Event - Chartism Day 2013 (Sheffield)

On 29th June there will be a conference at S€heffield University on the Chartist movement:
 
Programme
10.00-10.20 Registration and coffee
10.20-10.30 Welcome
10.30-12.15 Panel 1
Martin Hewitt (University of Huddersfield), ‘Chartism and the Taxes on Knowledge Campaign’
Robert G Hall (Ball State University), ‘Bookstores for the Millions: The Politics of Reading and Chartism, 1838-1848’
David Goodway, ‘George Julian Harney’s Late Journalism: The Newcastle Weekly Chronicle column, 1890-97’
12:15 Lunch
1.30-3:15 Panel 2
Jenny Cadwallender (PhD candidate. Manchester University), ‘“Amidst Tears, Cheers and Execrations”: Domesticity and the Politics of Chartist Women’
Timothy Keane, ‘Chartism and the Irish Famine’
Fabrice Bensimon, ‘Fraternal Democrats, French Republican Exiles and London Chartists’
3.15: Tea Break
3.30-4.30 Panel 3
Steve Poole, ‘Chartism and the Rural World’
Katrina Navickas, ‘What next for Chartist Studies’
4.30 Closing remarks
*NB: Professor Paul Pickering (ANU), leading historian of Chartism, will be giving a public lecture on Friday 28 June, entitled 'Telling the peoples’ story: writing, representing and selling the past in the age of affective history’. The lecture will commence at 6pm in the Peak Lecture Theatre, Sheffield Hallam University's City Campus. Please contact Matthew Roberts for further details. 

To register, please send a cheque for £13, payable to Sheffield Hallam University, to: Matthew Roberts, Owen Building Department of Humanities, Sheffield Hallam University, S1 1WB.

For further details see: http://events.history.ac.uk/event/show/9465

News - Thousands back hospital protest (Sheffield)

MORE than 3,600 people have now signed a protest petition against Sheffield University’s plans to knock down Jessop Hospital’s former Edwardian Wing.

The university wants to replace the Grade II-listed building with a new £80 million engineering block.

It says it cannot incorporate the old hospital block within its design for the redevelopment.

Sheffield Council has approved the scheme, despite planning officers initially being against the proposals.

But the scheme still needs final approval from Communities Secretary Eric Pickles for demolition of a listed building.

The Save Jessop Hospital Campaign is backed by local history groups and members of Sheffield Victorian Society.

The university claims the project is necessary because otherwise the engineering building would be much smaller, adding it has no use for the old hospital.

Visit www.jessophospital.org.uk/object for details of the campaign.
 

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/community/green-scene/thousands-back-hospital-protest-1-5502426

News - Roundhouse nears finish after arson (Heeley)

AN ARSON-hit archaeology experiment to create an Iron Age-style structure is nearing completion after a Sheffield community chipped in.


Residents and youngsters helped to paint the walls of Heeley City Farm’s reconstructed Roundhouse - which had its roof burned deliberately in a blaze in 2010 - over the weekend.

It takes the experiment a step closer to being finished, with only the roof now left to work on.

But weeks of downpours have been a setback in the scheme’s progress this year.

Sally Rodgers, community heritage officer at the farm, said it had taken longer than planned to reach this point.

She added: “It was upsetting when the fire happened but then these are the kinds of problems people would have faced in the Iron Age!

“We’ve worked really hard to repair the damage and, considering it is in an open space, there hasn’t been much damage, only the fire.

“Over the weekend the walls were painted using different natural techniques like coloured clays and ground wood.

“It still needs some work on the roof but we are hoping it will be completed this year.”

But the aim of the roundhouse, which started in 2009, is not really about it being used as a complete structure.

The farm and Sheffield University began the scheme to help learn about how things were done by Iron Age man, how people worked and what it was like to live.

On Saturday and Sunday volunteers got messy with paint, even creating Celtic designs with their brushes on the roundhouse walls.

Museum Sheffield plus Sheffield Young Archaeologists offered support and artists also showed their skills in metalworking and basket weaving demonstrations.

