Last weekend me and my friend Kerry went to do a spot of shopping in Sheffield. While I didn’t get exactly what I was looking for in the shops (the elusive ‘perfect braid’) I did get to explore the city and there are some really lovely places to visit!
We started the day off with a trip on a tram! I was very excited about this, trams seem so cosmopolitan to me! After that bit of excitement we got off the tram outside Sheffield Cathedral and decided to have a look inside. From the outside you can immediately tell that this is a building that has undergone a lot of changes in it’s life. There is an extension on the left (housing the all important gift shop) that while it has been built in a sympathetic style to the rest of the building I am not its biggest fan, but the interior more than makes up for the some-what dodgy addition.
The first church was built on the site in the 1100’s but the earliest parts of the current building date from around 1430. It was granted Cathedral status in 1914.
Whist in the Cathedral I found a familiar name, George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and 4th husband of Bess of Hardwick, has a monument in the Cathedral with his first two wives. The monument is huge, showing how influential (and wealthy) George was. Unfortunately I couldn’t get very close to the monument but there were some close up images on the display by the main door, which includes a photo of our portrait of Bess.
From the inside you can further see the different phases of construction, but it all blends beautifully, the new elements complimenting the old.
At the risk of sounding just like my mother I really love churches and cathedrals. They are usually full of so many intricate and exquisite things, the architecture, the windows, the furniture and the textiles! I am also very partial to a bit of gilded fabulousness which churches do so well.
What I really liked about Sheffield Cathedral was how many unusual elements there were inside, the modern stained glass roof, unusual memorials, golden angels sitting under the eaves and a screen to the St George’s Chapel made from the weapons of the disbanded York and Lancaster Regiment.
So many fascinating, elegant things to look at in just one equally beautiful building, with so much colour and light! If you are into ecclesiastical architecture and interiors then you must pay a visit to Sheffield Cathedral.
View from my attic 
Hi I was so pleased to discover your fascinating blog! – Very interesting to see your personal reviews of different heritage sites – and reading this one has made me think I must pay a visit to Sheffield Cathedral next time I’m in that city.
I was particularly interested to read about your visit to Dunham Massey, as I actually worked on this project as graphic designer, working on the large graphic displays and also handwriting all of the objects, like the leg cast in your photo.
The reason I’m writing is that unfortunately I’ve not yet been able to get up to Manchester to visit Dunham! Consequently I don’t have any photos from there, and I was wondering if I could ask a huge favour of you – whether you might let me display a couple of your photos of the graphics on my website: http://www.roseytaylor.co.uk ? I’d credit the photos to you, and be more than happy to provide a link to your blog on my site if you wished. I’d be hugely grateful if you’d consider this, do email me directly if you would, contact details are on my site. Many thanks and best wishes.