The Brutally Bonkers Architecture of Sheffield

[@johnd8538]

I'm 55 born and bred in Sheffield. This film has blown me away...us sheffielders are so used to our environment we harldly bat an eyelid at it. From an outsiders point of view I can see exactly where you're coming from. When I left school in 1984 there was a load of old pubs and cobbled streets alongside the brutalist, so called modern buildings. Sheffield took a hammering in the war being a massive steel producer but as far as I know, the Germans missed their target...of the factories in the east end, and hit random areas and especially the city centre. Under the old marples pub in Fitzalan square there's 60 odd skeletons from one bombing raid....I was told they were that buried, they just threw loads of lime down to stop them decomposing. When I left school Sheffield felt hard, brutal and very left wing, union orientated. It shaped me massively as a person, gave me a lot of pride but at the same time a feeling of hopelessness, the axe had come down via Thatcher. Great music sprung up at that time.....human league, abc, heaven 17 and we had a great time tbh. The limit nightclub was amazing where all of the above played. Spent many a night off my nut on trips or whizz in there....haha....the cold war was at it's peak and Sheffield was a major target for the Russians....hence the film "threads". Love my city, it's hardness, it's down to earth-ness it's Yorkshireness.

[@vinesauceobscurities]

I love that Threads was the movie that introduced me to Sheffield and its distinctive circa early-1980s character. As Charlie Brooker once put it, the climax of the plot inflicted upon the city "millions of pounds worth of improvement in Sheffield's architecture". 😂 One landmark this video left out and was also featured prominently in Threads is the 1977 annex of Sheffield Town Hall around the Peace Gardens, which egg carton facade clashed so aggressively against its Victorian-era counterpart that it's unforgettable. It may have evaded being reduced to rubble in a full-blown war but it couldn't escape the increasingly vocal negative reception of its strikingly brutalist architecture and met the wrecking ball in 2002. Sadly most of the buildings that have taken the place of that annex aren't quiet as memorable.

[@LancashireLass]

I like to tell myself that films like this are the reason KZbin was invented.

[@1954shadow]

Definitely at the top of the list, for sure.

[@caboozzle]

It actually started out as a dating site, where you would upload videos about yourself hence the name youtube

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Thank you that's a lovely thing to say (I'm taking it as a compliment 😄)

[@Bubbaburp]

@@caboozzle Incorrect. It actually started in 1983 as a video about me. People would tell me it was called “you teevee” and such. Back then there was less content but it was better quality since it consisted entirely of me, or, as other people refer to me,”you”. This is all pretty well documented on the internet.

[@shazanali692]

​@@caboozzle first video was me at the zoo

[@mynameisjoejeans]

Sheffield is gorgeous: you've covered the brutalist centre; but there's also the lovely stone houses in the suburbs, and the fact that Sheffield developed as an accidental amalgamation of small coal and forging villages gives it a decentralised, community feel unlike any other city I know in the UK. Then you've got the 5 rivers confluences and 7 hills with numerous parks, creating great views for orientating yourself, giving a sense of space and local character. The brutalism also reflects the rugged feel of the local environment in the Dark Peak side of the Peak District: with its harsh, dark Gritstone edges and endless barren moors, creating strong, clear, simple shapes and lines across the landscape. The rugged terrain and brutalist buildings, giving way to large riverine areas reserved for flourishes of nature provides a unique city experience. A great example of this is the Rivelin Valley, which used to be home to several steel mills which have long since been abandoned, and has slowly been reclaimed by nature, with trees growing through the ancient industrial architecture, creating a wild, post-industrial, riparian forest nestled between suburbs. Walk up the hill either side and you're back in stone-fronted houses with views of the industrial Hillsborough area and the Peak District beyond. John Ruskin became enamoured with the valley and founded a museum nearby to house Rivelin paintings. Post-WWI, it became a retreat for soldiers with PTSD to paint and reconnect with nature. Few places manage to fuse ugly ingredients into a beautiful whole like that.

[@bret075]

very well said

[@chris.fyourman2648]

I nearly went to Uni in Sheffield in the 80s. When I told my mates back in Crewe where I was going to for the open day, the ones that had been were really enthused. "It's incredible", "escalators in the street", "there's this roundabout and you actually go into it and there are shops and everything". I didn't end up going Uni there and unfortunately only been back once or twice since, but always been impressed with the place and the people. Bit of a sidetrack - Sheffield's music history is at least and possibly more important than other cities e.g. Manchester, but never seems to get a look in.

[@sglenny001]

Any docs on Sheffield music sene to warch

[@Blind-Ghost-1980]

Nice video. I've been in Sheffield for 11 years now, and I love the place. Home of football and snooker, and loads of decent people. A tram conversion with a complete stranger is quite normal quite often. Plenty of parks and green land to relax in. Some of the best health care in the country with it's two main hospitals and other local centres. I'm still learning about the history of the City, and so thanks for this video.