Sally added: “We’ve had masses of help from lots of community groups who volunteered their time to help to get the walls repaired and to get the roof structure stable again.”

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/community/roundhouse-nears-finish-after-arson-1-4743606

Event - Workshop to explore Old English (Sheffield)

MEMBERS of the public are being invited by Sheffield University students to take part in a project tomorrow [15th May], which will explore the language and culture of the Anglo-Saxon period.


Tomorrow’s event at the Jessop West Exhibition Space, on Upper Hanover Street ,will run from 10am until noon. At that event, people will be able to join in workshops on Old English and talk about that period in history.

English student Faye Guest, 22, said: “Old English language is still very much present today, from place names, to river names and the way in which we speak, and so we’re very keen to showcase this to the public.”

Dr Rebecca Fisher, a leading expert on Old English, added: “The event is a chance for members of the public to see what the students are working on, and for the community and students to work together to share their knowledge of this thrilling historical period.

“Magical charms, worship, the Old English language, sixth-century living conditions and an Anglo-Saxon crime scene are just a few of things visitors can expect to experience.”

The event is free but places should be reserved online at http://www.engagewitholdenglish.co.uk/

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/workshop-to-explore-old-english-1-4544415

News - Action threat over fears of lost heritage as buildings bulldozed

DEVELOPERS are being threatened with enforcement action by council archaeologists over failures to meet planning obligations which are designed to protect and record important historical sites and artefacts.


Several sites have been identified where cash-strapped builders have left archaeological digs and projects incomplete, leading to worries that irreplaceable evidence is being lost as the bulldozers move in.

Archaeologists employed by South Yorkshire’s four councils said the problem was now so widespread that they had been forced to call in colleagues from their enforcement departments to remind firms of their responsibilities.

Conditions are attached to most major planning consents which oblige the developers to engage the services of private archaeology firms to survey and catalogue any finds on building sites before work begins.

This is overseen by a planning authority’s own archaeological service, with staff keeping a record of which firm is carrying out work on which site, and signing off when the obligations have been fulfilled.

Particular problems with the process have surfaced in South Yorkshire after some private companies, including Sheffield University-based Arcus, disbanded – leaving some sites unsurveyed and archaeological work half-finished.

Dinah Saich, the principal archaeologist at South Yorkshire Archaeology Service (SYAS), which covers Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley, said archaeology was often not the “first thing” on firms’ minds.

She added: “In any planning case there are a number of conditions attached and the reason councils have enforcement officers is that things can go wrong at any stage of the process.

“We are now having to work with the enforcement teams at councils in certain problem areas, particularly in cases and on sites where the developer can’t easily be tracked down.”

According to a recent report written by South Yorkshire Archaeology Service staff, one site is currently of major concern, because the company developing is not responding to attempts to negotiate.

The report says: “Enforcement officers have been assisting SYAS with a number of cases where planning conditions are outstanding, but unfortunately the developers of one scheme cannot be reached and it is unlikely that this project will now be completed.

“We continue to liaise with Sheffield University over these and other projects that require completion,

“The Department of Archaeology is investigating whether research funding can be obtained to see some of these excavations and building recording projects through to completion.”

According to the report, the scheme where developers cannot be contacted is particularly important because is covers the site of the city’s former Sylvester Wheel.

The wheel, which was in Sylvester Street, close to the city centre, was used for grinding edge tools, and represents an important part of the city’s industrial and toolmaking heritage.

Ms Saich said: “The problem is that developers had signed up with providers like Arcus and we are now having to try and persuade them that they need to sign up with someone else to meet their obligations.

“Often companies think that because they haven’t heard anything about the archaeology, in some cases for a few years, that they just don’t need to finish the project, and don’t need to spend money on it.

“But every site that has not been properly surveyed is an issue for us and work must be seen through.”

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/action-threat-over-fears-of-lost-heritage-as-buildings-bulldozed-1-4385698

Event - Clowning around with circus history (Sheffield)

Pictured is Professor Vanessa Toulmin with exhibits from the new cirus history exhibition at Sheffield Universitys,Western Bank Library

ROLL up, roll up - for a spectacular new Sheffield exhibition celebrating all the excitement of the greatest show on earth.

