Sheffield retro: 23 groovy photos capturing swinging 60s in their infancy, including Club 60 and Park Hill

Sheffield was not immune to the cultural revolution which swept the western world in the 1960s, though it took a while to shake off the straight-laced 50s and post-war austerity before the swinging 60s really got into their groove. These photos show the first half of the decade in Sheffield, from 1960 to 1964, and the fashions and cultural changes that period witnessed.

Excited shoppers at the opening of the new Cole Brothers store at Barker’s Pool, the official launch of the Park Hill flats, and the first customers being served at a new Wimpy bar all feature in this retro photo gallery. A young Peter Stringfellow with dreams of becoming a DJ, dancers twisting at a rock and roll contest, and the last tram parade through the city can also be seen.

But perhaps the biggest indication of a new era being ushered in is the image of a band entertaining revellers at the subterranean jazz venue Club 60. It was Sheffield’s answer to Liverpool’s Cavern Club and would play a key role in the evolution of the fresh sound which would shape the decade as much as the emerging fashions and the shifting politics of the 60s.