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Day 189

July 8, 2010

A bit of a grey day, the sun is taking a rest and promised to return tomorrow.

A picture of the front of the Winter Garden in Sheffield.

Sheffield Winter Gardens

Sheffield Winter Garden

Sheffield Winter Garden is one of the largest temperate glasshouses to be built in the UK during the last hundred years, and the largest urban glasshouse anywhere in Europe. It is home to more than 2,000 plants from all around the world. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 22 May 2003.

The Winter Garden is some 70 metres (77 yd) long and 21 metres (23 yd) high.

The building has background frost protection to minimum of 4 degrees Celsius and it is one of the largest Glue Laminate or “Glulam” buildings in the UK (Glulam is made by forming and gluing strips of timber into specific shapes). The wood used isLarch, a durable timber which will, over time, turn a light silvery grey colour. The larch, derived from sustainable forests, requires no preservatives or coatings. This reduces the use of solvents and also avoids the use of chemicals that could kill the plants. It has an intelligent Building Management System which controls fans and vents to make sure the plants are cooled in summer and kept warm in winter. The system will “learn” year-on-year.

The bedding plants are changed five times a year, to give a seasonal change, and all the plants are watered by hose or by watering can, as it is the only way to ensure that all the plants get the correct amount of water.

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Day 215

August 3, 2010

A very exciting journey today down to Wootton Bassett to meet the mum of our new puppies.

The Curriers Arms is in a very busy and tight High Street, unfortunately now mainly known for the town where our brave soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are repatriated.     Thankfully today was quiet.

Curriers Arms, Wootton Bassett

Curriers Arms, Wootton Bassett

The Curriers Arms is an extremely old building – so old that no records exist to confirm when it was built. But we at least know that it was called The New Inn before it received its present name.

Like many pubs in the 19th century, The Curriers Arms was a home brew pub, but, unusually, it was mineral waters that were produced on the premises, not beer.

In 1894 The Curriers Arms was owned by the short-lived Beaufort Brewery in Wootton Bassett and from 1897 to 1951 it was the property of the Osborne Brewery of Yeovil.

It then passed to Arkell’s who extensively modernised it in 1953 – presumably to the liking of the pub’s resident ghost. The Curriers is one of several Arkell’s pubs whose landlords are convinced it is haunted.

Curriers Arms, Wootton Bassett

Curriers Arms, Wootton Bassett


A currier is a specialist in the leather processing industry. After the tanning process, the currier applies techniques of dressing, finishing and colouring to the tanned hide to make it strong, flexible and waterproof. The leather is stretched and burnished to produce a uniform thickness and suppleness, and dyeing and other chemical finishes give the leather its desired colour.

After currying, the leather is then ready to pass to the fashioning trades such as saddlery, bridlery, shoemaking and glovemaking.

…and for those who want to see her…..

This is Megan, who is hopefully 3 weeks pregnant…

Megan

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Day 232

August 20, 2010

A wander around the old industrial area of Kelham Island in Sheffield.

Kelham Island is one of Sheffield’s eleven designated Quarters. Formerly an industrial area, the island itself was created by the building of a goit, or mill race, fed from the river Don to serve the water wheels powering the workshops of the areas’ industrial heyday. The quarter was named after the island, however, the boundaries extend beyond the physical island created by the river and goit.

One of the most impressive derelict buildings in this area is Green Lane Works. Very difficult to photograph because it is well boarded up hopefully for future preservation works.


Green Lane Works, Kelham Island, Sheffield

Green Lane Works, Kelham Island, Sheffield

The entrance gate to the works is particularly ornate and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.   Nikolaus Pevsner called the gate “the most spectacular survival of factory architecture in the city”. The works are situated in the suburb of Neepsend within the Kelham Island Quarter of the city and date from 1795 although they were extensive alterations in 1860.