Costumes, props and memorabilia from 250 years of British circus history go on display from tomorrow at Sheffield University’s National Fairground Archive at the Western Bank library.

Circus Showmen: Innovators Who Shaped the Circus has been put together by Professor Vanessa Toulmin and fellow academic Amanda Bernstein.

It will take visitors back in time to the late 18th century when circus content and performance first developed as an awe-inspiring art form.

The exhibition begins with ‘the father of modern circus’ Philip Astley and moves chronologically to one-time fairground showmen Lord George Sanger, Bertram Mills, Billy Smart and finally to Gerry Cottle, a stockbroker’s son from London.

Their stories will demonstrate that the circus has always been the place to which the most talented artists and performers often ran away.

And no circus exhibition can be complete without including history of the most famous venue for circus in the UK – Blackpool Tower.

The event features a collection of posters dating back to the 1810s, two full-sized models of Coco the Clown and Charlie Carioli loaned from Clowns International, and two original This is Your Life books which were presented to Billy Smart and Charlie Carioli.

Professor Toulmin said: “We are thrilled to be given the opportunity to show our circus collection which includes our fantastic posters dating from 1810 to 1990.

“The Bertram Mills posters in particular are wonderful pieces of art, dating from 1930s.

“This exhibition is a celebration of the world’s greatest-ever showmen who shaped the circus and created magical and exhilarating world-class shows and events.

“I am extremely excited to be curating and producing this must-see exhibition.”

The exhibition is open 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 12pm to 6pm Saturday and Sundays, and runs until the end of April.

From: http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/clowning_around_with_circus_history_1_4196322

News - Court fight over a stately treasure (Wentworth Woodhouse)

Clifford Newbold, owner of Wentworth Woodhouse, in the marble hall. Picture by Chris Lawton

ONE Sunday more than a decade ago, retired architect Clifford Newbold and his son Giles embarked on a project to give new life to one of Yorkshire’s most neglected stately homes after reading about its plight in a newspaper.

Mr Newbold, who had spent much of his life working in London, was involved in the design of the capital’s iconic Millbank Tower. But his new project, which he took on in his mid-70s, would prove even more challenging.

The father-and-son team spent 10 years labouring to bring Wentworth Woodhouse, near Rotherham, back into use, and their plans for a museum, hotel, spa and conference centre are now ready to begin.

But no work will start until the outcome of a court case against the Coal Authority is complete, because it is claimed that the stunning building, built by the Earls Fitzwilliam in the 1700s, is breaking up because of subsidence.

The irony of the situation is that the Grade I-listed house itself was built using the profits made from coal, with thousands of tonnes still lying in seams hundreds of metres below the estate.

Wentworth Woodhouse’s history is defined by its troubled relationship with the fossil fuel, with the last Earl to live there forced to watch as a 1940s Labour government ripped up his garden for opencast mining.

As Giles Newbold talks about that episode, in which Fuel Minister Manny Shinwell laid waste to the estate, there is real anger in his voice, and he describes what happened as vandalism.

For both men, the vision is to move the house away from its past and build a new future, based on more illustrious stories of its place at the centre of a thriving community.

Showing pictures taken by the RAF of the opencast devastation, Giles Newbold, a 36-year-old building surveyor, said: “They actually used explosives and blew up the bedrock within a few metres of the walls of the house.

“The holes were up to 40m deep. One area had a planted woodland which contained every species of tree found in northern Europe. It was just felled and the ground dug for coal. We want to restore that.

“We are in a position where we could start in six months, but we just need to get the case with the Coal Authority settled.”

Many of the house’s contents, commissioned and built up by successive Earls, were taken by the Government in lieu of death duties when the last Earl died.

Many family portraits are now held by the National Portrait Gallery, while other artworks and statues from the house are scattered around the globe.

A painting by George Stubbs of famous estate racehorse Whistlejacket was commissioned in the 1760s for one of the rooms, but is now in the National Gallery. A facsimile currently hangs in the Whistlejacket Room.

