Story by Tom Sadler
Situated at the bottom of Sutherland Road amongst factories and wasteland, ‘Wembley playground’ is only a shadow of what it once was.
The Council are planning to sell the land off in May 2006 and the future looks bleak for this local landmark. Unbeknown to most people this small piece of debris-ridden wasteland was actually once upon a time a beautiful small playground. The playground has belonged to the council since records began, but in 1940 the land was taken over by the RAF for use in the war effort and they paid Sheffield Council a mere £1 for the use of the land. It was home to a barrage balloon and the Home Guard. It was then released by the RAF and given back to the Council in 1945. The earliest map we could find with the playground marked on was dated 1955.
In my search to find out more I spoke to Burngreave resident Errol Edwards.
“My friends and I used to play there in the late ’60s and early ’70s. It was our local play area, where we used to hang out, along with the Peace Gardens and Ellesmere School playground. If you stepped out of your house and there wasn’t anyone at one place you would go to another to see if there was anyone there.”
It is part of the many different things that have been demolished or left to rot over the years on Sutherland Road and the surrounding area. Some people may remember the Public Baths around the same place but they all went during the industrialisation of the area. I also asked Errol about the name ‘Wembley’ where did it come from?
“Well I don’t think anyone can really remember where the name came from.There was a game we used to play on the park called Wembley but apart from that it’s a bit of a mystery.”
I also asked Errol if he had any special memories of the playground.
“Well there was a park-keeper, a Scottish man I think, that used to run the park and see to it. It always seemed strange to me that the Council employed this one person just for the upkeep of that small piece of land. He was always very protective of it and he would close it up every night at six in the evening. Nobody dared try and sneak in after six.”
So with the piece of land about to be sold off, I asked Errol what he thought about it.
“The park has deteriorated to such a state now I think it’s beyond saving.Though it does depend what the Council will do with it or who they will sell it to.”
After my meeting with Errol, I spoke to Melvin Reilly of the Council’s parks department. He explained that the playground, until recently, had charitable status:
“There are quite a few parks with charitable status in the north of Sheffield.This was given to stop the Council disposing of them so they were put into the hands of the Charity Commission.The Council has now been granted permission to dispose of the site. The money made from selling the site will be spent on other parks or playgrounds in the Burngreave area.”
If you have any thoughts on how the money should be spent please contact the Messenger on 242 0564 or email messenger@burngreave.net.