[@jmargarson]

I lived on Park Hill in the early 90's and I discovered, due to some workmen not closing an access door, that there is a huge network of utility tunnels that run below the flats with laddered risers that went all the way up to the roof. There was also another block of brutalist design flats, Kelvin Flats, not far outside the city centre that were demolished about the same time Hyde Park was.

[@hanalee2893]

i love how sheffield contrasts the harsh architecture with an abundance of parks, greenery, and natural life. it blends the two together, maybe not perfectly - but i could definitely see it inspiring more recent movements towards architecture that incorporates green space into city environments.

[@TimSlee1]

Green-space doesn't hold as much value if the surrounding architecture is hideous.

[@sheffsteel7]

I used to work in the University student sector 20 years ago and found that quite a lot of students remain in the city after their studies. Always remember asking a Liverpool girl. Why do you like Sheffield so much. Her reply was it has the feel of a town, she said crime seems low and people are so friendly however it has the facilities and size of a city and its location is great, close to other large cities, next to the motorway and the city is so green with parks everywhere and the Peak District right on the doorstep.

[@sobutto5698]

I was told as a child growing up in Sheffield that the Moore St substation was designed to be able to at least partially withstand an atomic bomb detonating over the city centre, which is a large part of why it's so imposing; it's literally a fortification as well as an urban building.

[@denholmreynholm7993]

As someone who grew up in Sheffield I find it to be one of the most fascinating places in the country. On the surface it seems to be backwards and brutalist, almost like it’s lagging behind cities like Manchester in its mission to modernise and move on- but at the same time it has an abundance of greenery and parks weaved in and out of its hills which provide fantastic views of the brutalist inner city. Someone only staying a few days would feel unwelcome, like they are being pushed away by the city and encouraged to escape to the far more beautiful surrounding areas such as the peak district. But as someone stays a while longer they begin to be pulled back in by curiosity and wonder why such a large city would be so unfriendly to humans when it’s sole purpose is to provide a home for people. To me Sheffield is the epitome of post war practicality- the concrete blocks which have slits instead of glass for windows and the spiked fencing which surrounds many of the disused factories which are covered in hopeless graffiti. It is so urban and industrial that it has become a city that is so perfect at being a practical city that it has forgotten about the people that live in it. Although it has seemed to push me away from birth, Sheffield will always hold a special place in my heart as home. I don’t think that we should build any more of this architecture however a small amount must be preserved to show future generations what happens to a place when functionality becomes more important than joy.

[@ohgoditsjames94]

Born in the 90's but if you look back at Pre WW2 Sheffield, and even pre 1960's, Sheffield was a beautiful city with lots of beautiful architecture, whatever the Luftwaffe didn't destroy in the blitz, was knocked down in the 60's in 70's, an awful shame. Pre war Fargate, Highstreet, Angel street to name a few notable streets.

[@ohthatswhygo]

Thanks for making this great video, I work in an office near the train station and walk past the Moore Street Substation and Moorfoot building every day on my way to work. When I first moved to Sheffield I too was taken back by the architecture and I couldn't believe people could just walk past these buildings without stopping to look or comment on them. Over time though (I've lived in Sheffield for nearly a decade now) seeing the same buildings becomes routine. I see the substation, the Moorfoot, Park Hill and the Crucible constantly and they just became 'normal' and often, when I speak to Sheffield natives, the term 'eyesore' gets thrown around for them. I think its sometimes hard to appreciate architecture like this when the shock value wears off. I think this video is great because it's refreshed my perception of these buildings and I'll appreciate them again for what they are - cultural landmarks.

[@stephenjones9153]

This brought back Memories of when I worked as a Service engineer and was called out to Lewis,s department store in Liverpool on entering the tradesmens entrance I was greeted by a Paternoster lift 😳😱What I thought 2 lifts with no door's, one day I went past the top floor exit and had visions of being crushed against the roof as the lift I was in would collapse and fold to go around the lift Pulley at the very top to continue on its way back down 😱 luckily it just went up and over and I was able to exit on the top floor I had missed on the way back down. After using it many time's I found it to be safe and far better than modern lifts where you have to wait for ages..Absolutely brilliant Invention 👏 👍👍

[@Oliver14417]

The timing of the release of this video is extremely helpful with my essay on Sheffield and its post-war brutalist architecture such as Parkhill and alike

[@grayfreeman]

Absolutely love this, Ollie. One of your best, IMHO. I love Brutalism... mainly because it's so awful, but it's of our time and it's fascinating to look at and dissect. Nice one!

[@leenabalance]

Funfacts and memories! I lived in Hyde Park flats in 86 and have mainly and luckily lived in council housing since. Unfortunately they now badly maintained and it feels like they are waiting for them to fall down before moving us further out where the busses don't run and selling the land to developers. I love council housing and wish that more proper council housing was being built now around the city center. It's been such a blessing despite everything really

[@mehno9077]

I have lived in Sheffield for over a decade. I love here ,one of the most friendly place . I have met one the best people of my life in here . In my eyes, it's beautiful, and peaks district is cherry on the top. No doubts good and bad people are everywhere. But to be honest, I found it the most friendliest place in England.

