Trip to Old Sheffield
29 July 2024.
Our group of 16 left Gringley at 09.00 travelling as usual with our driver, Scott, from Unity Tours. Although our booking was for the 16 seater minibus, to our delight Scott decided to collect us in his new 60 seater Mercedes bus. A great start to our day!
At 10.00 we arrived at Sheffield Manor Lodge. It was a lovely day and the wildflowers from the Green Estate set the scene perfectly. The lodge was built in the 16th century on the site of an earlier 14th century lodge. The remains of the Tudor buildings included one of the first long galleries in the country and the, now ruined, tower where Cardinal Wolsey stayed for 18 days before travelling on to Leicester where he died of dysentery. The outstanding building is the Turret House (seen below), renovated in the original Tudor style which would be recognised by Mary Queen of Scots who was ‘imprisoned’ at Sheffield Castle and the Manor Lodge for 14 years.
Inside Turret House
The Long Gallery
After tea/coffee we moved into the old industrial centre of Sheffield to Kelham Island Industrial Museum. Set on an island in the middle of the river Don, it has an incredible display of every type of steel products originating in the city. Our visit was timed to include a demonstration of the River Don rolling mill engine, an amazing experience of sight and sound.
After lunch at Kelham Island we finished our trip with a guided tour of Sheffield Cathedral. Originally built around 1200, it is the oldest building still in use in Sheffield. We were shown the many changes which have been made since then up to the most recent, modern extension. There was lots of history of the former Lords of Sheffield, the Talbot/Shrewsbury lordship. The modern café provided a welcome period of calm before we were met by Scott for our return to Gringley.
We all knew something about Sheffield before the trip but everyone was delighted by the extent of the new information and activities we experienced. Many Thanks to Brian for spending his time organising a very interesting itinerary.