Sheffield Is A ‘Cool’ City!

Despite what George Orwell wrote about Sheffield, I think it is a very pleasant place in which to live. In fact, though I don’t usually use the word, I do think it is rather a ‘cool’ city . Having said that, I was born and brought up there, so I suppose I could be accused of bias. Its been almost twenty five years since I moved away though, during which the place has changed beyond my recognition

Unfortunately, Orwell stayed in just about the worst possible area of the city (almost certainly by choice), and it is no great surprise that he was so critical of what he saw. Parkwood Springs has a pleasant sound to it, but believe me, it is far from pleasant. In the 1930’s, when Orwell visited, the place must have been nightmarish, with a massive gasworks belching out dense choking fumes day and night. The hill above Wallace Road, the street where Orwell stayed, is now the site of a dry ski slope, from where the views are quite spectacular. Lower down though, Parkwood still suffers from the industrial blight that once affected the whole of the lower Don Valley. Things are gradually improving. The River Don is no longer poisonous, and has a healthy fish population, and there is a nature reserve on the hill above Parkwood, but it is a very slow and painful transitional process.

In general though, de-industrialised Sheffield is a good place to live. The city is a magnet for students, and it is by no means an exaggeration to describe Sheffield as a seat of learning. The ever increasing student population has had a significant knock-on effect upon Sheffield’s demographics. I myself can see that a dramatic change is taking place with a massive increase in the middle classes.Particularly in the western side of the city, which rivals Hampstead as a ‘chattering class’ hotspot.

As is often the case, a large student and middle class population has led to increased cultural activity. And for me, one of the most exciting developments has been the establishment of Bank Street Arts, a wholly independent arts centre on the edge of the legal area of the city-centre. The building was previously the home of a firm of solicitors, quite a contrast with the ‘forge’ of artistic creativity that it has become. I’ll be writing more about Bank Street Arts in subsequent posts. In the meantime, click on the logo to visit Bank Street’s website.

IR 07/07/11