This year’s Heritage Open Days will see Kelham Island Walks running two walking tours and offering a chance to see inside recording and music venue Yellow Arch Studios. The tours on offer include not only the regular Kelham Island Walk, but a chance to try out a brand new walking tour around Neepsend.
Read MoreIn May 2022 I was leading a private walking tour when we spotted Michael Portillo filming outside Globe Works in Kelham Island. It’s now finally (briefly) appeared on screen in episode 3 of the latest series of Great British Railway Journeys where he also visits knife manufacturers Samuel Staniforth and the Cutlers’ Hall.
Read MoreI’m really pleased to launch a brand new walking tour that will highlight the artistic side of Kelham Island and Neepsend. The walk will be lead by local artist Simon Wigglesworth-Baker, and will not only highlight the amazing art that can be seen around the area, but it will also give a chance to see inside some of the artist studios.
Read MoreIf you're interested in history and seeing little known parts of the city then Sheffield Heritage Open Days is the event for you. It's on from 10 to 19 September and is entirely free. It includes free guided walks, tours of fascinating buildings from the grand to the ordinary, online talks, and special events at places that may be more familiar.
Read MoreWith Covid restrictions lifting and walking tours finally getting underway on 17th July, it felt like a good time for an update on some of the things that Kelham Island Walks has been doing over the last year. The first walk dates were unveiled in April and the first of these dates are already fully booked and some of the other walks only have a few spaces left. If you haven't booked a slot yet, then you need to get in quick. It'll be great to finally be able to take people round Kelham Island and show it off to visitors.
Read MoreToday is World Book Day and so it seems appropriate to pick out some books that are worth a read if you want to know more about the history of Kelham Island and Neepsend, and of Sheffield as a whole. As you can imagine, anyone who takes walking tours has a lot of local history on their shelves, and so for this post I’ve picked just three.
Read MoreHigh up on both sides of the top of the arch of Green Lane Works you’ll see two bronze plaques. These have been there since the arch was built back in 1860 and are thought to have been designed by sculptor Alfred Stevens who worked at Green Lane Works before going off to seek his fortune in London. These plaques include two figures of Greek gods - Hephaestus and Athena.
Read MoreFrom quite a young age I wanted to be a tour guide. I’ve always loved learning bits of trivia and unusual and surprising facts and then sharing them with other people. But I’ve also always been fascinated by history and the stories that bring a place to life. That led to me one day being asked to help with a tour of the area for a university conference field trip. The reaction to that initial walk snowballed and some great feedback led to me to decide to get organised and the result is Kelham Island Walks.
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