Goodbye Steel City (Sheffield in General)

Member Name: dreamerz

Product:	Sheffield in General
Date:	25/07/01 (275 review reads)
Rating:

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Disadvantages: ditto

It’s a strange feeling I must admit to be contemplating leaving the place you call home. This weekend I depart the city I have lived in for the past four years, I’m leaving although sadly not on a jetplane. So as a kind of tribute to my time in the city I am penning this opinion. Sheffield may have not always the most pleasant place in the world to live, it’s never going to win an award for the most attractive but even so I know I’m going to miss it. You can’t spend a significant portion of you life in a place and not leave a part of you behind when you move on. Sheffield is England’s fourth city (after London, Birmingham and Manchester) although admittedly you’d be hard pressed to tell if you visit the city centre. It's also supposedly Britain's 'greenest' city, although ditto again.

What follows is part guide, part tribute and part rant. This is my feelings toward the city I have lived, studied and worked in for the past four years, one in which I have spent my first years as an adult. It maybe sentimental, its unashamedly personal but hey no-one is making you read, oh and I’m warning you now it's long too!

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History

Look, I’m using subtitles! I must be in an organised mood today. So yes history, well unsurprisingly you can find some if look around Sheffield, although all but the last two hundred years or so is fairly well hidden. Whilst the earliest remnants of life is the ruin of an Iron Age fort located about 2 and half miles from the present city centre, Sheffield itself didn’t take shape until the mid twelfth century when a Norman Baron by the name William de Lovetot (great name don’t you think) built a castle. The wooden structure was later replaced by a stone structure which survived up to the Civil War, today the dilapidated Castle Market stands on the site, but hey that’s progress for you. There’s litt
le or nothing left of mediaeval and early modern Sheffield, the Manor Lodge built in 1516 still stands and housed the unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots for several years but apart from that don’t expect any aged wonders.

Steel has been made in the city practically since its invention and indeed two different types of steel were created here: Crucible Steel and Sheffield plate. I won’t pretend to know exactly what makes these unique but hey it made for an interesting fact right? So the people of Sheffield having been quite taken with the concept of Steel decided to make with it...cutlery. Well it’s perhaps not as exciting as say making swords but people will always need spoons right and if your desperate they make kind of an effective weapon (“I’m going to cut out your heart with a spoon” “Why a spoon?” “Because it will hurt more you fool!” Ahem, sorry about that). During the eighteenth and nineteenth century steel manufacture increased exponentially and the great steel mills provided work for the majority of the citie's population. All this continued until the late 60s and early 70s where changes in technology made the majority of the existing mills obsolete and they closed, leaving the city with a huge unemployment problem it has still yet to fully recover from.

The city has a number of other claims to fame, the world’s first football club was founded here in 1857 and the city is also the home of Bassetts sweets, of Liquorise Allsorts fame. It was the first United Kingdom City of Sport (whatever that actually means) and hosted the Commonwealth Games last time they were held in the UK.
The main legacy of which is the massive Ponds Forge sports centre.

Today the city apparently makes more steel then it ever did during its heyday, although largely from the one plant. After decades of under investment and general desolation the city is slowly recovering, although
the replacement of the steel mill appears to have been the call centre. Its something to do with the Sheffield accent apparently. Speaking as a graduate the chances of finding well paid employment still remain slim in Sheffield unfortunately, there are still very few big companies with offices here, which naturally the reason why I’ve had to move on.


The City Centre

There something you have to understand about Sheffield before you read this. It claims to be a city and yes technically it is, there is a cathedral (two infact if you count the RC one) but in terms of a big city feel Sheffield is woefully lacking. You see Sheffield is more like a middling sized town with a huge network of villages scattered around it, if you’ve lived in a remote village in say Norfolk all your life then you might find it impressive but having been born and raised in the metropolis of Manchester, Sheffield does not impress me. It just doesn’t have that city air to it, there are few or any high rise buildings and the actual shopping/central business district is compact enough to be walked across at a comfortable pace in under ten minutes.

This of course would not be problematic if the city centre was not so rundown. The problems of the last twenty years are writ visibly across the centre's scarred face. Too many buildings look on the verge of collapse, the Castle market area is horrible beyond all description. The Moor shopping precinct is tacky and seedy and the less said about Arundal Gate the better. There is almost nothing that is pleasing on the eye or in any way remarkable. The cathedral is an uninspiring medium sized church in the classic mould, the town hall looks hagged and worn out and sprouts a monstrosity of sixties architecture which resembles a collapsing egg box.

