisa passed away sadly suffering from lung cancer Aunty Ria moved to Carlton.

Discussion with her brother Maurice 25/6/2011

Maurice said the off licence was just down from the chapel .Auntie Ria was up the from the church the house was the second house up, Swifts was the first and Gelders in the middle they had a child who had a tragic accident when her dress caught fire with a firework and it was so serious that she died as a result.