Sheffield blog

A new home for the Sheffield superclub

In case you missed it yesterday, the world-famous Sheffield nightclub Gatecrasher is set to return to the city this September in a new home.

Gatecrasher has submitted £5m plans to turn the basement of the cheesegrater car park on Charles street into a 2,000 capacity venue. The proposals can be viewed on the Sheffield city council website.

They are urging people to get behind the application via their website and a Facebook fan page and event.

The previous Gatecrasher (nee Republic) venue on Arundel street burnt down in June 2007.

The distinctive cheesegrater building seems to be a generally well-received addition to the city skyline and I think this makes it a relatively good choice of location. Presumably having a night club located in the basement will help minimise any excess sound escaping and affecting city centre residents.

If the new Gatecrasher does get approved and built then it also won’t do any harm to Sheffield’s City of culture 2013 bid.

What do you think, has it been missed? Is there any reason why we wouldn’t want to see the return of Gatecrasher to Sheffield in this location?

The Gatecrasher fire of June 2007 - Disco inferno by suburbandk, used under Creative commons license

The latest on the Don’s minature Brooklyn bridge

In November 2008 I wrote a post about the proposed New Brooklyn bridge across the river Don in Sheffield. The floods of June 2007 delayed construction but 2009 was expected to see at least the flood wall protection being built, after which the building of the bridge could follow.

I thought I’d get an update on where the project is at. Sheffield industrial museums trust says that construction of the flood wall is due to start imminently now that the tender for it has been awarded.

The changes to the flood wall meant the bridge itself needed to be redesigned and this is now underway. When complete, the cost of the new design will be assessed and the trust will then see if the original sponsors are still on board. They will then work out what the funding gap is and decide if money can be raised to fill it.

There are also complicating factors such as whether the current residents of Brooklyn works will be as supportive as those when the bridge was first proposed, and also whether the proposal to put a water wheel back into the wheel pit to generate electricity for the museum will be compromised by the tower’s affect on water flow.

So although the construction of the bridge is still some way off, the good news is that the project is still moving along.

Brooklyn Bridge Blue by Dave Kliman on Flickr (used under Creative commons licence)

Sheffield, as devastated by a nuclear attack

A few weeks ago I finally got round to watching Threads. If, like me, you are too young to remember it from when originally broadcast, it is a 1984 TV play that depicts the effect of a nuclear attack on the country, and in particular Sheffield.

Given the subject matter it is unsurprising that Threads makes for as grim viewing today as I expect it did 25 years ago when cold war paranoia was perhaps at its greatest. The extended synopsis is on Wikipedia.

If you can see past the bleak story, then the fact that it is set in Sheffield also adds a level of interest. There are plenty of landmarks to pick out including the eggbox town hall extension, the city hall, the Moor, Finningly in its days as a RAF base and the Nottingham house pub in Broomhill.

After the explosion hits Sheffield, there are shots of a devastated city centre that don’t look too dissimilar to the Moor in recent times.

However, it would be a mistake to watch the film and expect to come away warmed by the rose-tinted glow of nostalgia. Judging by the reviews on Amazon, it seems that Threads had quite an effect on the people watching it back then.

Memories of Threads and its association with Sheffield seem to live on. In the recent edition of Fighting talk recorded down at Ponds forge, one of presenter Colin Murray’s opening quips was ‘I thought I’d driven through the post-nuclear set of Threads 2 last night until somebody told me it was Manor council estate’.

Someone has uploaded the whole thing to Google video, so you can watch Threads online now. Be warned that parts of it are quite harrowing though and may not be suitable for young children.

Do you remember watching it on TV in the mid-80s, or have you watched it since? How shocked were you?

Who’s new

Here are this month’s additions to the list of Sheffield people and organisations of interest on  Twitter. The full directory can be found on the Sheffield Twitter users page.

There is also a Twitter list of people and organisations in Sheffield in Twitter.