History

The original Green Lane Works were established in 1795 by the firm of Hoole and Company who were manufacturers of ornamental stove grates and fenders in Bronze and metal. The firm flourished and their products won a first Council medal at theThe Great Exhibition of 1851 and a Medaille d’honneur at the Exposition Universelle of 1855. This success brought considerable prestige to the firm and its proprietor at the time Henry E. Hoole. In 1859 Hoole was elected Lord Mayor of Sheffield and to celebrate this he had major alterations carried out to the works.[2]

Entrance gateway

The most important part of the 1860 rebuilding was the construction of the decorative entrance arch on Green Lane. It is thought that the sculptor Alfred Stevens designed the gatehouse and may have been responsible for the relief sculptured decoration. Stevens had worked for Hoole and Company between 1850 and 1852 as chief designer on a salary of £20 per annum and had designed much of the firms award winning work for the 1851 exhibition. When he returned to London after two years with Hooles he left behind him many drawings and designs for apprentices to study.

The Gateway is constructed of ashlar, stucco and brick and takes the form of a tripartite triumphal arch with a carving of a female head on the keystone above the main (central) arch. The two outer (pedestrian) arches have relief panels of the Greek gods Hephaestus (left) and Athena (right) above them. The name of the works is carved above the central arch and above this is an apex roof which at one time had a coat of arms on it which is now missing. The gateway is topped off by acupola with clock and weather vane.

Latter history

The works were considerably damaged in the Great Sheffield Flood of March 1864 with Samuel Harrison in his “A Complete History of the Great Sheffield Flood” saying:

“ The Green Lane Works, the property of Messrs. H. E. Hoole and Co., were damaged considerably. A large room, filled with stoves, fenders, and so forth, was flooded to a depth of four feet. Trunks of trees were washed into the grinding wheel, the engine and boiler were covered with debris, and a great quantity of miscellaneous property was destroyed. ”

The works continued to make stove grates and fenders until 1930, up until 1948 it produced files as part of the Ibbotson Brothers group. In April 1948 the works were purchased by W.A. Tyzack who produced agricultural tools and parts for farm machinery. In late 2010 the works are disused with its future unknown. The gateway has been partly bordered to protect it from vandalism.

The entrance gateway in the early 1860s just after being built.

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Day 271

September 28, 2010

A really dramatic and moody sunset this evening.

Autumn is upon us!

Autumn sunset

Autumn sunset

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Day 284

October 11, 2010

The centre of Sheffield is sporting some beautiful autumn colours

Sheffield Town Hall

Sheffield Town Hall

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Day 285

October 12, 2010

Reflections of the Winter Gardens

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Day 315

November 11, 2010

Gales and rain made for a lot of opportunities in Sheffield tonight.

This is Tudor Square in Sheffield, home of the Crucible Theatre, famous for its annual hosting of the World Snooker Championships.

Tudor Square Sheffield

Tudor Square Sheffield

The square is home to the largest concentration of theatres in the UK outside London and has thus become known as Sheffield’s ‘Theatre Land’. The Square lies at the heart of the city centre, only metres away from the town hall, major attractions such as the Winter Gardens and is only 5 minutes away from Sheffield railway station.

Tudor Square has always been home to theatres. The Lyceum, Sheffield’s oldest theatre, sits on the east side of the square. On the north side of the square is the Crucible, the venue for the World Snooker Championships since 1977. Also within the square is the smaller Studio Theatre which, along with the two aforementioned theatres, is managed by Sheffield Theatres.

Tudor Square has recently been modernised with funds provided by the European Regional Development Fund.  For the project £4 million pounds was allocated to redevelop the square to coincide with the refurbished and redesigned Crucible theatre. The aim of the project was to provide Sheffield Theatres Trust with a open public space for cultural activity and create an impressive new gateway to the city. The newly designed square was opened in 2010. The refurbishment of the Crucible theatre cost £15 million to complete. The aim of this particular project was to improve the night time economy of the city centre, something which the theatre has done so for its entire history. The redevelopment will, amongst other things, provide a much improved venue for the world snooker championships which are held there annually.

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