The Bear Pit

Amusement Arcades come in all shapes and sizes.
Most people today think of an amusement arcade as something like a hall consisting of one-​armed bandits, small kiddies roundabouts and a sitdown bingo link. Or maybe something more alabrate like Alton Towers Theme Park.
But years ago in the somewhat posh area of Hunters Bar, Sheffield, people found their amusement in different ways.
At the rear end of the Botanical Gardens you will find, hidden from view by dense trees and bushes, the remains of a Bear Pit.
A large circular pit dug out off the soft earth, then lined with sandstones. It looks like they laid the stones as drystone walling because there’s no sign of any motar between the stones. There’s a large entrance at the rear, where obviously the bear was lead into the torturous pit, where we can assume the poor animal was torturously ill treated by the gawping men and women who leared over the top of the open pit.
Thank God we’ve learnt to treat wild animals with respect these days and done away with these hidious amusement arcades of the 19^th. Centruary.
But having said that, if you’re into historic amusements it’s still interesting to see The Bear Pit, a true historic gem from days gone by.