[@EuroDC1990]

Everyone seems to love to hate Sheffield and to an extent I can certainly see why. Living there myself though, I do like Sheffield. Sadly though, a combination of poor planning, bad decisions by the council, withdrawal of funding after the 2008 crisis and the current severe lack of funding in favour of other nearby cities (looking at you, Manchester) have left Sheffield city centre very fragmented, underutilised and in places extremely unwelcoming. Possibly the very worst decision was to move the main shopping area to the Moor (which admittedly did need regeneration, but which isn't ideally located in the city) whilst ignoring areas that would have been a far better fit for a refreshed commercial centre around High Street, Castle Gate, Arundel Gate and Fargate. Essentially, moving the commercial centre to the Moor has led to one of the city's best assets - the supertram, not serving the commercial centre of the city, which is madness! It's also moved it further from the bus station and train station. Compare that to the out of town shopping centre at Meadowhall which has a fully integrated and (mostly) accessible tram, bus and train station and there's no wonder the city centre is dying. What Sheffield desperately needs is a plan and funding to make it happen, preferably quickly. There's lots of good stuff in Sheffield, but it so often feels unwelcoming or at times unsafe to get to it

[@alexx123ify]

fargate is a bloody mess now, they've got rid of the trees and tarmacked them over for some reason and the entire top end is surrounded by metal fencing where that monstrosity of a 'container park' was untill last month, took them a year to build it, somehow, and it didn't even last a year🤦‍♂now it'll probably take them another year to decide what to do and enevitably get rid of the fences and have nothing there as it should've been all along. council dont have a bloody clue.

[@rubydazzler]

In my memory the main shopping area has always been The Moor? To a lesser extent, Fargate and High Street, Snig Hill.

[@jonlee4771]

As a big fan of John Grindrod, this video is fantastic. His book Concretopia is fascinating, and touches very lovingly on places like Park Hill and talks about how beloved they were by the residents at the time. How the people who first moved in there couldn't believe the luxury they were afforded by having their own heated home, with a bathroom indoors and a fridge. It also talks about how the loss of funding, the decline of the local economy, and so on resulted in many of these developments failing. This is a very long winded way for me to say excellent video.

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Aw thanks that's a nice compliment 👍

[@froogsleegs]

wonderfully explained. I have grown to love brutalism because they tell the story of the last century in two acts. after the war there was an opportunity for a radically utilitarian, experimental approach to design in every aspect of the system. the boldness of brutalism radiates optimism and open-mindedness for new ideas. then when the economic crises began it also became symbolic of the stagnation of tory britain. utopia and dystopia are two sides of the same coin, when the context changes so can a utopia become dystopian. the hostile, unfriendly architecture can seem almost prisonlike with an oppressive atmosphere. when they were built they weren't covered in CCTV cameras. sometimes it feels surreal, bit like a layered, ironic cosmic joke to admire brutalist architecture. it just says so much about the world we used to live in, and the world we live in now.

[@johntucker845]

I agree, at least the post war architects were attempting to solve big problems with new ideas.

[@richardallen144]

Sorry you missed the paternoster. It's one of my fondest (or at least strangest) memories of studying in Sheffield.

[@rosieHolliday5887]

Omg I loved my home city 😍 But I moved away in '95 & wish I never did cos every time I go back I don't recognise it. Seeing old footage just feels like heartache & I'm going to say it loud & proud "I MISS THE EGG BOX & THE WEDDING CAKE" & I don't care about the haters who are glad it's all gone. Those two buildings, to me, were Sheffield ❤ & I miss that 80's / 90's gritty city. All that brutalist architecture was what Sheffield was all about at one time in it's history & it was just perfect. If you never grew up around it, you probably will never get it. But I loved it & it will always feel like I just want to pack up my bags & move back to those streets in the sky ☺

[@grahamrobinson3715]

Great video, as ever. Studied at Sheffield in the early 1990s, and recall apprehensively riding the Paternoster lift over the top into the void, and wondering whether I’d ever see the light of day again. Moore Street substation revisited my nightmares for years afterwards.

[@spam_slayed1481]

There was a Paternoster lift at Leeds Uni too. I remember the terror of using it for the first time. Half a dozen people leaping out whilst half a dozen leapt in. All about timing!

[@RubyTuesdayJB]

I was doing a module in cultural heritage management for my masters degree and I went on a tour of Park Hill. By that point it was empty but we were let into some of the flats to have a look around. They were surprisingly spacious and the ones we saw had an upstairs and downstairs. The sad thing was seeing a community of homeless people seeking shelter under the walkways outside the thousands of empty flats…

[@mikeclarke3882]

Another great programme Ollie, thanks mate! Can't help but feel you've missed your calling....production standards are first class, and that means a great experience for plebs like me (up the workers!).

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Nice one, thanks Mike!

