Central library closure

[Alcoblog]

John George Graves (1866–1945) was a successful English entrepreneur and public benefactor. He became Sheffield's Lord Mayor and an Alderman in 1926 and he was given Freedom of the City in 1929. He was born in Lincolnshire in 1866 and died in 1945, after having settled in Sheffield.

Graves moved to Sheffield to become an apprentice watchmaker. He set up one of Britain's first mail order businesses, selling first watches and then a wide range of goods. The company employed, at its peak, 3,000 people in Sheffield and had an annual turnover of £1m. The company was absorbed by Great Universal Stores after Graves' death.

A keen art collector, Graves donated nearly £60,000 towards the development of art galleries in Sheffield, including Sheffield Central Library, the Graves Art Gallery and the Mappin Art Gallery. He also contributed hundreds of pictures from his private collection. Between 1902 and his death in 1945, Graves lived at Riverdale House in the Ranmoor area of Sheffield.

Graves donated over £1 million to Sheffield, including the establishment of Sheffield University's Student Union. Part of the Union building is known as the "Graves Building". He also made gifts of land to the city, including Graves Park, Ecclesall Woods, Tinsley playing fields, Concord Park and Blacka Moor. The J. G. Graves Trust, a charitable trust set up in his name, exists to the present day.

 

Wow! what are the chances of that!? It's like the infinite monkey/typewriter scenario. Just found this in Wiki. Word perfect!

[DnAuK]

Not directly related, but sort of:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-38220637

 

That's going to go far, isn't it?

[Bargepole23]

Not directly related, but sort of:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-38220637

 

That's going to go far, isn't it?

 

Presumably, someone asked for a sum of money, and maybe this is what they asked for, for a specific task?

 

"The Friends said funding would allow them to set up a charitable trust, which in turn would help get the building restored and back into use"

[Guest makapaka]

Unfortunately this council (and every other council in the last 20 years, and all the full time officials who get over£100k a year) have been so **** nobody will trust them with anything. They've proved to be inept again and again and again. Small little people, with no experience, shafted by a massive Spanish multinational...with no come back..and no say so. What sort of cretin agrees to 25 year contracts that take money from council tax payers and give it to private companies?

 

The 25 year contracts are pfi contracts which allow the initial funding for a project to be provided by a private company.

 

They're far from ideal - but a lack of government funding means things might not get built otherwise.

[Lex Luthor]

Can you imagine Londoners having to make this choice?

[Funky_Gibbon]

What sort of cretin agrees to 25 year contracts that take money from council tax payers and give it to private companies?

 

Every Government since 1979? Most definitely our current one.

 

The Government pretty much forces services to put out tenders to the private or voluntary sectors now. Everything is geared towards increasing the involvement of the private sector.

Edited December 9, 2016 by Funky_Gibbon

[Guest makapaka]

Can you imagine Londoners having to make this choice?

 

Very good point. Of course not.

[Hogg]

Can you imagine Londoners having to make this choice?

 

Indeed. I can't see them moving the British Library into a quickly refurbed Woolworths.

[hush]

Can you imagine Londoners having to make this choice?

 

it wont be long before sheffield doesnt have any attractive or historic buildings left.

[iallen4]

it wont be long before sheffield doesnt have any attractive or historic buildings left.

 

That's globalisation for you. Eventually this city will lose its identity and become the same as all the other cities.