First e11even – regional football magazine
@first_e11even

Louis Louis – electronic music DJ/blogger/promoter
@louis_louis

Fairy communications – PR/communications agency
@fairycomms

Judith David – copywriter
@JComCopy

Safe at last – charity
@safeatlast

Mark Howe – illustrator
@howiehowe

Sheffield start-ups – encouraging people to create internet start-ups in Sheffield
@sheffstartups

Sheffield snow – everything you need to get you through the snow
@SheffieldSnow

Sheffield weather – a two-day forecast tweeted every morning and weather warnings
@SheffWeather

City magazine – Regional magazine company magazine
@CityMagSheff

Gossip girl – columnist from City magazine
@gossipgirlcity

No money records – hip hop record label
@nomoneyrecords

Data dream – software development
@datadreamuk

Sheffield college
@sheffcol

Advanced manufacturing news for Sheffield
@AMM_ShefRegion

Sheffield university health service
@SheffieldUHS

Norfolk arms – Ringinglow road pub
@norfolkarms

Blundells – estate agent
@blundells1

MAD architects
@MADarchitects

Solicitors Sheffield – local news from Sheffield solicitors
@SheffieldLawyer

IT works marketing – SEO copywriting, PR, email and social media campaigns
@itwrksmarketing

Accident repair – body repair shop
@sheffieldrepair

Sheffield social – social events
@SheffieldSocial

Sheffield libraries, archives and information
@shefflibraries

Zenon – band
@zenonband

Paul Huxley – scriptwriter and part of Medlo
@huxathon

Scott Douglas group – business development and marketing
@scottdouglasgrp

4N Sheffield – business networking
@4NSheffield

Restaurant marketing advice
@restconnect

Sylvesters bar in Leopold square
@SylvestersBarS1

Mr Martin – singer-songwriter and one quarter of Dead world leaders
@mrmartinmusic

Point blank theatre – the new owners of the Riverside – developing a multi-purpose arts/events space
@P0INTBLANK

John Coefield – photographer
@johncoefield

Morgan dias – immigration consultants
@morgandias

David Morris – posts scores from Sheffield Scimitars games
@brassedoff

Joe Taylor – Liberal democrat councillor for Hillsborough
@JoeTaylorLD

Toni and Guy Sheffield – hairdresser
@TONIandGUYSheff

ukpipelines.com – pipeline and drainage tools and equipment
@ukpipelines

Robert Saull – musician from the Purgatory players
@robertgsaull

Richard Hennessy – hypnotherapist
@focusedhypnosis

If you want to be listed on it then follow @sheffieldblog, get in touch or comment below.

Flying the flag for the city

Views from the seven hills of Sheffield and more are celebrated by the new Sheffield publicity department blog that promises to tell us about the things that make the place special:

We’re here to tell you about…the things that make Sheffield beautiful, and amazing, and unique. The hills, the people, the industry and the nature. The reasons we love the city. And what’s more, we’re going to show you how to find them. Maps to the best views. Guides to the most beautiful terraced streets. Postcards of the sunsets.

The view from Skye edge (‘as close as you’ll get to flying over Sheffield’) is first entry in the blog, where a red flag has been installed on the summit. I wonder if they’d get away with some guerrilla-style red plaques in the more urban locations?

They also provide printable maps so you know exactly where to find the free treasures.

I love this idea and look forward to seeing what things they come up with.

Sheffield publicity department

Formally object to the planning application

Just to draw your attention this campaign to try and save the Portland works building on Randall street from the threat of being developed into flats.

Located in Sharrow, the grade II listed building is currently home to metalworkers, cabinet-makers, musicians, artists, sole traders and others.

The case for keeping the building as a home for little mesters-style workshops is articulated well in a letter in this week’s Sheffield Telegraph which describes the works as our ‘living heritage, not a museum or polished up piece of preserved past’.

Isn’t there a more appropriate location for flats, one that doesn’t involve threatening the existence of these historical workshops and small businesses? As the letter in the paper points out, some of the commercial tenants are proudly still practising the traditional manufacturing methods that made the city famous.

The online campaign is centered on the Portland works blog and a Facebook group which you can join to keep up to date with the cause.

