Tell me about Sheffield's cultural heritage

[Darth Vader 10]

Well I guess I am a little surprised at the replies.

 

It was a genuine inquiry and one, which if engaged with, could potentially lead down the line to the aspects of Sheffield's cultural heritage that you care about being valued and improved or not.

 

A few positive comments about the aspects of Sheffield that folk value would be welcome whether it is the people, the accent, the museum collections, the pubs, the proud history as the world centre of cutlery, the invention of stainless steel, the football or whatever.

 

A lot of money gets spent on supporting and promoting cultural activities which aspect would you like it to be spent on?

 

I think you may find that the lack of helpful responses is due to total disenchantment and a feeling that Sheffield has been long since "robbed" of its cultural heritage. Museum collections - we should have had the armouries but this was given to Leeds. Pubs - don't get me started - the government have allowed greedy pubcos to totally ruin Sheffield's once rich pub heritage. Proud history of the world centre of cutlery - last surviving cutler gone this year. Football - if you're a Sheffield club forget it - the FA would rather a cheating London club take your place in the premiership. Beautiful parks - visit Clifton and have a look how a park should really be today, and talk to the full time wardens walking round it constantly, we seem to have to battle our own (former) council and arrogant local charity to get to keep ours. Sheffield's cultural heritage has become being the poor relation.

 

I'd like to see Sheffield reclaim its heritage but in most cases, the pubs, the cutlery, for definite, the damage is irreversible. So I urge that Sheffield should have a safe, effectively "wardened" park that is even better than Clifton. Graves is ripe for this and what a tribute it would be to the man himself, call it an apology from some, and a safeguard, for the majority of us.

Edited November 13, 2009 by Darth Vader

[metalman 21]

I think what this thread reveals is that Sheffield doesn't really have any cultural heritage of note, and the whole idea of putting it forward for City of Culture is ridiculous. Let's face it, if we had any obvious cultural history, the council wouldn't need to run a consultation event to try and decide what it is - the whole thing sounds like an exercise in straw-clutching from the outset.

[robin wood 10]

I think what this thread reveals is that Sheffield doesn't really have any cultural heritage of note, and the whole idea of putting it forward for City of Culture is ridiculous. Let's face it, if we had any obvious cultural history, the council wouldn't need to run a consultation event to try and decide what it is - the whole thing sounds like an exercise in straw-clutching from the outset.

 

So let us imagine that Sheffield was in the USA, would they say it had no cultural history?

 

I imagine there would be a huge banner as you drove up the M1 or got off the train announcing "steel city" I wonder how many visitors know that stainless steel was invented and first turned into cutlery here. I suspect a high proportion of the world population and probably everyone reading this forum eats with stainless steel cutlery every day and yet we can say Sheffield has no cultural heritage.

 

"Proud history of the world centre of cutlery - last surviving cutler gone this year."

 

Darth Vador that was a very interesting post but I would be interested to know who you refer to there. Stan Shaw moved into Kellam Island this year, Trevor Abblett is still making lovely pen knives. I admit it is in decline or even on the brink but it is not gone.

[Darth Vader 10]

 

"Proud history of the world centre of cutlery - last surviving cutler gone this year."

 

Darth Vador that was a very interesting post but I would be interested to know who you refer to there. Stan Shaw moved into Kellam Island this year, Trevor Abblett is still making lovely pen knives. I admit it is in decline or even on the brink but it is not gone.

 

 

Well that's good to know but it's still a very sad state of affairs.

 

http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=520032

http://projectsheffield.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/rutland-cutlery-sheffield-july-09/

 

I also think it's worth giving the Peace Gardens a mention when we're talking about our heritage. It's been transformed from a place to avoid into a place where families from all over the place like to go. I think this is a huge success - making our heritage serve the needs of the people today - that's why I think investing in Graves Park as a national showcase would be fantastic for the city, whilst helping to combat obesity and giving families a safe leisure environment.

[Fogey 10]

I've said this before, - being from Sheffield is like being a parent. Its not the best or most of anything really, but we love it all the same.