Mr Newbold junior said: “We want to bring those works of art back.

“Many of these pieces were commissioned for Yorkshire and they should be here to be enjoyed by the people of Yorkshire.”

When the Newbolds bought the house for £1.5m it was “stripped clean” and Mr Newbold senior said an “enormous sum” had already been spent tracking down simple items.

One fire grate from the house was found in a London saleroom, while the bell board, which told servants where to go in the house, was discovered in Dublin.

Despite what has happened, the stunning interiors of Wentworth Woodhouse have stood their many tests, and the splendid state rooms, including the Pillared Hall which contains empty plinths where statues once stood, will form the museum.

Meanwhile, the Newbolds have already started welcoming some visitors to the house, including students both past and present,

Mr Newbold senior, 85, said: “There has been a great deal of interest from architecture students at Sheffield University.

“For them it is a fantastic opportunity because this house hasn’t had a lot of reports written on it and hasn’t been extensively studied in the way that others around the country have.

“We also recently hosted a group who were here when it was a training college for teachers.

“They reverted to being girls again and started looking for the rooms they remembered. We want to welcome more people and for this place to be part of the community as it once was.”

A High Court ruling on the Coal Authority case is expected in the next few weeks.

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/court_fight_over_a_stately_treasure_1_4110335

News - EFCF Awards £372,764 to Six Projects (Barnsley)

The Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, managed by the Museums Association, has awarded grants to six projects, from a total of 118 applications for its second round of funding.

Abingdon County Hall Museum received £23,346 to conserve and develop display and interpretation of a mid-sixteenth-century tempera on parchment map of the Thames.

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Arts and Museums Service received £62,400 to research and develop use of Barnsley’s archaeological collections to allow research of the collection in partnership with Sheffield University and add to skills sharing across the region for caring for archaeology collections.

The Horniman Museum and Gardens received £50,450 to review the museum’s natural history collections with subject specialists and enthusiast groups getting together to identify and find significant specimens.

Kirklees Museums and Galleries, with Calderdale Museums, Wakefield Museums, Bradford Museums and Galleries, and Leeds Museums and Galleries were jointly awarded £72,768 to review and reinterpret the textile collections of the partner museum services and to create the West Yorkshire Textile Heritage Trail.

Museum nan Eilean and Archaeology Service (Western Isles) received £85,000 to research the Udal archaeological collections and investigate potential for an Archaeological Resource Centre on North Uist.

The National Media Museum received £78,800 to research and develop the use of the Ray Harryhausen Collection.

Sally Cross, the MA’s collections coordinator, said: “Individually, the projects that have been awarded grants speak for themselves in terms of the quality of the collections and the creativity and ambition of the projects.

“Together, I’m really pleased with how they look for their diversity – it’s becoming clear that this fund is supporting a range of types of collection, types of museum and projects on different scales.”

Round three applications

Due to the high volume of applications to the EFCF, the MA has introduced a two stage application process.

The selection criteria for round three remains the same, but museums will be asked to complete a brief initial stage application.

The MA will then invite a shortlist to complete full applications.

The MA will advise applicants ahead of the deadlines to help bring out the key points that the selection committee will look for.

After receipt of stage one applications, the MA will invite a small number of applicants to move onto the second stage.

Those selected will be asked to complete a full application for consideration by the EFCF board and will have access to more detailed advice and feedback from MA staff. Organisations invited to complete a full application will have a 40% chance of being funded.

Closing date for round three initial applications is 5 April 2012.

Invitations to full application will be issued to successful applications on 16 April 2012.

From: http://www.museumsassociation.org/news/29112011-efcf-awards-372764-to-six-projects

News - Write your page in city’s history (Sheffield)

IT was the decade of The Limit, cheap bus fares, the council Egg Box and the miners’ strike.

A time of recession, of mass unemployment and of pivotal events that would change Sheffield forever.

Now a new Sheffield University programme is seeking to capture the essence of the 1980s as the starting point of a major oral history project.

People who lived through those turbulent times will be interviewed for an online record which will become part of a new permanent archive of the city’s recent past, to be titled Witness.