Perhaps the most useful way of showing your support is to formally object to the planning application on the Sheffield city council website. The recent victory over East midlands trains regarding the station barriers was supported by 1,250 objections that will have no doubt been an influence on the planning board.

Object to the Portland works planning application

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Filling the Sevenstone void

With the Sevenstone retail quarter on hold for at least the next 2-3 years, there are empty buildings and patches of land in town earmarked for development but currently not being used to their potential.

The latest scheme to try and address this is the proposed Red square retail area which is featured in the latest issue of Exposed magazine.

This idea would see vacant land on Trafalgar street (see the map below) turned into a hub of 35 small units and workspaces for artists, makers and creative independent new retailers. The shipping container units (’ship shops’) would be cheap to rent and let on easy-in/easy-out terms. The focal point is a small, central square with a cafe and gallery.

The people behind the idea are looking for feedback on the proposal and also would like to hear from any potential occupiers. At the time of writing, it doesn’t look like the www.red-square.org website is live, but if you are interested or just want more information then email info@red-square.org.

There are also other schemes trying to find creative and worthwhile uses for the available spaces in the city centre.

The excellent Sheffield Swap shop project aims to take on a vacant shop in Sheffield and turn it into a community swap shop managed by volunteers. People will be able to turn up to exchange skills, services and use it for other community-related activities. It looks like Sunwin house is a venue that Swap shop is considering. If you want to get involved, contact Helen Milner.

University architecture students and the council have got together to work on the Empty quarter action project. They will be publishing a report full of creative ideas for the vacant shops, buildings and streets in the city and need your input for the public consultation that will feed into this. If you are interested in contributing to this then read more and email the project.

In addition, the council has also given the empty shop fronts behind Pinstone street a cosmetic makeover and there is ongoing discussion regarding what to do with the empty fire station on Wellington street.

Walking around some parts of town is a bit depressing at the moment so it is encouraging that people are trying to do something about it. It is good to have a mix of grassroots community schemes to get involved with like Swap shop and also ideas such as Red square that could also give a commercial boost and spawn new, independent businesses in the city centre.

What do people think to these schemes? Are there any more going on that I have missed?

View Larger Map

The location earmarked for Red square

Lyrical streets or a lunchtime pint

A few weeks ago a Guardian journalist got in touch and asked whether I would contribute to a feature about what someone should do with an hour to fill over lunchtime in different cities around Britain.

They were after ideas for what to do in the centre of Sheffield, so I asked a couple of friends and we came up with – and dismissed – several possibilities:

• the bear pit (too far out of town)
• one of the museums or the Peace gardens (too obvious)
• Paradise square (very nice but not enough to do)
• one of the parks (not very original)
• a coffee at Bragazzis or the Rude Shipyard (again, both a bit out of town)
• a walk past the Hendo’s factory for a sniff of  the good stuff (highly recommended but all over far too quickly)

In the end I submitted the suggestion of a stroll around town to take in the poetry that can be found on various buildings. This is what appeared in Saturday’s paper:

Sheffield: lyrical streets
You don’t need your head buried in a book to appreciate poetry on a lunchtime wander through Sheffield. Visitors are welcomed with Andrew Motion’s What If? … on the side of Sheffield Hallam University’s Owen building (Howard Street). Emblazoned inside the Winter Garden (90 Surrey Street) is Roger McGough’s affectionate ode to a revitalised city. There are three pieces by Benjamin Zephaniah on the metal plates of Rockingham Street student residences. Slightly further away, in brushed steel on the side of the Forge building off Boston Street, are Jarvis Cocker’s musings on student life.

I also sent them another option, which was the (perhaps slightly less culturally stimulating) idea to go down to the Kelham Island Tavern for a pint:

Sheffield: a lunchtime pint in Kelham Island
The idea of a lunchtime pint after a morning’s work might seem unremarkable but when you’re drinking local ale in the sunny beer garden of CAMRA’s national pub of the year you know it will be special. Sheffield is home to several independent breweries that proudly keep the pubs all over the city well stocked with award-winning beer, and there is always a fine range to be found at the Kelham Island Tavern. Located in Sheffield’s part-industrial real ale heartland, this lively pub is worth the 15 minute walk from town for its wonderful beer garden, good food and most importantly, a changing selection of excellent beers and ciders. Just don’t forget to go back to work later.