 

We don't want it to be like anywhere else and God help anybody who tries to tear a strip off it.

 

Live and let live, - were all as rubbish as each other.

[Farslad 10]

More students stay and live in Sheffield after graduating than any other city in the UK bar London.

 

Something must be right.

[metalman 21]

Cutlery and steel are all very well and are (were) very important, but I would say they come under the heading of industrial heritage rather than cultural heritage. It's like Ironbridge - everybody knows it for the iron bridge in the same way that everyone knows about Sheffield steel. If you wanted to nominate Sheffield as an industrial landmark city then I think it would be in with a good chance, but not as a city of culture.

[cgksheff 44]

Will our highly paid Director of Culture and Executive Director of Place fall on their swords if we are unsuccessful in this bid?

[robin wood 10]

Cutlery and steel are all very well and are (were) very important, but I would say they come under the heading of industrial heritage rather than cultural heritage. It's like Ironbridge - everybody knows it for the iron bridge in the same way that everyone knows about Sheffield steel. If you wanted to nominate Sheffield as an industrial landmark city then I think it would be in with a good chance, but not as a city of culture.

 

The words Culture and Heritage do not have fixed or static meanings but change over time.

The interesting thing is that around the world there is a growing recognition that industrial heritage forms a central part of peoples cultures. A person who works in a cutlery factory is not less cultured than one who works in the royal opera house, they just have a different culture. The 2003 UNESCO convention on Living heritage shows what is possible.

 

From google "heritage

1. something inherited at birth, such as personal characteristics, status, and possessions

2. anything that has been transmitted from the past or handed down by tradition"

 

and "culture"

* Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture

*The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group"

 

The UNESCO convention would definitely count cutlery manufacture as being a part of Sheffield's living heritage and the cultural identity of the people though it does hang on the brink as a living tradition.

 

Personally I would like to see every Sheffield school child given the opportunity to make a knife fork and spoon to take home and use as a way of learning about the heritage of their city and keeping this part of their cultural heritage alive.

[masbrolass 10]

Sir Francis Chantrey, born in Sheffield was special, it would be great to see some of his magnificent sculptures displayed. Also Ebenezer Elliott born in Rotherham into the steel industry but resided later in Sheffield using his poetry to condem the corn laws.

[metalman 21]

The words Culture and Heritage do not have fixed or static meanings but change over time.

The interesting thing is that around the world there is a growing recognition that industrial heritage forms a central part of peoples cultures. A person who works in a cutlery factory is not less cultured than one who works in the royal opera house, they just have a different culture. The 2003 UNESCO convention on Living heritage shows what is possible.

 

From google "heritage

1. something inherited at birth, such as personal characteristics, status, and possessions

2. anything that has been transmitted from the past or handed down by tradition"

 

and "culture"

* Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as high culture

*The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group"

 

The UNESCO convention would definitely count cutlery manufacture as being a part of Sheffield's living heritage and the cultural identity of the people though it does hang on the brink as a living tradition.

 

Personally I would like to see every Sheffield school child given the opportunity to make a knife fork and spoon to take home and use as a way of learning about the heritage of their city and keeping this part of their cultural heritage alive.

 

I entirely agree that cutlery and steel are part of Sheffield's heritage, but if you're going to use that second definition of culture you could nominate almost anywhere as a city of culture on the grounds that most of the inhabitants were employed in the same industry, and I'm afraid that to me doesn't make a city of culture. Places like Rome, Florence, Venice, Berlin, Vienna etc are cities of culture because they were associated with movements in art or music which had an enormous influence on the rest of the world, and love it or hate it, I don't think Sheffield has ever really done that.

[WallBuilder 10]

This idea of a city puting in a bid to be the named city of culture is a new concept is it not .

I'll admit I don't really get it what exactly are the benefits to be declared the city of culture, a few examples of other cities that have won this title and what if anything it has done for them long term would be interesting. Yes i know I could google it but would probably have to wade through a lot of hyper inflated dross beforre actually getting any facts.