Historians Dr Andrew Heath and Dr Charles West are appealing for Sheffielders to to share their memories. The 1980s will be the starting point. Each year a team of students trained by the Oral History Society will research a different topic or period.

A sample of the interviews, with an accompanying historical report, will then be posted online for free public access.

Dr West said: “There’s a proverb that says, ‘When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground’.

“History isn’t just books in the library, it’s also people’s lives and experiences, at home and at work. That’s the starting point of the Witness project.

“Preserving the voices of Sheffield’s citizens, helping train a new generation of historians and creating a historical resource for the future – Witness aims to achieve all these things by bringing together students, staff and Sheffield’s wider community.”

David Holland, aged 47, a mature undergraduate history student, said: “I’m coming to higher education quite late and, as I’m in my 40s, I can remember Sheffield in the 1980s very well.

“Anyone who lived in Sheffield in the ’80s will remember the huge changes to the city’s industry and economy wrought by both recession and government policy and the massive impact on life they had, with the closure of much of the steel industry, the miners’ strike, mass unemployment and the shadow of the Cold War.

“There were also the other fascinating insights into people’s lives in the Sheffield of the 1980s.

“The music scene was world renowned and clubs such as the Leadmill and The Limit were booming.

“The buses were incredibly cheap and frequent too.

“Long-gone bits of civic architecture such as the Hole in the Road, the Wedding Cake and the Egg Box made up an important part of Sheffield’s skyline, as did the massive housing developments of Park Hill and Hyde Park.

“For me, it is people’s experience of such events and buildings that help give a three-dimensional picture of them. I think our role is to help add this human dimension to what has often been reduced to a dry list of ‘historic’ events, where the people who actually experienced them and felt their effects have been written out of the story.”

Dr West said: “The 1980s seemed suitable as a starting point partly because it gives us a very wide pool of memories to draw upon and partly because there may be some parallels with the Sheffield of today - job cuts, recession, tension between local government and national government.”

n To help the Witness project and share memories of Sheffield in the 1980s, get in touch by emailing witness@sheffield.ac.uk or call the Department of History on 0114 222 2555.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/write_your_page_in_city_s_history_1_3908446

News - Plea for rethink over closure of heritage museum (Sheffield)

SHEFFIELD University is being urged to think again over a decision to close the city’s ‘secret museum’ – the Traditional Heritage Museum in Ecclesall Road.

The university, which owns the buildings and displays, says it can no longer meet the costs, including the “significant capital investment” that is required.

But founder Professor John Widdowson, speaking on behalf of the volunteers, who have been running the museum, is asking for the decision to be reconsidered.

Although an estimated £500,000 is needed to bring the museum up to standard, he said “every effort” should be made to secure external funding “so that the museum can continue to make its unique collections and its services and facilities available to students and the community”.

In a letter to the Friends organisation, Traditional Heritage, he says: “The possibility that this sum could be raised by sponsorship, public appeal, help in kind from local and/or national businesses, or an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund has evidently not been considered, nor has the phasing of the essential work over a period of time in order to avoid an immediate capital outlay.”

It is also being suggested that Friends seek the support of councillors and local MP Paul Blomfield.

The museum was created by Prof Widdowson in 1964 and moved into its present premises, the former hall of Endcliffe Methodist Church, in 1977. The building has suffered from flooding, heating problems and asbestos.

Reflecting social history between 1850 and 1970, it features displays such as little mesters’ workshops, a replica kitchen from the 1920s and recreations of a variety of Sheffield shops, such as Pollard’s tea and coffee and Renwick’s Basketmakers.

Prof Widdowson said he understood the pressures on the university but it would be a “blow” to Sheffield if the museum closed permanently. It was last open to the public at the end of February.

“It has been very successful and very popular with the old and young alike and we have a successful project with schools and have visitors from overseas. It’s a unique collection.”

A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said the decision had been taken to permanently close the building as it required “significant capital investment in order to meet the necessary standards required of a public building. The university has supported the use of the building for over 25 years but regrettably can no longer meet these costs or provide the capital investment needed.

