Sheffield Council. Vandals? Or forward Thinkers?

[vanner]

Does anyone feel the same as me about the Sheffield Council policy of demolishing old buildings,or allowing them to decline without repairing or maintaining them so they may be "legitimately" demolished, irrespective of any History they may contain or any architectural merit the may have. Solely it seems, to make way for the "New". Which to my mind doesn`t always equate with better. Was this Socialist policy? Conciously undertaken during the beggining of the 20th century? Or just an unintended consequence of planning for the future.

 

This policy seems to have been going on for at least a hundred years.

[WallBuilder]

Well you'll have to give a few examples as I suspect a lot of buildings were no longer fit for purpose with changing trendds in how we live and work.

One of the problems with much of the new buildings is a rather boring tendency to refuse to think outside the box so you could be in any city in the country and the building design is identical. I like the two new multi storey car parks in the city centre and the Winter garden has grown on me.

[Ms Macbeth]

There is also the issue of ownership. Possibly many of the old buildings left to rot didn't belong to the council, but were owned by other organisations. For instance, the old Post Office building in town is one example. However, I like what was done with Leopold Square, incorporating the old school rather than demolishing it.

 

I'm not sorry the Egg Box went though.

[junction1]

Well you'll have to give a few examples as I suspect a lot of buildings were no longer fit for purpose with changing trendds in how we live and work.

One of the problems with much of the new buildings is a rather boring tendency to refuse to think outside the box so you could be in any city in the country and the building design is identical. I like the two new multi storey car parks in the city centre and the Winter garden has grown on me.

 

Cole Bros, Fargate, the facade could have been preserved.

 

The Old Blue Bell, High Street, it would have been 310 years old this year.

 

The Georgian block, at the side of Starbucks on Norfolk Row, demolished to provide access to the Town Hall car park, situated under the egg box.

 

The Mulberry Tavern on Mulberry Street, it would have been 187 years old this year, it was a lovely pub.

 

The Travelers on The Moor, god only knows when it was built, it was a coaching inn with stable block and cobbled stable yard.

 

I just wonder if they have designs on Paradise Square/Street.

[WallBuilder]

The interior of many pubs has changed vastly as I can remember a time when pubs had a saloon bar, a snug and an everyday bar (can't think what that was called] In fact some pubs had a smoking room as well as a snug. I doubt if a pub would be designed along those lines any more as it's not what people want.

There are a few building frontages that have been kept standing whilst the building itself was completely cleared but I suspect there would have to be some major architectural reasoning behind such ventures.

Paradise Square is I think listed with a grade one listing so I doubt that anything will happen to alter that area ever.

[grave lurker]

yes, I do agree a bit with 'juncton1' this seems to be happening all too much. It is as if the Councilers sit down & say 'right what shall we vandalise this year?

I do believe to progress there has to be room for change they need to get some sort of balance. As 'Wallbuilder' points out some buildings need to go if they can't be adapted to fit in with the new order. It would often be too costly to to preserve one wall while demolishing the rest of the building. The City has lost too many great buildings & being replaced with *rap. Some great archatecture should be preserved especally when it has historical value.

I do like what they have done in front of the City Hall that works, while much doesn't. I no longer live in Sheffield but when I do return I want to move back to a City I can still look round at & still be proud off. I do not want to look round at the desecration, i.e. treat something sacred with violant disrespect.

[vanner]

One prime example, and one that sticks in my mind is Norwood Hall/Bishopsholme. This house was in woodlands on Norwood Rd.

 

I used to knock around that area in the `50`s and very early sixties.

 

The council could have saved the property. But as was their usual policy by this time, they demolished it sneakily one morning after being told as the result of a public enquiry some time earlier, NOT to demolish this building.

 

 

It makes one really P****d off. That they are not it seems accountable for

anything they vandalise.

[soft ayperth]

 

Cole Bros, Fargate, the facade could have been preserved.

 

The Old Blue Bell, High Street, it would have been 310 years old this year.

 

The Georgian block, at the side of Starbucks on Norfolk Row, demolished to provide access to the Town Hall car park, situated under the egg box.

 

The Mulberry Tavern on Mulberry Street, it would have been 187 years old this year, it was a lovely pub.

 

The Travelers on The Moor, god only knows when it was built, it was a coaching inn with stable block and cobbled stable yard.

 

I just wonder if they have designs on Paradise Square/Street.

 

Add to this the Old Court House (original town hall) down Castlegate. And there's a church on Cemetery Rd that's just being allowed to crumble.

[junction1]

Add to this the Old Court House (original town hall) down Castlegate. And there's a church on Cemetery Rd that's just being allowed to crumble.

 

It goes on an on, just walk down Peel Street and enter the General Cemetery and look directly to your right, and note the gravestone against the wall.

 

Permanent Sergeant Thomas Sands who fought at the ever memorable Battle of Waterloo. He used to be buried in the bottom part, along with members of my wife's family. I suppose that some jobsworth noted the Waterloo connection on Thomas's gravestone, the wife's family had no such luck, their remains along with Thomas's went to god knows where, in order for a green area for drunks and crack heads to be provided.

 

Do any of you recall the horrendous Clive Betts wanting to flatten the ancient Ecclesall Woods in order to provide affordable housing. We had some friends who lived on the same country lane as Betts and his partner moved to, our friends and the rest of the owners on the lane had attempted for many years to get connected to a mains gas supply, sadly in vane, it only took a few weeks for a connection to be made after Betts arrived.

 

During the 60's and 70's the council sold off many properties at knock down prices by private tender, strangely enough most of them were purchased by council employees.

[mikebatty]

I have been left Sheffield for more than 30 years now . I still visit regularly , as I still live in the county . What I see is a city which anyone can be proud of .

Whilst it is important to retain some of the history of the city , one must remember the decimated blitzed remains of the second world war ' and how it has grown like the phoenix from the ashes .

It maybe needs someone to stand back and and look at it with a critically constructive eye.

The only one critical view I have is the " Old Post Office " in Fitzallan square . I would have no hesitation in saying that the GPO. have been criminal in their behaviour in resolving the problem .

The building is of architectural and historical value , as well as one of the focal landmarks of the city centre , and should be preserved at all costs . With to-days technological know how it can be developed whilst retaining the facade .It is only hanging out for a better price as someone remarked earlier .

Sheffield has a great deal to b proud of . It is not until you compare it with other city's that a fuller appreciation can be acknowledged .