The main relief to be found are the pleasant Peace Gardens which were recently rebuilt in an impressive art deco style. Although they
are a little spoilt by the eyesore of the town hall extension behind them they are still beautifully designed. A central fountain sprouts regularly and grassy areas are dotted around. When the sun comes out, they become a people magnet, with finding a spare stretch of ground a difficulty but somehow this adds to their charm. For me the abiding memory of them will always be running drunkenly thorugh the fountain with my best friend on the night of my 20th birthday, I was later to be found hugging trees, it was that kind of night.

The theatre square is also quite charming, home of the Crucible (yes the one where they have the snooker) and the Lyceum theatres. The square was recently re-laid and is now home to skaters and shoppers having a welcome sit down. They have a huge video screen during the world snooker championships on which you can watch the events. Together the two theatres (three if you count the Crucible studio) form the largest theatre complex outside of London and have played host to some excellent theatre over the years. Two of the productions that stick in my mind are that of ‘A Clockwork Orange’ which was inspired and ‘Edward II’ starring Joesph Fiennes, which was interesting is a slightly flawed performance.

Since the opening of Meadowhall a decade ago shopping in the city centre has been slowly poisoned. There are four main shopping areas: the High Street/Castle Market which features the horrific market and one of the world's most stunningly poor department stores T J Hughs, as well as an excellent new HMV and Boots. Coming off the High Street is Fargate, the most pleasant thoroughfare which has a selection of small branches of most of the household names. Directly opposite Fargate is Devonshire/Division Street which is the main ‘alternative’ shopping area. The much vaunted Forum is a pale imitation of its former glory, threatened with demolition the majority of shops have moved ou
t, although to be honest it was never that great anyway. Kind of like Aflecks Palace in Manchester but on a much smaller scale. A couple of great shops along the street are ‘Rocky Horrors’ which sells an interesting selection of skater and gothy gear, although its hideously expensive and doesn’t really have enough stock in my opinion (its more PVC then velvet unfortunately). Freshmens recently left the forum for its own premises and has an excellent selection of retro clothing, although again they make you pay for the privilege. Fopp also merits a mention as a cheap record shop par excellent with a huge variety of CDs at £5. The final shopping area is The Moor, a hideous avenue of dodgy market stalls and £1 shops although surprisingly Woolworths and Debenhams also claim it for their home. It’s one redeeming feature is Music Zone which sells all new CD releases (you see where my priorities lie eh?) for £9.99 or less.

I dislike the city centre immensely as you may have noticed. The selection of shops is woeful compared to say Leeds, Manchester of Nottingham, there are few interesting independent shops bar the small selection on Division Street and the main shops are largely small and under stocked. I love the atmosphere and bustle of a big city and Sheffield has none of that, it still feels like a provisional town with ideas above its station.


Meadowhall

Or Meadowhell as it is affectionately referred to come Christmas time. A shrine to all things consumer, all the big shops are here in much more convincing form than in the city. A massive shopping centre like Manchester’s Trafford centre or the Metro in Newcastle you've seen one you've seen them all. Loads of shops, loads of car parking, sterile air and head ache inducing lights. Yes I hate Meadowhall as well, it’s a pain to get to but has most of the best shops. It’s always too busy, offers almost nothing except the high st
reet names and has killed the city centre shops stone dead.

There’s also a large cinema and a number of poor restaurants located there but I’ve had enough of talking about it already. You know the score, live in Sheffield and you will not be able to avoid it but you will hate yourself for going there.


Nightlife

But enough of the negative, lets talk about something that Sheffield excels at. This section is devoted entirely to nightclubs, I’ll give pubs and restaurants their own space and Sheffield does have a number of good clubs.