“The university is currently in consultation with the Traditional Heritage Museum with regard to the best way forward for the items on display within the building.

“The university would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of Prof John Widdowson and the volunteers who have helped to run the Traditional Heritage Museum on Ecclesall Road over many years.”

From: http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/plea_for_rethink_over_closure_of_heritage_museum_1_3842764

News - Sheffield Traditional Heritage Museum shuts permanently

A Sheffield museum which has been closed since February is to shut its doors permanently, its owners say.

The University of Sheffield, which owns the building housing the Traditional Heritage Museum, said it could not afford the "very significant capital investment" needed to maintain it.

The museum, which opened in 1985, is staffed entirely by volunteers.

Sheffield University said it would consult with the museum over the future of the collections housed there.

The museum, based at 605 Ecclesall Road, contains a variety of walk-through displays, including a replica kitchen from the 1920s and a variety of shops from Sheffield's past.

'Necessary standards'

The University of Sheffield closed the building in February in order to carry out an assessment of the property's infrastructure.

A university spokesman said that, following the results of that assessment, it had been decided that it did not have the funds "to meet the necessary standards required of a public building".

"The university has supported the use of the building for over 25 years, but regrettably can no longer meet these costs or provide the capital investment needed," he said.

He added that the university would like to acknowledge the "hard work and commitment" of Prof John Widdowson, the museum's curator, and the volunteers who had given their time to run the museum.

The university said it would consult with Prof Widdowson about the future of the museum's collections, and would be taking expert advice from the museums sector.

From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-15173891

News - Nick sees pupils’ prehistoric project (Millhouses)

SHEFFIELD Hallam MP Nick Clegg was given an insight into a prehistoric project at a city school which has seen the creation of a replica Iron Age round house.


The Lib Dem leader was at St Wilfrid’s RC Primary in Millhouses to officially open the house, constructed with the help of volunteers from Heeley City Farm and Sheffield University.

The round house is already being used by youngsters as an outdoor classroom for their environmental studies - although currently lighting is an issue as the structure has no windows!

“We’re looking at installing small solar-powered lights so the atmosphere of the round house is maintained,” said headteacher Barbara Jarrett.

“The work was only just completed before Nick arrived but he was very impressed with what he saw - he said they didn’t do things like this when he was at school.”

The Deputy Prime Minster also saw smelting work with a craftsman creating an iron hinge for the house’s door.

“It’s been a brilliant project and we are expanding our environmental work with our refurbished school pond and a forest school project,” Barbara added.

Every child in the school was involved in the building work - getting messy creating daub for the walls from clay, straw, water and sand.

The mixture was later spread on the woven willow walls by hand, with help from university archaeology students.

The building work began last February and tied in with classroom work on the whole Iron Age era.


Pupils also worked with heritage officers from Heeley City Farm and university lecturers on a host of activities, including handling genuine archaeological artefacts.

Youngsters also visited the Iron Age hill fort at Wincobank and harvested materials for the construction work.

Sheffield University lecturer Dr Roger Doonan said: “The pupils really enjoyed the project as it was fun but also formed part of an important research project with the work of the pupils contributing to our understanding of life in the Iron Age.

“Their enthusiasm and interest was incredibly impressive and I was asked questions by nine-year-old pupils which would not have been out of place at a professional conference.”

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/nick_sees_pupils_prehistoric_project_1_3811478

News - Founder of Traditional Heritage Museum says site could close for good (Sheffield)

SHEFFIELD’S ‘secret museum’ is facing permanent closure – because it could cost £500,000 to repair the former church hall in which it is based.

Traditional Heritage Museum founder Professor John Widdowson believes a formal announcement by its owner Sheffield University will come soon.

The museum, run by volunteers and students, has been closed since February because of health and safety issues.

Based in the former hall of Endcliffe Methodist Church on Ecclesall Road, it features a variety of displays representing Sheffield from past decades.

“The cost to repair the building will be substantial at a time when the university is seriously strapped for cash,” Prof Widdowson said.

