Memory Lane
Summer 1975
Plenty of classic metal sits alongside Sheffield railway station in 1975.
This is a scene that encapsulates what Seventies life was like for many, away from the more glamorous parts of the UK. Sheffield struggled during the decade as its industries declined – it’s much more vibrant today.
But there’s a pervading sense of greyness here (or, in the case of the Class 47 diesel locomotive and Class 108 diesel multiple unit at Sheffield Station, British Rail blueness) enlivened only by the colourful cars on Granville Street.
There are too many here to discuss in detail so we’ll pick some of the highlights. Most cars were still British-built at this time, thus it’s interesting to note that the only two imports – Volkswagen Beetles – have clustered together for companionship. The yellow one is a Seventies model, the grey one hails from the previous decade.
Sheffield steel
Elsewhere amid the Sheffield steel, the number of Vauxhall Vivas is impressive. We count six HB and HC saloons (albeit one is a mighty Magnum, in white with black vinyl roof and Rostyles). The best-selling Ford Escort can only muster four examples, all of them superseded Mkis. If you factor in the two Bedford HA vans – the white one belonging to the local Wigfalls TV specialist – the Viva-esque quota rises to eight. Nearby Vauxhall dealerships must have been happy.
Note the Harvest Gold Austin Allegro, only a couple of years old at most, and its older Longbridge stable-mate the blue Austin A40 Farina, still clinging to life with black underseal up to its front wing trim. It probably ended up as cutlery before too long.