The last time I was in Sheffield in a travel blogging sense, it was an ode to Heaven 17. The Other Half was reliving her youth and we were at the O2 to see Glen Gregory et al, blasting out the the full Luxury Gap album. Temptation indeed. She was on a roll, after doing the Penthouse & Pavement tour 2 years previously. It seems only fair then that the title of this blog goes to their musical neighbours, Human League. As usual, there might well be the sound of a crowd later too.
Our other Sheffield blog started with the Heaven 17 lyrics, Were going to live for a very long time. Fast forward to 2020 and nobody really knows anymore. The silent killer is among us and back for a second wave. We can no longer make plans.... even a few days in advance.... just in case the COVID restrictions change and TFB makes a sudden announcement on a revised set of instructions for your area. We made this trip prior to both our own area and that of South Yorkshire being classified in Tier 3. Tier 3 was effectively an instruction not to leave your area and
the pub trade largely got orders to close. As I write this blog, the news is full this morning of another imminent England wide lockdown and as I publish, we are now 2 weeks into that lockdown. Schools, colleges and universities would stay open, but all but essential retail have closed down again. The race to save Christmas is on, but the recent dithering by TFB has heard crises of too little, too late from most.
My previous Sheffield blog concentrated on the city centre and a drinking excursion on Kelham Island. Kelham Island Brewery is a destination in its own right. Today, we enter the city from the south and the Chesterfield area. We are in Abbeydale country here. It was a bit early for a pint of Moonshine though. We ploughed on towards the city centre, round the back of an eerily quiet Bramhall Lane - home of the Flashing Blades - and on to the inner Ring Road.
Ecclesall Road is all things to all men (and women). The ladies that lunch mingle happily with students. Coffee shops run shoulders with independent shops selling local designs and Sheffield steel products. Takeaways cater to those looking
for a quick bite, whilst M & S Food offers something more substantial .... and if you simply cant manage, Waitrose is on the end of the road. The Other Half was quite taken by the range of independent shops and I was pleased that she spotted Craft and Berry. It specialized in bottles of real ales and artisan gins. The stocking filler was carefully chosen. It wasnt gin! The shop is at Number 369 - dont let it pass you by. The footfall was generally low and the terraced houses on the side streets with To Let signs, suggested large groups of students had just not bothered to renew their this term.
The Sheffield Botanic Gardens are nearby. I will be honest and say I wasnt aware Sheffield had any Botanic Gardens until 2 days before our visit. However, theyve been there since 1836, so theyre not exactly the new kid on the block. In amongst the 19 acres, you will apparently find 5,000 species of plants. The other notable inhabitants are a serious number of grey squirrels, who are totally unfazed by the human presence. They were busy preparing for winter, searching the piles of fallen
leaf material for a tasty morsel to add to their good stores. The Gardens were laid out by one Robert Marnock. He arrived from what is now the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield and moved on and up to the Royal Botanic Society of London gardens in Regents Park. The most striking feature of the gardens are the Grade II listed glass pavilions (restored and in 2003). An archway stands at the main gateway off Clarkehouse Road and it was quite surprising to see a bear pit containing an 8 tall steel statue of an American Black Bear. It was even more surprising to find he was called Robert the Bear!
The Sheffield Botanical and Horticultural Society was formed in 1833 and bought the site from Joseph Wilson for £7,500.
