We're still feeling the effects of jet lag - still swaying a little and very tired, but determined to make the most of our limited time in the Sheffield area. We drove our hire car to Meadowhall shopping centre. It's only about a 15 minute drive from Grenoside.
They were just starting to build Meadowhall when we first left for New Zealand back in 1989. After 27 years its starting to look a little tired so they are in the process of refurbishing it. There are 290 shops, plus cinema and eating places all under one roof. It's on two floors with connecting stairs, escalators and lifts so is very wheelchair friendly.
(Photo - inside Meadowhall)
(Photo - One of the domed ceilings in Meadowhall. Shopping centres are monstrosities but this one is quite architecturally pleasing)
(Photo - showing one of the elevators inside Meadowhall Shopping Centre - Sheffield)
You could easily spend the day here and not see everything. However, we were on a tight schedule so rushed around both floors in 2 hours and had a spot of lunch at Frankies and Bennies on the second floor. The menu was reasonably priced, the food was good and the service was excellent.
As is the way of Sheffielder's it's not unusual for men to call one another "love". As in ""how are you today love?". There's nothing sissy about it, it's just the way they talk around here. So it was no surprise to me when the waiter seating us called ME love (I did get a strange look from Lizzie though).
Another term of endearment is the word "cock". Again, nothing rude meant when someone says "ah tha doin' cock?" (translation - how are you doing old chap?). Sheffield is very flat caps, bitter beer, black pud, whippets and racing pigeon country - and I love it! Having said that I have yet to see someone wearing a flat cap, while eating black pudding, taking his whippet for a walk to the pub for a beer.....with a flock of racing pigeons bringing up the rear. It's been marvellous to be home again if only for a short time.
After Meadowhall we jumped onto the Supertram into Sheffield City Centre.
You can ride all day on the tram for GB Pounds 3.90. Tickets are bought on board from a conductor. There are other deals you can find by checking out their website. http://www.supertram.com/
Built for a princely sum of 240 million pounds, the first sections of track were opened in 1994/95 patronage gradually increased and in 2012 it had grown to 15 million customers for that year. It had dropped a little in 2014/15 to 11.5 million but is still well used by the locals.
We hopped off the tram at the City Hall stop. This stop is behind the Sheffield City Hall - a venue where I had seen many concerts in my youth ranging from Elton John and Phil Collins to Def Leopard and even Johnny Cash. It took me a while to get oriented again. The city has changed quite a bit in the 27 years I've been away. Pedestrian precincts, changes to the Peace Gardens, one way systems and of course shops had moved or been taken over by other companies. However, I think it's an improvement. The Sheffield of old was a bit grimey to be quite frank - a city once famous for it's steel works, belching out pollution and blackening the sandstone buildings, is suddenly clean and as bright as a new pin. Of course the city struggled through the demise of the steel industry. My grandfather, my mum and dad and my uncles were all employed in the steel industry at one point, so when cheap steel from Asia came on the market it was just a matter of time before mass redundancies followed.
(Photo - Sheffield City Hall, with the cenotaph in the foreground)
(Photo - Sheffield Town Hall in the back ground with the fountains and gardens of the Peace Gardens in the foreground).
The Peace Gardens came about by mistake rather than by design. In the 1930's a draft was drawn up to expand the town hall. This meant demolishing St Pauls church next door in 1938. The onset of the second world war meant that plans for the extension were put on hold and the vacant land was developed as a garden, originally called St Pauls Gardens, but known by locals as the Peace Gardens - a name which was finally formally adopted in 1985. In 1998 the gardens were upgraded - this time the emphasis was on water features and fountains. The design was originally criticised for lack of formal gardens but has since been well patronised by families - the children particularly enjoying the "walk in" fountain.
As we stroll around the city centre I am amazed how many wonderful buildings there are. These buildings, or most of them, were here before I left these shores but I'd failed to appreciate them. Now back home again as a tourist my eyes are open to their beauty and history.
Built between 1890 and 1897 - opened in 1897 and was designed by London based architect E W Mountford.
http://stmariecathedral.org/Currently the church is having some major construction and cleaning work done on it and is shrouded in scaffolding. It's a catholic church and has been a place of worship since its completion in 1850.
It's kind of hidden away down the narrow Norfolk Row, can easily be missed and doesn't have the public profile that Sheffield Cathedral has. It is a beautiful building and well worth a visit.
And of course new developments such as the Winter Gardens building below have been added.
(Photos x 2 - above - Winter Gardens Sheffield.)
Designed by architects Pringle Richards Sharratt, the Winter Gardens building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003. For more information see
https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--about/parks-woodlands--countryside/gardens/the-winter-garden/facts.html
We were surprised to find that Sheffield had been taken over by elephants. I mean, I knew it was on the main trunk line, but this was still a surprise. A herd of 58 elephant sculptures has descended on the city in the biggest public art event that the city has ever seen. Painted by artists - 75 percent of whom are local artists - the aim is to raise money for the Sheffield Children's Hospital - they are on display around the city until 5th of October 2016.
(Photos x 3 above - examples of some of the elephants on display)
We ended our visit to the city centre with a herbal tea and slice at Marmadukes café on Norfolk Row - opposite St Marie's. The friendly service and atmosphere here beats the likes of Starbucks and other chain cafes hands down. A nice quirky little place - when we're back again in December we'll call again. 2 pots of herbal teas, a slice of chocolate brownie (firm on the outside, soft on the inside and delicious) and a coconut slice (gluten free) came to UKPounds 10.80 - quite good value.
Then it was back on the supertram to Meadowhall to collect our car.
One thing to note when in the city - there seems to be a lack of public toilets - so use those in cafe's, pubs or the larger department stores.
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