What would you suggest as a good idea for a lunchtime activity? Did I miss something really obvious that would have been much better?

‘Sheffield just doesn’t seem to know how good it actually is’

People reading this blog who aren’t on Twitter may have missed the link posted at the end of last week to a great article on the Building Design website.

The author, Owen Hatherly, took a walk around the city for the magazine’s Urban trawl feature and the resulting article and follow-up blog post are well worth a read.

Eyebrows have been raised in the past in response to some of Sheffield’s planning decisions and buildings, however Owen recognises that our examples of post-war, modernist architecture are actually mostly better than what London has to offer.

Of course not everyone loves this style of building design, but reading his feature does make you look again at some of the city’s well-known landmark structures with a new appreciation.

Castle market is described as ‘a shopping centre with a weirdness and individuality that puts all the Arndales to shame’; the Manpower services building at Moorfoot and Jefferson Sheard’s electricity substation are ‘thrillingly paranoid Cold War megastructures’; and Park hill is labelled as ‘one of the great buildings of the century, anywhere – a truly astonishing architectural achievement’.

He also picks up on one of the reasons why local people have such affection for Sheffield: whichever way you look, the charming haphazard sprawl of the city is nearly always neatly framed by the beautiful surrounding countryside, which is only minutes away.

And his advice for ensuring that Sheffield remains such a unique place? We need to concentrate less on trying to be like everywhere else and spend more time celebrating the individuality of the city and its distinctive collection of buildings. With Sevenstone in the pipeline and Urban splash attempting a delicate balancing act with Park hill, this will no doubt prove quite a challenge.

Park hill: 'one of the great buildings of the century, anywhere - a truly astonishing architectural achievement'. Photo by Paolo Màrgari - paolomargari.it, used under the Creative Commons licence

Why the tournament needs to stay in the city

As the annual snooker world championship in Sheffield continues, speculation rumbles on over whether the event will remain here after the 2010 tournament.

Sir Rodney Walker, the head of snooker’s governing body, was quoted earlier this month saying that he is hopeful discussions with the council will result in ‘a positive outcome that will see the event stay at Sheffield’.

That sounds quite promising, but it is anybody’s guess what will happen. While it is likely that China or Dubai would outbid us, moving the event overseas would be a controversial move, upsetting both fans and players alike.

It would also obviously be a massive blow to Sheffield. Financially, the tournament brings in £2.5m to the city economy, not to mention the value of the spin-off exposure and coverage that is also generated.

What’s more, it would be heartbreaking to lose the tournament so soon after the Crucible’s £15.3m renovation is completed. The redevelopment work will further enhance facilities at the theatre, improving its reputation as the natural home of snooker and an iconic venue that is recognised all over the world.

Seven times champion Stephen Hendry has suggested the compromise of rotating the tournament host city so that it returns to Sheffield every few years. But as the Yorkshire Post points out, as well as stopping many UK fans from attending the matches, taking the game abroad would also cause problems for people watching from home on television due to the eight-hour time difference in China.

And even if commercial pressures force the tournament to move from the intimate Crucible theatre there is still the option of further exploring the idea of a purpose-built Billiardrome in Sheffield, first mooted back in 2005 as one way of keeping the snooker in the city.

While we wait to find out the outcome of the discussions, there is still another week of the 2009 tournament to enjoy, as well as the various snooker-related events around the city. The part-redeveloped Tudor square is once again playing host to the Cue zone marquee and there are snooker-themed exhibitions from Pete McKee (in the foyer of the St Paul’s hotel) and Tom Walker (in the Winter garden).

Welcome to The Cue Zone by zawtowers on Flickr, used under the Creative Commons license

World Snooker Championship 2009 – full set on Flickr