Story by Graham Jones | Photo by Tim Neal
This summer has seen a number of organised walks through Burngreave with the majority of walkers coming from other parts of the city and places beyond.
On 17th August a coachload of members of the Ramblers came from Liverpool and the Wirral. Some of them walked with a local guide from the city centre to Meadowhall. They all loved the open spaces of Parkwood Springs and Wincobank but enjoyed hearing about the rich local history of Burngreave too.
On 8th September Graham Hague led a walk for the Sheffield Victorian Society. The walk started in Abbeyfield Park where Pitsmoor People’s Kitchen was in full swing and then Tim Neal kindly led an informative tour of Abbeyfield House before Graham took the walkers away down Pitsmoor Road on the way to Ellesmere Green, picking out historical highlights on the way. While the walkers were intrigued by our community and its history, the walkers themselves provided a source of fascination and wonderment for local bystanders and passers- by.
On 22nd September the 2019 Sheffield Walking Festival/Heritage Open Days, included a walk “Living and Dying in Burngreave”.
Some of the walkers were returning to their haunts in Burngreave, where they grew up in the 1940s and had some great tales from those days. We even passed a house where one of our walkers was born in those times. The Friends of Burngreave Cemetery gave us a lovely welcome with hot drinks and answers to a lot of our questions. Steve Cook showed us his amazing work on funerary practices around the world. And we admired the modern artwork and historic collections. Ken of the Friends group gave us a fascinating tour of the cemetery. Tim Neal then took this group round Abbeyfield House with an unalloyed enthusiasm.
It’s fair to say that the participants in all these walks expressed their amazement at the history, sense of community and green spaces in our area. Some had to go away with a very changed impression of Burngreave.
These walks confirmed that there are plenty of interesting things to see around Burngreave. There is also a good selection of local history books in Burngreave Library which will get you started off.
There are several walking groups based in Burngreave. If you are interested, get in touch with them by emailing or visiting their website.
burngreave-ramblers@googlegroups.com
steppingoutinsheffield@gmail.com
walking4purpose@sheffield.gov.uk
www.healthwalksinsheffield.btck. co.uk/TuesdayWalks/Pitsmoor
