We talked in last weeks newsletter about the joys of getting out on your bicycle and discovering your city. We used those words of guidance, put them in a metaphorical blender, and made exploration smoothies. As well as been delicious, this has resulted in finding two new spots in Sheffield that interesting and impressive in their own ways.
Once you start to mix up your commute, take the long route to the shops or just look up a little more, you start to notice a few snickets or ginnels that you might have passed before. A good example of this is in our adopted home of Neepsend. We recently took a different route to work down industrial Cornish Street and happened upon a useful little alleyway called Waterloo Walk. The path creeps alongside the River Don, and if you're tall enough you can peek over the walls and observe the river poke in and out of the decaying factory walls.
Waterloo Walk - Secretly peaking down on the River Don
You get the impression that this walkway isn't quite utilised as much as it once was. I'm sure that it was once a key link to the busy and bustling factories of industrial age Sheffield. Taking you from the edge of residential pockets connected by Rutland Road and spitting you out in Kelham Island. A bit of interweb research unearthed this picture of a pre-tarmac Waterloo Walk with two chaps strolling through.
Photo credit - Leonard Turner, sheffieldhistory.co.uk
The second discovery of the week wasn't a lost path or walkable relic it was instead a rejuvenation of a regular student route. Embodying the true spirit of adventure and ever slightly mixing up the usual route to town resulted in a sighting of a lovely collection of colour on Leavygreave Road. It just so happens that artist Florence Blanchard, has finished her 'Biomembrane' piece of street art on the side of one of the previously unambitious looking buildings. It's brilliant splat of colour that wakes you up on the morning commute. Well worth a making diversion for. The twitter feed of Florence Blanchard (@FlorenceEMA) has these cracking photo's the show the impact of the work with before and after snaps.
Before - credit @florenceEMA / florenceblanchard.com/bio/
The striking finished piece. The colour is almost knocking that block right off the kerb - credit @florenceEMA / florenceblanchard.com/bio/
That'll do for this week anyway. Two brilliant bits of of South Yorkshire built environment from eithe end of the space time continuum. Get out there yourself now! Grab your bicycle, walking boots and a camera and capture the interesting side of the city. #discoveryourcity and share your explorations with us.
Safety Note - be sensible when exploring. Safe exploring is best done in daylight with a pal.