Silence! (Cough, Cough ...)
Writing Challenge 2023
Posted by Chris Sissons on Aug 9, 2023
Writing Challenge ยป Chris Sissons
Sheffield’s Central Library on Surrey Street poses a bit of a problem! It was paid for by JG Graves, one of the city’s greatest benefactors. Built in the 1930s, it is an art nouveau building and after 80 or so years of constant use is a bit worse for wear. You can’t see in this photo but the surrounding pavement is cordoned off and there are protective shields over all the entrances. Apparently, things are falling off the roof. Changing library books has become an exciting adventure!
The building houses several libraries – general lending, children’s, local studies, business – and so the building is well-used. The top floor doesn’t have any windows because it houses the Graves art gallery. Graves collected art and gifted most of his collection to the city and the gallery was meant to house his collection, which is on display, on and off.
The building is of course listed. It was state-of-the-art in the 1930s. It had a brilliant air conditioning system that would blow cool air through the building. Apparently, they tried to use it during the hot summer of 1976 and choked on the dust!
The council owns it (technically, the city owns it) and their problem is finding the money to pay for the building. A couple of years ago they proposed selling it to a Chinese business for conversion to a 5-star hotel. The libraries and art gallery would have been moved elsewhere in the city. This was not a popular proposal and everyone moaned to such an extent that the council had to back down. And now it’s falling down.
But there is another, deeper problem. Government cuts have removed most of the local branch libraries from the city. A few soldier on, run by volunteers.
Libraries were part of the movements for self-education from the mid–19th century through to post-World War 2. The demand for library services has declined with the rise of mass media and of course the Internet.
These days even I’m more likely to Google for answers than to make a trip to the library. I must confess, I mainly use the building to view exhibitions or attend talks. I don’t think I’m atypical in this respect. I want this library to survive because people do need it but does this level of use warrant the investment necessary to keep the building going? So far, there is no answer.
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 18 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 17 is Paradise. The next post 19 is Steel Pizza.
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