[@Carolb66]

Im from Rotherham & thought Sheffield as posh! Had some fun times in Sheffield in the 80's. ❤ once woke up on a bench in the hole in the road after a night out, happy days.😊

[@Carolb66]

@@sinord5288 🤣🎅👍

[@johntucker845]

Thank you so much for this personal tour of brutalist Sheffield. Perhaps because I came of age when it was new and fashionable, I’ve always liked the best of brutalism, but then it was probably mostly downhill after Corbusier’s inspirational post war work. New York has a brutalist Family Courthouse that is anything but “family friendly.” Originally clad in forbidding black granite and looking like a science fiction nightmare, the budget-strapped city even went to the expense of resurfacing the whole thing in grey stone. The result is only slightly less unwelcoming. Thanks again!

[@samhailess]

Been living in Sheffield for a couple of years and I do think it's really beautiful in a way. The buildings in this video are some of the ugliest I've ever seen, but they are contrasted with some awesome rustic redbrick warehouses, blackened gothic churches and lots of greenery. Even though it's a fairly decently sized city, it feels small in a good way, and never as sprawling and unfriendly as cities like Manchester can seem. Whilst it is sad to see the amount of disposable, homogenous student accommodation buildings that seem to pop up in any small space, Sheffield definitely has its own vibe when you get here and is surrounded by some amazing landscapes and filled with interesting people. Coming from living in the often sterile-if-endearing, aborted attempt at utopia that is Milton Keynes, Sheffield also has its own character and is a cool place to walk about and be.

[@antonycharnock2993]

Sheffield feels different because of its isolation. It was only because of its reputation for cutlery & steelmaking that it grew so much. It was never a major commercial city like the other big cities of the North so it never attracted all the offices & financial companies like your Manchesters or Leeds. It always kept that small town feel where everyone knew everyone and everyone is friendly. It has been called England's largest village. Unfortunately the city centre retail hasn't weathered very well not helped by the Meadowhall out of town shopping centre, but it is reinventing itself as a leisure destination with loads of food halls & bars opening up and has some really nice local neighbourhoods like Kelham Island & Ecclesall Road.

[@sheffsteel7]

@@antonycharnock2993think part of the reason it has a small town feel is it’s so God damn hilly, this create natural boundaries between areas, so it does have a village mentality throughout the city.

[@ddiginhokj]

I grew up in those buildings, they were warm and clean. Built to house people quickly they did the job. I had a great childhood

[@Avrilmaep]

Can’t thank you enough for this vid your input into the conversation of us all, I see behind the lines also and see the difference between same and progress, the people that created the vision of all our buildings… WE THANK YOU 🙏♥️👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Thanks very much that's really nice of you to say!

[@jetsons101]

Ollie, Gotta love those old 16mm films with little to no fidelity in the soundtrack, like the one you opened with ----- precious. Is seems that packing people in so tight in housing blocks is not the best thing for the human mind. In the late 50's and early 60's "Atomic Ranch" was big over here. It still looks great today. Another fine watch from Bee Here Now, thanks for your time and hard work.......

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Thanks Mike! Glad you enjoyed it

[@SocieteRoyale]

I remember the first time I went to Sheffield one cold March day, the man at the train ticket office kept trying to persuade me from going. He said if you think its cold here (Liverpool), wait till you get over the Pennines, it's freezing!! I demanded I still wanted a ticket, but he was right though, it was so cold and the hills were blanketed in snow. I found Sheffield to be a weird place, but the buses were cheap and the people were open for conversation which was nice and an open return by rail was really not expensive either. But the city centre felt kind of vague and very ill defined, also the hills surrounding felt very claustrophobic from someone who lives near the sea usually

[@MundoSportiva]

I don’t know how this video found me but I’m glad it did. Keep up the great work!

[@impguardwarhamer]

Concrete brutalism may be depressing, but its still less depressing that the glass and steel brutalism that came after it. Brutalism feels inhospitable in the same way a barren quarry or lunar scape is. It has the appearance and texture of rock, a dead place, where nothing lives. Modern steel and glass brutalism however is different. It feels like corporatism. It feels alien. Concrete brutalism feels devoid of life, but atleast a dead rock isn't threatening. You can even make concrete brutalism feel natural with the addition of plants, like a rocky cliff with outcrops of grass growing on it. Steel and glass brutalism reminds you that this was designed by a person. An intelligence. A building that not only isn't designed for humans, but that is designed to maliciously crush you into the corporate drone it wants you to be. Fuck modern brutalism, it'll be a happier world when its all rubble in the ground.

[@tricksor6589]

disagreed

[@AntonioRivera28]

all brutalism needs to be erased from the planet. i will never understand how people defend it

[@krosis6078]

The modern glass and steel structures are not brutalism. They make make you feel the same though!

[@rudiegotbetter8730]

Amazing comment. Really well put ❤

[@Tony11806]

I moved to Sheffield in 2003 and I am still here. 🤗🤗🤗

[@TheThorntonBrapper]

A nicely Meades-esque feel to this. Very well produced!

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Oh wow thank you very much!

