So, Goodbye Sheffield
You were a good home to me
But I am a slug stretching towards a greener leaf
Not a snail taking my house with me
Andrew Milton (aged 46 and three quarters)
Ah well! I've lived in Sheffield on and off for 20 years, and I'm finally leaving it to pursue the good life in London. I shall miss it, although more for a number of good friends than for the beauty of its buildings or its rich cultural life.
I've always felt that Sheffield struggles to be a city, but it makes an excellent large small town. It was a nice feeling, that you could go into Crookes, Walkley and Sheffield town centre and be sure of a series of friendly encounters, (and the occasional cold shoulder). But I'm a city boy at heart, and I missed the choice which a big city brings. You can get excellent plays, concerts, films and exhibitions in Sheffield, but they tend to be in series rather than in parallel. Once you've seen what's on there can be a long gap waiting for something new to comes along. A bit like the buses really.
The other impression is that Sheffield is a deeply conservative place (with a small 'c') with a politically radical tradition. It was never impressed by the passing novelty of Thatcherism, and remains unimpressed with New Labour. For a long time an Old Labour stronghold, it experimented with a Lib Dem council for a while before returning to the Labour Party in May 2002
The 20th century was not kind to Sheffield: devasted by war, by a brutalist reconstruction, and by the loss of the heavy industry which gave it a reason to be and a unique personality. Let's hope this century will be better for it and for all of us.
I hope to expand these thoughts, especially if I get nostalgic.
Sheffield is the centre of North West Europe. As
this map shows:
And here's a link to a map
of Sheffield. I used to live in Headford Gardens, right in
the middle, which is a good place to be. Here's a link to a pic
of neaby Devonshire
Green. The well-trodden path leads to my ex-flat. (right)
To tell the truth, the centre is a bit of a curate's egg. There are some good spots worth lingering in: Division Street (but not at night), the theatres around Tudor Square, the new Peace Gardens, the area around the Showroom and National Centre for Popular Music. But much of Sheffield's centre is not pleasant, and not helped by litter, grafitti, and gangs of lads and ladettes on Friday and Saturday night. Or perhaps I'm just getting middle-aged.
Sheffield's charm is devolved to its suburbs. I especially miss Crookes and Walkley where I used to be a local councillor, both for their spectacular hills and community spirit, although both of these can be hard going on foot.
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Here are some of my Sheffield pics, and some links.