Firstly my favourite but sadly currently closed is Corporation. Those who have studied my musical taste may note that it is firmly in the alternative sector and Corporation meets this need in spades. They have two fantastic nights which currently are residing at the Hallem union (sadly only in one room however). Fridays is Drop/Mystery Machine. One room is quite simply the best indie night I have ever been to playing a mixture of 80s and 90s stuff (ranging from the likes of Placebo and the Longpigs through Blur and the Stone Roses and back to The Smiths, New Order and The Cure), whilst the other caters for skate, punk and US alternative. Tragically it's only this second room that currently features at the NMB (Nelson Mandela Building, the Hallem Union hangs onto its 80s roots with pride). Saturday night is Reservoir Rocks/Hardside which has amusing poodle rock in one room (complete with a load of dodgy 80s throwbacks in far too tight jeans) and a harsh mix on nu-metal, industrial and grunge in the other. The club itself has been demolished but was a terrific place, perhaps slightly seedy looking but featuring plenty of sofas, cheap drinks a decent PA and a great friendly atmosphere. I will miss it terribly. I’ve got so drunk I could barely walk there, first got together with two ex’s there, been dumped there and had some of the best nights of my life (not
necessarily at the same time I hasten to add). The new Corporation is set to be huge and plush with six (!?) dance floors but somehow it will never be the same.

My other favourite club is the Leadmill, which with the demise of the Roxy is now Sheffield’s oldest club. The club nights there mix from the incredibly cheap University of Shag student night which mixes 60p drinks with cheezy pop in one room and indie in the other to the 'non-cheezy pop' of Royales (ha!). Sadly my favourite night Shag 2 is no more, shame as the music in the indie room was always brilliant and again the crowd were always great. If nothing else I will always hold a great affection for that night as I met my girl friend there, yes I know I’m being soppy so I’ll stop now. Other nights veer from the 80s retro of Planet Earth to the hard dance of Hell. The club is well laid out, never so busy you can’t move and generally a great venue.

Sheffield’s most famous club is The Republic which feature the legendery ‘Gatecrasher’. Shockingly I’ve never attended as I know I’d detest every minute of it but I have spent more then the odd drunken binge at less exclusive nights. To be honest the line up is seldom anything to write home about, although monday nights ‘Blessed' allows you to experience Gatecrasher Dj’s at a fraction of the cost. Drinks prices are average but my main bugbear is the ridiculous number of people they cram into the club, you really can’t move in there on most nights. The club only recently reopened after being closed for several months after a drugs raid, although I’ve never really noticed too many dodgy goings on.

Bed is also owned by the management of Republic but is by far the superior club. Once the wonderful Music Factory it was completely refurbished by its new owners and painted a very fetching shade of black. Musically it’s largely dance: house
, garage stuff mainly. There was a good alternative night there called 'Cigarettes and Alcohol’ but that ended recently.

City centre and out of town superclubs Kingdom and Club (*cough*) Wow (stands for world of wonder but often known as world of w**k!) can be summed up in a single word. Hell. Populated almost entirely by either drunken students (early in the week) or drunken 20 somethings (weekends) both clubs are new and modern but fit firmly into the mould of club as venue for rubbish music, expensive drinks and meat market tendencies. I hate them both with a passion. If you care about music or enjoying yourself, or anything else other then pulling then avoid like the plague.

Both the students' unions offer similar nights that are cheap and cheerful and largely cheezy. Pop Tarts at the University is always amusing retro 70s/80s as is its Hallem equivalent Stardust. The university also has an excellent indie/alt night by the name of Fuzz Club which has offers you live music and two rooms of indie and alt.rock for your £3. Bargain.

There are other clubs of course, the dodgy as hell Uropa, the post Gatecrasher haunt for those who just didn’t get enough, Niche and the inevitable Po Na Na but the above are the main clubs. The Casbah which is a cross between a club and a pub has the odd good night although the drinks can be dear.


Drinking

So on to the most important matter, Sheffield’s pub scene. To be honest it’s not the best I’ve ever encountered but there are plenty of decent drinking establishments with which to wet your metaphorical whistle. The cities main drinking thoroughfares are West Street and Division Street. West Street if a favourite haunt of students sick of Broomhill (the student village) and those who seek a slightly less pretentious drinking experience. The Cavendish is a massive ‘It’s a Scream’ bar which has all the atmosphere of a b
arn and is always packed at weekends, on the other hand it is cheap. The Firkin next door was a favourite of mine with a decent jukebox and good Dj’s on Friday night but it recently shut to make way of an O’Neils. Varsity opposite is without a doubt the king of student pubs, modern stylish, well laid out and again cheap drinks, whilst Scruffy Murphys will satisfy those who really need to drink in a faux Irish atmosphere. Flares, a 70s revival bar recently shut to be replaced by an 80s music bar originally called ‘80s Music Bar’.