[@benjones1917]

What a fantastic video. I lived in Sheffield for almost a decade and saw some real changes. Demolishing castle market and most of the Moor buildings was a tragedy, castle market in particular was brutalism turned up to 12 and was fantastic. Some really short sighted decisions were made there. The John Lewis / Coles building is up for demolition as well I understand, which is criminal as it's a beautiful boxy white tiled beacon of 60s architecture.

[@tumslucks9781]

My aunt Hilda used to buy her granny pants from Cole brothers.

[@chrisaskin6144]

The John Lewis building can't be demolished because it's a listed building, so the council has got to do something with it. They've given the contract to the company that renovated and modernised Park Hill flats.

[@flippop101]

A great video exemplifying all that I vowed I wouldn’t create as an architect.

[@benofbrown]

Great video, enjoyed that! If you find yourself in Sheffield again make sure to visit the Moore St substation again after dark. You can also get a good view of it from Meersbrook Park. It gets all lit up with coloured lights and looks even better.

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Thanks for the tip!

[@jamesbaynton1881]

Thanks for the vid, I'll not be the first to correct you about the Moorfoot building, it was designed to let the street run through the middle of it: The Moor, to join with London Rd. But a bomb scare in the 80's made the council close the access. It remains really annoying.

[@murringo9]

'And here's a magistrates court that hates you...' Love it!

[@JohnTaylor-bf6ll]

And it turned out that their so-called "new architecture" would become a worse solution than renovating the old houses that were torn down. Sheffield was by no means alone in this postwar ideology. Architecture aside, there is also a common theory that "a slum is made by the people who inhabit it". In other words, any place can be turned into a palace with the aid of money, effort and foresight.

[@riccapucho]

More of these please. Manchester, Liverpool. Erm, skip Stockport.

[@TomSmith-yc5pt]

There was also kelvin flats which stretched along langset road. Not dissimilar to park hill. I think gone in mid 90s

[@cmg1819]

Concrete suits dry climates where it doesn't rain as much. When it rains it can look drab as fk. Saying that when brutalism is done well it looks distinctive which is the whole idea I guess. Modern buildings arent built to last whilst you look at brutalist building and think it could survive a nuclear blast. Interesting cities have architectural variety and looks like sheffield has that so should be proud of it.

[@mkyboy]

My adopted hometown. Thanks for the coverage - very entertaining

[@lunny74]

This really is a great video, huge fan of your channel. Great work

[@timford6277]

I'm from and live in Sheffield my self lovely to see this video I have heard the moor foot building might be coming down some time soon

[@thobu6576]

I heard the same thing when I first moved to Sheffield a decade ago. I doubt it will ever happen. I know some people like the building, but personally I consider it the ugliest part of an otherwise very beautiful city.

[@DazzleDust32]

I had some great nights out in Sheffield- Top Banana at Ponds Forge, The Leadmill and Music Factory. Happy days.

[@puddinggeek4623]

An well made, very interesting video as always. Keep up the good work.

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@luisbeckett1]

Mate, just got to say I'm lovin' your films, grew up in Irlam, grown up life in Chorlton, worked in Oldham and now in Mallorca for 5 years! Keep it up sunshine, you make me smile. Big Love x

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Awesome, thank you!

[@paulhorton5612]

13:01 - but it reminds me of the lovely Yorkshire Grey pub they demolished to build it!

[@paolomargari]

I used to live there. It's beautifully depressing. Congrats for the video.

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Thank you very much!

[@cbrown182]

I moved to Sheffield 12 years ago and I love it. It's not perfect by any means, but it's honest and is full of charm. Although it's a shame so many of the beautiful city centre buildings were lost due to WW2 bombing. The post war developments add to the cities unique architecture of the industrial cutlery works or steelwork structures, as well as victorian terraces built around the varied challenges of the cities topography. Sheffield also has so much to offer in terms of open and green spece to offset it's architecture. For example, It's the only UK city to include a national park within its boundary and it's officially the greenest city in Europe (based on trees per capita). It's very easy to forget you're in a large cosmopolitan city rather than a countryside village. Sheffield often gets unfairly compared to other local cities like Manchester or Leeds. These cities may have redeveloped further to add a fancy veneer to their city centres. But Sheffield is working to catch up and offers so much more that the others can't match for me.

[@keithscothern3398]

there are still some georgian buildings left paradise square is beautiful

[@kevan1831]

Great video. I have a great affection for the city and some of these buildings. I am glad they were spared the wrecking ball.

[@liamastill6733]

I quite like the hallamshire hospital, it's extremely monumental, and the third tallest tower in Sheffield believe it or not. Because of its placement hallway up the hillside, pretty much anywhere you go in Sheffield you will see it in the distance, just a huge block

[@deanothemanc5281]

Brilliant video. Brutalism architecture is bold, it might not be aesthetically pretty, but it gets your attention It's thought provoking, and that can only be a good thing. Most modern buildings quite frankly look identical, with a constant obsession with glass. Infact most modern euro cities are looking shockingly similar, its blandness its only constant. Keep up the good work fella 👍

[@jacobmassey3897]

It's like living in a Soviet Union country 😂

[@stuartwray6175]

I like the shimmering car park, and the Arts Tower. Nice video 👍🏻

[@blotski]

I have very fond memories of Sheffield. I did my PGCE there in 1980/1. We were based in the Arts Tower and I remember the paternoster very well. I was terrified of the damn thing! They used to nickname it the Socialist Republic of Sheffield and bus fares were about 5p.

