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On the cover of his book, “The Story of Sheffield” (2021), Tim Cooper features a mural of Jarvis Cocker.  I’ve walked past the mural many times and this book told me who it is!  It’s on the side of my favourite pub, The Fat Cat.

This is odd because Kelham Island, home of The Fat Cat, hardly features in the book.  You would think it would because Kelham Island is an amazing feat of engineering from the 1180s, it is an artificial island! 

Yes, the huge weir in the photo diverts water from the River Don into a goyt.  If you follow the line along the top of the weir into the distance, it is the beginning of the goyt.  The rest of the water flows over the weir and the river continues to the left of the photo. 

The water in the goyt re-joins the river at Lady’s Bridge on Wicker.  The diverted water was originally used for growing fruit and veg.  A road that runs alongside the Don before Lady’s Bridge is called Nursery Street.  Over the centuries the diverted water has been used by a variety of industry and now it is mostly either recreational or underground.

Let us return to The Fat Cat.  (A sentence that is music to my ears.)  When I moved back to Sheffield in 1989, The Fat Cat was the only good news about Kelham.  It was what is commonly called a red-light district, although I never saw any red lights.  You had to brave young people asking if you wanted business to get there. 

But it was worth it.  And the Fat Cat hasn’t changed very much.  Enter through Alma Street and on the left there is the smoke-free lounge.  (It was smoke-free long before everywhere had to be smoke-free.)  (The whole pub is also music free.)  On the right, there is the main bar and a serving hatch for the lounge.  If you carry on ahead, you can head out to the outdoor tables or up the steepest stairs in the world to the function room.  In days of yore, I had an annual Christmas Dinner there in January and these days it’s the venue for Story Forge, monthly storytelling - any story so long as it isn’t true – if you tell a story from real life they unleash the scary rabbits.

In the lounge, if you can find a table and order from a massive range of real ales, you sit back and contemplate the menu board.  The Fat Cat has a notorious no chips rule but roast potatoes are not chips, so we let them off.  Pie and roasties and veg with gravy!  Fruit Crumble and custard!  Heaven!!

And from the earliest days, the owners set up the Kelham Island micro-brewery in their car park.  A wonderful selection of local ales alongside the huge variety of ales on the menu.  Sadly, it appears the brewery has recently closed.

It may seem like a long diversion to describe a pub in such detail but it’s important to see the impact The Fat Cat has on the area.  There are now several other real ale pubs – The Kelham, The Riverside, Harlequin, The Shakespeare, The Shop Inn – for example.  Then cafes and restaurants have opened in the area as new housing has been built. 

The Kelham Industrial Museum has been there probably as long as The Fat Cat and that draws more people into the area.  It has its own café and the Millowners Tavern. 

In short, the area is thriving, with loads of younger people and families.  The goyt is a haven for wildlife and there is art on the walls and elsewhere.  It is the 35^th coolest place in the world apparently – not a bad achievement in 30 years or so!

Was it really The Fat Cat that started all this?  It’s been there from the beginning.  I’m sure the Council Planning Department has had something to do with it over the years but a lot is down to individuals and small businesses making use of the available spaces.

It is an example of how old industrial areas can be regenerated.  The strange mix of old industry, new houses and flats, art, environment and food, shows us something of what is possible in our cities. 

If you’re ever in Sheffield, let me know and we can have a pint, pie and pud together!

This year's Writing Challenge, fueled by prompts, is about the City of Sheffield.  Be surprised by what's included and even more surprised by what's left out.  This is Post 20 and there are 21 altogether.  Share your thoughts and your love for the City in the comments.  The first Post 0 is Context: Sheffield.  The last post 19 is Steel Pizza.  The next post 21 is Garfield.