Saturday 27 August 2011

A City Walk

Hubby and I couldn't make our minds up what to do with our day. After I said that we hadn't had much rain - the day after, we got about six inches of the stuff, just as we didn't need it as the DQ was camping at Leedsfest music festival and got washed out of her tent poor love. Fortunately, she is currently renting a house in Leeds as she is transferring Uni (that's another story!), so her and her pals got a taxi back to her nice dry house.
The weather girl said we would have a better day today - but we may still have some heavy showers. So I decided a walk around the city centre would be a good idea - so that we could dart under cover if we needed to.

I thought I would show you around some of my fave places..
Devonshire Street is a lovely place to wander. It has a lot of "retro" and vintage shops as well as some lovely independant shops - sadly lacking in many towns and cities in the UK these days.




I was thrilled to find that Devonshire Green was holding one of its markets.
Every stall was lovely. Local food, crafts, vintage, wonderful cakes. And they had a disco with a DJ too.

We drooled over the Cookie Campervan.
This part of the city has had a lot of new apartments built over the last few years.
But the place I'm taking you next is very old.
The cobbled streets still remain here. Sadly, this area will be pulled down soon, so I wanted to record it. A new (probably soulless) shopping centre is going to be built here - building was due to start as the credit crunch hit - so it has been reprieved for a while.
Most of Sheffield's cutlery making and silver ware came from this area of the city.

The workshops would have been rented out to The Little Mesters who were self employed cutlery makers. Some of the workshops have been successfully converted into shops.
But others are destined to be demolished. I love these old streets. I think its a great shame that they are going to be pulled down. There are only a handful of The Little Mesters left in Sheffield now - You can learn about one of them here.
We moved on - and discovered that landlocked Sheffield has been turned into the seaside.
The Peace Gardens had a beach, and rides and the kids were having a great time.


The fountain is always a number one attraction in the sun and today was no exception.
And the weather woman thankfully got it wrong. It was lovely to wander around the city enjoying the sun and soaking up the lovely friendly atmosphere and happy spirit of our lovely city.

20 comments:

John Going Gently said...

within reason (I preferred the old shop)
Rare and racy (never changed in years!!!)
the peace gardens ( arhhhh! lovely)
and the city hall (I miss the ballroom so!)
x

Louise said...

haha I suppose we would stand out a bit! I'm too nosey to miss an opportunity for a poke around someone's garden, especially that one!

Can I have use of the swimming pool too when we move in and become your beer makers?!!

What a shame they are demolishing those historic streets. I'm not sure I've even visited Devonshire Street (I haven't been to Sheffield for almost 2 years) but the market looks very interesting!

Anonymous said...

Last year, I bought a beautiful penknife from Trevor Ablett, one of the Litle Mesters, after reading about him on tinterweb. I also bought a pair of dressmaking scissors from Kutrite, Sheffield. after a headsup on a forum I visit. They are such a joy to use I swear I practically tear-up every time I use them....
A Chinese import will never invoke those sort of feelings.

Wanda.

ChrisJ said...

I believe my great grandfather worked in the Sheffield cutlery mills. Don't know much about that part of the family. The old streets are lovely.

elsy said...

ooh thanks for that Diane.....we are bringing youngest up in September and cant wait to explore,(maybe not this trip though, am under strict instructions to dump and go!) how come DQ moving or shouldn't i ask?

Kimberley said...

Lovely to see parts of the country we would otherwise never see, thanks for sharing! X

Lyn said...

another lovely visit to Sheffield!
I love to wonder around a town and find something off the beaten track.
xxx

Little Blue Mouse said...

We must be leading parallel lives - my son is camping at Leedsfest this weekend, and my daughter lives in that apartment block!

Kelli Fannin Quilts said...

Thanks for the tour. Love the campervan too! And the old buildings. Sad that they will be taking them out. Enjoyed your post. :)

Elizabethd said...

A lovely tour around a city that I've never visited.
Our grandaughter is starting at Leeds next week...and has also been very wet at the same festival!

A garden just outside Venice said...

Thanks for the lovely walk!
xxx

Gilly said...

It looks a great city - and you now it well enough to know where the good bits are. its a pity those old buildings are due for demolition - couldn't they have used them in some way?

BadPenny said...

My girl is wet & soggy at Reading !!!

What a beautiful old building & such a shame to think it won't be restored & regenerated. I love the part that has.

When I was in London recently there was a mini seaside right on the South bank... the children were loving it !

Lx @ Twelve said...

Loved it all....

Lx

Rosie said...

I always enjoy your Sheffield walks. You should be a blue badge guide for the city - I'd come on a walking tour! Hope your DQ had a drier day today:)

Catherine said...

It's lovely to see a city retain so much of its original peronality. So many cities have become clones of each other and are soulless. A pity! Cx

sarah-jane down the lane said...

I feel so sad for those wonderful historic streets - why can't the money be spent on regeneration? We would all love to visit that area if it were a vibrant area full of cafes and makers and industry.....makes me really cross!

I must also say that I loved your time travel post! Sheena Easton? I wonder how she would fare on X factor!

Sarah x

greenthumb said...

What a pretty part of the world you live in, I do love a good market anytime. Looks like a great day out.

periwinkle said...

What a pity they are knocking the old parts down , they do the same here and sometimes I think there will be nothing old left for future generations to enjoy . I'd be drooling over that camper van too.

Victoria said...

I love love love that street with the vintage bookshop.

I'm new to S Yorkshire as you know and my lovely boyfriend took me here a few months back knowing that I would appreciate each and every shop.

x