[@sglenny001]

Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire actually but love form Doncaster

[@blotski]

@@sglenny001 I stand corrected. 😂✊🏻

[@sglenny001]

@@blotski indeed Sheffield was always a grand city the way I see it embrace modernist Glasgow had its own new style and Sheffield had tge world of the 60s and 70s I've live in both City's both showcase there ideas well although I prefer Glasgow architecture and art I respect the ideals and dreams of Sheffield Doncaster an Great city still showcase power of speed

[@alexx123ify]

wish they were still 5p 😅

[@TroyTempest0]

Again really enjoyed the vid Ollie. Very interesting and so educational - only ever passed through Sheffield...

[@Robdutton91]

Another brilliant video. Your sense of humour is fantastic

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Well I try!

[@noahkidd3359]

I don't get why so many architects think that modern architecture is 'progress.' It's a great leap backward. Architecture has regressed. Beauty matters.

[@kevinwelsh7490]

you are a sentimentalist, stay away from me!

[@Fr_87]

@@kevinwelsh7490 you're a robotic retard, stay away from the blueprints

[@ligametis]

I disagree with you.

[@Slingsby_architecture]

I quite agree.

[@eamonnca1]

Taking the train in from Elsecar in the 1990s I was struck by the vast expanses of concrete where factories once stood. There was a dormant station called Brightside that was marooned in the middle of it all. I wonder if it’s back in service and if the land has been developed since then.

[@timothymeyer3210]

The station isn't but the area is light industry now - warehousing, scrapyards, distribution centres, car rentals, etc and a shopping centre

[@goombacraft]

Surprised no talk of Gleadless Valley. Some interesting architecture over there

[@guidoguarnieri7411]

Modernist and brutal architecture doesn’t begin and end with British post war poor social housing. You can see beautiful modernist social housing in Scandinavia and you can see examples of beautiful and often grand modernist private apartment buildings all around the world,in Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, New York. Don’t judge a whole era of architecture based on the very specific and reductive experience of the Uk with it

[@circleinforthecube5170]

some nice 70s american buildings too, seagram is a good example

[@freddiebozwell7049]

Brutalism, loved by the middle classes, hated by real working people.

[@BigBlueRabbit]

The people that have to live in them

[@PZ7537]

The Crucible got its partial facade reconstruction and now got its modernistic, pretty glass-panelled entrance. Park Hill Flats has undergone a major renovation and is now being "gentrified" with private housing. Blending with Modern architectural styles and aesthetics would be the future of Brutalist buildings. Only if different sectors are willing to contribute to this transformation, the image of a place and the wider city could be greatly improved. The city centre of Sheffield always has its charm and potential; unfortunately there is still a long way to compete with the giant Meadowhall just miles away.

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

Ah Park Hill… Giving criminals a watchtower with a view so good that no raid would ever find anything.

[@stevie-ray2020]

Here in Sydney, Aust., there's quite a few buildings you could classify as Brutalist, but I like them, with the Sirius Building & the Seymour (theatre) Centre among my favorites! The High School I attended was a mix of original Edwardian buildings with high windows & even higher ceilings, and late '60s Brutalism, with a more tempered mid '60s admin/library block thrown in!

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Interesting! Thanks for the info

[@stevedickson5853]

Bet your weather isn't as Brutal as ours in Yorkshire in winter..

[@stevie-ray2020]

@@stevedickson5853 No, but it can be in the hot summer months (as well as spring & autumn)! Forecast is for 35degC today! 🥵

[@stevedickson5853]

@@stevie-ray2020 crikey, that's hot 🔥

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

I remember first going to Sheffield and thinking it's one of the ugliest cities in the country. Truly brutalist, but over time it's started to feel unique... Fascinating. Old ugly architecture has weirdly become interesting and even likeable because of its ugly exterior (like pugs).

[@rosalyndurham2441]

Lol I get why youre saying this but as a Sheffield person... Its not that ugly :'' '' '((( at least it has hills. I remember going down south and everything is so horribly flat. in Sheffield you get a real sense of distance and being part of the landscape

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

@@rosalyndurham2441 no disrespect but beauty wise comparing Sheffield to the south interms of obvious beauty and architecture is kind of laughable in general. Goodness it's stunning in parts here even if it is mostly flat. I travel around the UK alot. From Devon, Somerset to Sussex and London of course. It's obviously got its crap parts but damn.. it's also incredible too. I was last in Sheffield in 2019, I found it fascinating, unique but still kind of you know... Shit.