“But this is a unique resource and is one of the few examples of a facility where the university interacts with the people of Sheffield.

“The university owns the important collections inside which span the years from 1850 to 1970, and if they are split up then the integrity of the collection as a whole will be lost.”

The museum was created by Prof Widdowson in 1964 and moved into its present building in 1977, a church hall first built in 1928.

“There are obvious problems with the hall – we had trouble with the heating last year and that was before the awful snow in December,” the professor said.

“After that we suffered from burst pipes and flooding, and a subsequent survey found asbestos in the boiler room and basement. The university has spent £30,000 on repairs in recent times so their commitment has been there.”

Prof Widdowson said little thought seemed to have been given to whether the repair work could be carried out in phases to better manage the cost.

He added: “It could be that launching some sort of appeal for sponsorship or support could be the only way forward,” he added.

The museum has a variety of walk-through displays, including a replica kitchen from the 1920s and recreations of a variety of Sheffield shops, such as Pollard’s tea and coffee and Renwick’s Basketmakers.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/founder_of_traditional_heritage_museum_says_site_could_close_for_good_1_3715420

News - Will ‘secret museum’ ever return? (Sheffield)

QUESTION marks are hanging over the future of a ‘secret’ Sheffield museum which has now been closed for six months.

The Traditional Heritage Museum on Ecclesall Road is owned by Sheffield University but has been run in recent years entirely by volunteers.

Based in the former hall of Endcliffe Methodist Church, it features a variety of displays representing Sheffield from past decades.

A university spokesman said the museum had been closed due to health and safety concerns but refused to give further details.

“The University of Sheffield has undertaken a full assessment of the property and will be discussing its findings with the relevant people. The museum will remain closed at this time,” he added.

But volunteers and supporters fear the museum may now have shut its doors for good.

Regular visitor Peter Bolt, of Marshall Road, Woodseats, said its permanent closure was on the cards.

“It has provided a unique experience over the years, giving an insight into how trades and shops used to provide services to people in a bygone era,” he said.

“The museum is the only one of its kind in Sheffield - we do not have anything like it on the same lines.”

The museum opened in 1985 and has a variety of walk-through displays, including a replica kitchen from the 1920s and a variety of Sheffield shops, such as Pollard’s tea and coffee and Renwick’s Basketmakers.

The interior of Pollard’s Coffee and Grocery shop was created from original fittings preserved from the former shop on Glossop Road.

Other collections date from 1850 to 1950 and illustrate life and work in Sheffield, including several displays reflecting the ‘little mester’ trades.

Another preserved shop is Thackeray’s, which used to be in a terrace house at Upper Hanover Street.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/community/will_secret_museum_ever_return_1_3706050

Article - Castle site is opportunity (Sheffield)

Sheffield Castle offers a once-in-a-lifetime park opportunity, rather than another set of hoardings and abandoned land.

As a founder member of the Five Weirs Walk Trust can I congratulate Ron Clayton for his enthusiastic work and Prof Dawn Hadley of Sheffield University’s Department of Archaeology for drawing attention to the image of Sheffield’s long destroyed castle, which has now been presented to the Lord Mayor, Coun Dr Sylvia Dunkley, herself a historian (Aug 1).

Given the probable demolition of the markets site and the risk of long-term delays as on The Moor, could the area not be turned into a park with some preservation and reconstruction as we see in English Heritag’e sites where grass and walls and good interpretive boards and film bring the past alive?

There are archaeological finds that could be displayed as in the Jorvik museum at York, which was long hidden and is now a major tourist attraction.

If, in the long term, rebuilding does take place the remains could form a well illuminated ground-floor arts area with buildings above.

With sensitive new building the old Shambles could be redeveloped as an interesting street by the River Don, rather than merely a fume-ridden traffic hazard.

Our riverside should be cherished .

There are examples like this in Venice, Rome and Ediburgh for example.

Some sensitive reconstruction could make the junction of the Don and Sheaf a memorable place to relax in the city centre and give a focus for what is a marginalised area.

It could link Victoria Quays to the rest of town.