Division Street is a little more classy and a darn sight more expensive. The Forum is a good bar, albeit achngly trendy, the next door Halcyon is largely the same. At the end of the street live RSPV, a bar with pretensions that it can’t deliver on and a Wetherspoons within which it is impossible to move in after about 8pm at weekends.

Within the city centre there isn’t a huge number of great pubs to be honest. The Bankers Draft is another huge Wetherpoons, whilst The Old Monk near the theatres is decent enough pub. There are two excellent rock pubs to be found if you are so inclined, The Dove and Rainbow and The Other Side, both located near the former site of Corporation. The Globe located near the Leadmill is that rarest of things, a good ‘Scream’ pub and comes highly recommended.

The student village of Broomhill has more pubs then you can shake a stick at, although the only really good one is my local (less then a minutes walk from my flat) The Broomhill Tavern.


Eating

Sheffield is a bit hard pressed for really good restaurants to be honest. There are some great ones to be found but they are fairly few and far between. There are large number of Italians along Ecclesall Road, a formally trendy area of the city which is now degenerating into yet another student quarter. Most of them are pretty good but if you want excellent Itali
en food the finest to be found is the delightful Cafe Buon Cibo in Broomhill. A tiny little place with only about 12 tables booking is essential but well worth the effort. The food is marvellous and well priced, whilst the bring your own wine policy also helps to keep the bill down.

If you want Chinese, your best bet is Candytown on London Road, which although expensive serves best Chinese in the city. If Indian tickles your taste buds avoid the student hell hole which is the infamous Balti King and check out Nirmals on West Street.

There are loads of American themed diners on the out of town entertainment complex which also houses the huge UGC cinema and Club Wow. However, if you like this sort of thing and have a large budget the Meadowhall TGI Fridays is the place to head.


Culture

Yes you might think it is grim up north but there’s plenty of culture in Sheffield if that is what you are looking for. First stop must be the new and much hyped Millennium Galleries. A new purpose built art gallery, the building is very impressive and the space inside is well presented. Sadly there exhibitions to date have been disappointing. Opening exhibition ‘Precious’ was a rag bag of various piece from the V&A with little sense of connection and the most appallingly patronising labels. This has been replaced by a Francis Bacon display, which I am not in a position to comment on as I dislike the artist. The permanent exhibits are little new, they used to be housed in the old Rushton gallery but at least are free to view. The touring exhibition costs £4.50 for adults.

The city has the Mappin gallery and Graves art gallery, both of which are free and worth a visit, as is the City Musuem located close to the university and containing some fascinating items including the odd Mummey.

I’ve mentioned the theatres already but if you venture further afield, Chatsworth House is half an hours drive a
way (childhood home of Elizabeth I) as is Castleton which features a ruined castle and a number of caverns and mines. Sheffield is also in the heart of the Peak District and thus if you fancy walking it's very easy to get to some real countryside.


Transport

Getting around Sheffield can be problematic, if you drive that is. The road system is simply appalling and rush hour is quite simply a nightmare beyond all comprehension. Public Transport is pretty good considering. The Supertram connects the city with Meadowhall amongst other places and is quick and reliable. Expensive for a single trip the weekly £7 pass saves money and gets you on the buses for 50p as an added bonus.

The buses are also not bad. There several all night routes including the 52 which goes connects the city centre to the student quarter of Broomhill/Crookes, ideal after a night out has left you with no taxi money. The buses are average priced, not where near as expensive as say Manchester but not exactly cheap either.

Taxi’s are often hard to come by at 2 or 3am and Black cabs are hideously expensive. The minicab firms are much cheaper but hardly likely to win any awards for reliability, the best of a bad bunch is Mercury Cabs but that is hardly a glowing endorsement.


Conclusions?

Well I’m pretty breathless after writing all that. I think I may have come across a little negative about this city, thing is I have really enjoyed living here. Sheffield is a wonderfully safe place, sure if you leave your car in Parsons Cross it is unlikely to have wheels when you return but I have very seldom felt threatened here. The people are friendly and welcoming, the huge student population gives the city notable diversity and there are few of the racial tensions that tear apart the communities of other northern cities. It has its bad points but so does every city. Goodbye Sheffield, I think I may be back one day.

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