GOOD COMPANIONS AROUND SHEFFIELD

Good Companions around Sheffield follows the Loxley and Don Valleys, relying on Charles Reade’s eighteenth century gothic novel, ‘Put Yourself in His Place’. This journey is supplemented by brief reference to historical accounts of various travellers, notably George Orwell and J. B. Priestley. The picture they describe is one we would have difficulty in recognising.  To see something of what they saw we rely upon the BBC ‘Your Paintings’ website, which gives easy access to paintings in public ownership. The paintings of Stanley Royle and W.J. Stevonsonf, in particular, are evocative of Sheffield’s industrial past. 

As we travel through the city centre the changing architecture tells another story, one told from the viewpoint of Owen Hatherley. Despite the title of his book, references to Sheffield are endearing, and shows through its buildings how the city has struggled to transform itself. 

Sheffield has many tales to tell, through art, its buildings and its history. Reade’s story of Sheffield is told through two traumatic historical events of the 1860’s, what became known as the Sheffield Trade Union Outrages, and the Great Flood. Sheffield story is also told through it’s music. The short lived National Centre for Popular Music is testament to this iconic Sheffield industry, but it also lives on in the music created in, and inspired by Sheffield.