Michael Sam Wild, Sheffield

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/community/letters/castle_site_is_opportunity_1_3657456

News - Computer image of castle’s gatehouse revealed (Sheffield)

A STUNNING image of what Sheffield Castle’s gatehouse might have looked like in the 13th century has been presented to the Lord Mayor by a local history enthusiast.

Coun Sylvia Dunkley received the picture from Ron Clayton, who is campaigning for the castle remains - which lie beneath the Castle Markets site - to be excavated.

The castle was built in 1270 but was knocked down in the late 1640s.

An excavation led by Leslie Armstrong in 1927 uncovered the base of one of the gateway bastion towers, as well as part of the gateway itself.

The remains, which are Grade II listed, are preserved under Castle Market and open for viewing.

More recent excavations in 1999 and 2001 by ARCUS, Sheffield University’s archaeological research and consultancy unit, revealed the castle to have been much larger than previously was thought - and that it could have been among the largest medieval castles in England.

The image of the gatehouse given to Coun Dunkley was computer-generated by Prof Dawn Hadley, of Sheffield University’s Department of Archaeology.

Coun Dunkley said: “I would like to thank Ron for this amazing image, which will look great in the Parlour.

“Along with people like Ron, I have been a strong advocate of making the most of the castle ruins.

“Anything we can do to ensure the people of Sheffield don’t forget this buried treasure is very welcome.”

Plans are in the pipeline to have the ruins fully excavated once Castle Market is demolished after stalls are moved to the new markets building on the Moor in 2013.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/local/computer_image_of_castle_s_gatehouse_revealed_1_3636878

News - Amateur diggers discover the realities of Victorian living (Sheffield)

AMATEUR archaeologists who have joined a dig on the site of a city farm have helped uncover what life was like in the area a century ago.

When Queen Victoria was on the throne, several streets around Heeley City Farm in Sheffield were home to families who worked in local factories.

The terrace houses were demolished in the 1970s but locals who have been taking part in the dig have discovered some of the artefacts that were left behind.

Dr Roger Doonan, of the department of archaeology at Sheffield University, has helped the volunteers, many of whom have never been involved in archaeology before.

He said: “The real thrust of the project is to find out about what people did in their back yards and gardens a century ago.

“We have found the foundations of the houses, and the outhouses, and beneath the 1978 demolition layer there are some interesting artefacts.”

Dr Doonan said pieces of oyster shell and bone which were probably offcuts from cutlery works had been found, which appeared to be evidence of a cottage industry.

He added: “It was probably waste which husbands brought home from the factories and foundries, which wives worked into buttons for clothing - not just for themselves but to sell.

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/around-yorkshire/local-stories/amateur_diggers_discover_the_realities_of_victorian_living_1_3613026

News - Sponsored by Archaeologists show hi-tech vision of city’s historic past (Sheffield Castle)

WITH its looming front wall and mist clouded moat, it has the aura of a fortress from Lord Of The Rings.

But this is how Sheffield Castle would have looked according to a new study by city archaeologists.

Experts from construction firm Arcus and students from the Sheffield University produced the stunning image as part of an investigation into the make-up and significance of the 13th century building.

They drew on previous excavations and studies of contemporary castles during their research.

Now castle campaigner Ron Clayton is to present the picture to Lord Mayor Sylvia Dunkley in a bid to keep the historic building in the public mind.

“Without the castle there would be no Sheffield, it’s that simple,” says historian Ron of Hillsborough. “The early markets survived because of this stronghold and that’s why it’s important images like this are shown to people.”

Now he will continue putting pressure on the authorities to excavate the remains currently buried beneath, appropriately enough, Castle Market.

“I’ve said it for a long time and I’ll continue saying it,” he says. “We have this treasure under our feet and we should be making the most of it and using it to regenerate the city.”

The castle was built in 1270 but, after being used as a Royal stronghold during the English Civil War, was knocked down by victorious Parliamentarians in the late 1640s.

No plans or drawings from the period remain.

A presentation will be made in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour in the Town Hall on July 27.

From: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/archaeologists_show_hi_tech_vision_of_city_s_historic_past_1_3591468