[@rosalyndurham2441]

@@andrewbarbarash3116 lmao can't speak for Somerset or Surrey but London? Really? Like it's a great city and a great place to be but I don't think you can call it beautiful - it's essentially a concrete wasteland! And it feels so claustrophobic. Ig that's just my opinion as a northerner rip. Being up on somewhere like bole Hill at dusk and seeing Sheffield lit up is such an amazing experience. But hey each to their own

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

@@rosalyndurham2441 I live in London. It's literally the biggest urban jungle on the planet (look it up). Over 40% of it is green space! London is absolutely massive. It's got its fair share of areas that are not particularly nice. But it also has a ton of beautiful boroughs. Unbelievable locations. Remember it's many times larger than Sheffield. London you can't just shove into one box. It's got 32 borough's with most being bigger than small cities. I'd say actually London is an incredible place, with every area having it's distinctive style and culture. I can be in Hampstead Heath or Richmond Park and not even know I'm in a city.

[@rosalyndurham2441]

@@andrewbarbarash3116 hmm well if we're not going to shove London in a box, make sure you don't do the same to Sheffield! It has tons of green space, especially since it backs onto the peak district. But parks and commons exist throughout the city. I'm pretty sure Sheffield has begun awarded the title of most green city in England a few times as well. But anyway, even if Sheffield was nothing but its city centre, it would still be beautiful. The hilly landscape of Sheffield gives it movement and a sense of freedom. Having lived down south, even among beautiful historic architecture, it felt manicured and small. I still liked it and found it beautiful, but I find Sheffield equally beautiful for different reasons

[@sheffsteel7]

It’s sad when you say Sheffields most famous venue is the Lyceum Theatre home of the World Snooker Championships when Sheffield is the true home of football, the most popular sport in the world. Bramall Lane has so many football firsts, oldest stadium, hosted the 1st ever cup competition, there’s the Adelphi theatre which played a big part in football and of course Hillsboro stadium. The problem is that Sheffield…for some reason don’t wish to promote its roll in the game. At 1 point in the mid 1870’s there were 50 organised clubs playing football in Sheffield, that half of all the known clubs in the world at the time. Sheffield was the 1st place in the world to have a football culture, leagues, cup competitions, even paying customers in the Cromwell Cup.

[@Blind-Ghost-1980]

Sandygate, Hallam FC is the oldest stadium. The oldest club, Sheffield FC. Sheffield United, one of the iconic teams of modern times, and Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough with the old school stadium and the first cantilever stand in the country. The football history of this city is rich. I'm proud to work at Hillsborough on match days. I moved to Sheffield 11 years ago from Bradford, and I'm happy I did. I felt welcomed here straight away. Underrated City. Love it.

[@rubydazzler]

Crucible is the home of the World Snooker Championships, I also think the Adelphi was a pub where the first football rules were worked out. There's a few blue plaques been installed around the place recently, as well.

[@l.j.turner185]

Honestly my favourite city ever ❤ Not because it’s perfect, far from it, but because it’s human 🇬🇧

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

Do you recall the building of the Tyrell Coropration? That was similarly an Aztec design like 10:29

[@ffrancrogowski2192]

There certainly are some buildings of strange architecture in the city, Ollie. It's quite a few years since I've been in the city, but I never realised how many unusual ones there are. I never thought that those apartments blocks behind the railway station would have been refurbished. Anyhow, this is an interesting production, and so, thank you.

[@dkirk5814]

Very interesting and a masterclass in essay writing. Thanks

[@WhoOneIs]

Love the Park Hill Flats simply because the architecture is beautiful in a brutal way, and it was, and is, the bane of Thatcherites who see it as a symbol of public housing.

[@modeltrainsandtracks]

Very good! The true purpose of hunanity and everything we do should serve it, including architecture. A great video, thank you.

[@BeeHereNowuk]

Yes, thank you

[@Kindred411uk]

Great video, when did you film this?? I live in Sheffield and I’ve never seen less traffic and no people like on your footage.

[@paulmitchell5349]

Brutalist buildings imposed by brutal capitalist regimes. The Moorfoot building blocked out the sky views from the Moor ,imported many workers from London,and did little for local employment opportunities. It still does nothing for Sheffield.. Park Hill flats have essentially been privatised and the residents been shoved further up the hill by Norfolk park ,making access to city centre shops more difficult and expensive. The middle class have taken over Park Hill and all that remains of the former community are a few plaintive poems at the edges.

[@grayfreeman]

"A joke shared between two shy people..." Intriguing. Will we have to wait for the autobiography?

[@Richard-Sauce]

I've been inside the Moore Street substation and I can tell you that its mostly empty, just one masive concrete room with no internal walls and no windows.

[@antonycharnock2993]

Just some massive transformers and switchgear I imagine.

[@Hushey]

woah, that is Weird!! I'm stood outside the building at 0:16 as i clicked this video!

