Heritage Open Days 2025
The end of Summer means that it will soon be time for Heritage Open Days which runs from 12 to 21 September. An event described by some as Glastonbury for history and architecture fans. This is the annual national event when they open up buildings not normally open to the public, some that normally open put on special tours and displays, and increasingly there are lots of additional walking tours available as one off events. And all of it is for free.
The fig trees of Neepsend
One of the quirks of Sheffield’s industrial history are the fig trees that grow along some of the city’s rivers — including a small cluster in Neepsend, by Rutland Road bridge. The common fig isn’t exactly a Yorkshire native. Its roots here go back to the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, when Sheffield’s rivers were one of the key reasons that the steel industry grew up in the city.
Heritage Open Days 2023: Tours of Kelham Island, Neepsend and Yellow Arch Studios
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.
Launch of Kelham Island and Neepsend art and studios tour
I’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.
Sheffield Heritage Open Days 2021
If 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.
Three books about Sheffield for World Book Day #WorldBookDay
Today 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.
Welcome to Kelham Island Walks from its founder Anders
From 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.