[@alibizzle2010]

The paternoster in the arts tower was not fun on Monday morning with a hangover

[@georgejedd]

Huh? Why do people have such an issue with it? 😂 I’ve used it every day for the last 3 years and it’s great

[@redtape9484]

Alright, watching this waiting for tram in Fitzalan Square feels odd..

[@robk181]

Great presentation.

[@frmcf]

If you like Park Hill, or just find it interesting, you should come and visit the Barri Gaudí in Reus, Catalonia

[@stewartmackay]

A lot of these towers and large blocks of flats all over the UK were built by the same company. In a nutshell, they built them as cheaply as possible. In the US & Canada, during the 60's and 70's, they built high rise apartment buildings which were actually good, well designed and good quality. In the UK, the towers the same heights were horrible places to live. I don't like it when they give protection to some of these concrete monstrosities. Park Hill and other places like it should be leveled.

[@anniejones6598]

I’m really glad someone else appreciates Sheffield’s brutalism. Thought I’m super you didn’t visit the Gleadless estate, it looks like Pripyat sticking out of the trees on a hillside. I fell in love with this former council estate and actually left my home of London to buy an upside down house there, which I’m currently renovating into its late 50s modernist glory. The houses are by the same architect as Park Hill.

[@ephphatha230]

I think brutalist architecture is quite cool. What I don't like is the car-centric infrastructure they built at that time where pedestrians are forced onto concrete overpasses or underpasses.

[@sglenny001]

Agreed sadly I feel that'd coming back to British citys

[@harrygeorgebray6386]

I go to Sheffield Uni and once got stuck on the paternoster lift for 15 minutes. Someone must have pressed the emergency stop button because the lift just stopped with the floor level at my head height. Very fun but kinda scary

[@superowl91]

the A630 into Sheffield is like driving through the Somme.

[@maddiekits]

I think brutalism could be interesting in a more broad application if it was accompanied by modern urban planning practices, it seem that the examples of brutalism people find most offensive have a lot to do with their disregard for the existing city design and building scale, that was common in the post war era.

[@MePeterNicholls]

I love the winter garden

[@hanalee2893]

in my final year at sheffield uni, gonna miss this weird ol' city

[@Terry.W]

Spent many a happy day or two at the Crucible watching all the Snooker stars ..Alex Higgins ..Steve Davis ..Jimmy White ..Cliff Thorburn..

[@TheLynneee]

I'm Sheffield born and bred. Don't get me started on Sheffield. I left for more than 20 years and travelled the world. I was never going to come back until my dad died and I came back to look after mi' mum. It's the worst city in the country. The shopping centre is mad cos it is linear (Haymarket to Moorfoot) boring as hell. Miles of walking to get nowhere. Don't get me start on Meadowhell. Go about once a year for Christmas shopping. However, what Sheffield does have is wonderful countryside. My local park is 17 1/2 acres of woodland. My husband calls it middle earth.

[@jmitchellbelderson]

I don't think it's a coincidence that so much goes on outside of the city centre - Crookes, Eccleshall Road, Abbeydale Road, Sharrow Vale, Kelham Island etc. Those areas are all fantastic and ahead of the overall suburbs in comparable cities (eg Leeds - where I grew up - and Manchester). But the city centre itself is being left to rot, sadly. Agree the greenery and Peak District are the real jewels in the crown. Sheffield has such potential, but definitely needs a lot of TLC, hard work and investment to get there.

[@olaudio8493]

Agreed. Travel a little further out near or to the peaks and it’s beautiful. Eccleshall and Kelham Island are also great. Most of the park flats are student housing now and they are actually quite nice inside.

[@keithscothern3398]

yes the layout of Sheffield has always been problematic linear not a block system like most cities I always thought they should have run a free bus from one end to the other have big shops on the moor and small quirky shops at the other end that is walkable

[@tumslucks9781]

​In the 80s Sheffield had a free bus service that serviced the city centre.

[@sheffsteel7]

@@keithscothern3398I was told a few decades back that it was difficult to plan a block system in the city centre because it’s so hilly. So you’re a slave to the terrain.

[@oscarjones9989]

This was good timing, just went to Sheffield for the first time this weekend. The building on Moore Street definitely stuck in my memory!

[@charlesachurch7265]

Fascinating presentation thanks xxx

[@baby_joe]

The punk rock of architecture is a great description. I don't really like brutalism but as a punk fan I'm now a bit conflicted

[@ians3586]

Acres of raw concrete aren't ideal in any environment but when you add in the dull skies of Yorkshire you've really created hell on earth. Such a contrast to the verdant beauty of the adjoining National Park.

[@WhoOneIs]

The Park Hill Flats embody beautiful ideals in a brutal form (social democracy, solidarity, the public good). Neoliberal architecture might be appealing in a superficial way but have ugly ideals (destroying the commons, the naked pursuit of profit, the commodification of human needs, etc).

[@richardburns5925]

The Park Hill flats should nationally embody and represent gentrification and social cleansing working hand in glove. They are also a prime example of this university technocrat run councils 15 minute city and city urbanisation plan. You mentioned democracy, I only see a technocracy.