Steel City Snapper photography
35mm, medium format and large format film photography (with the odd bit of digital every now and then…)
Five minutes before this shot was taken the whole structure was enveloped in steam. I quickly made my way to a vantage point where I could get a photograph of the spectacle but, alas, it didn’t reoccur in the time I was able to wait. Smaller volumes of steam were constantly being emitted, as in the shot below, but not the glorious fogbank I’d initially witnessd.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 12 January 2020
This derelict building stands adjacent to the Rotherham United football stadium at the edge of Rotherham town centre. The building is the site of a former brassworks, Guest & Chrimes Ltd, which was established in 1843 by brothers Richard and Edward Chrimes and moved to this site in 1857. The company produced produced taps, sluice valves, hydrants and water meters and expanded rapidly after the invention of the ‘High Pressure Loose Valve Screw-Down Cock‘ (clearly the double entendre had not been invented yet :)) – the forerunner of the modern domestic tap – by Edward Chrimes. The foundry eventually closed in 1999.
There is historic film footage from 1901 showing workers leaving the factory. It’s alarming to see how many young boys are amongst the workforce (although cheering to see that they enjoyed larking about in front of a camera in exactly the same way that boys still do today).
The Grade II listed building is currently surrounded by high fencing, and parts of the structure shown in the last two photos was demolished following a fire in 2018. The entire building is under lease to the neighbouring football club and there are plans to redevelop the building.
This final image features some poignant graffiti that I only noticed when scanning the negative (you may need to click on the image to see the full size version in order to read it).
There is a forum post dating back to 2013 showing some urbex images of the building, including interiors, here.
Yashicamat 124G & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 12 January 2020
Dating back almost 550 years, the Old Queen’s Head is the oldest surviving domestic building in Sheffield, constructed at the end of the Plantagenet period. The building became a pub in the 1860s when the venue next door extended into this one. Prior to this the buidling was used as a house and may have been a banqueting hall before that. Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisonned in Sheffield in the late 16th century (although not in this building!) and it’s believed that this is where the pubs name is derived.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tmax 400.
Taken on 10 January 2020
This is The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. It was opened in 1971 and, as well as hosting plays and similar performances, has been the venue for the World Snooker Championship since 1977. The theatre has an unusual stage layout with the audience sitting around three of its sides. The building holds Grade II listed status.
Just opposite (to the right of the scene in this photo) lies the Lyceum Theatre, a more traditional (and older – dating back 120 years) venue.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tmax 400.
Taken on 10 January 2020
A small, selfie me, trapped in one of the spherical water features in Sheffield’s Millennium Square.
Holga 120N & Kodak Tmax 400.
Taken on 10 January 2020
Stood right beside the twisty oak woodland that I featured yesterday stands Wellington’s Monument. This stone cross features the dedication: “Wellington, Born 1769, Died 1852. Erected 1866 by E.M. Wrench, late 34th Reg’ment” and commemorates Wellington’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo. The cross is visible atop the hillside from the A621 Sheffield Road which passes to the east at the bottom of the valley. Across the valley on Birchen Edge stands another monument, this one dedicated to Admiral Lord Nelson.
Olympus OM-1, F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 | Zuiko 28mm f/3.g & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 4 January 2020
A maze of beautiful twisted oaks just below Wellington’s Monument on Baslow Edge. I don’t think I’ve got the best composition here – I’m not sure about the grassy area at lower left – but it’s a location not too far away, so plenty of chance for me to get a better shot in future.
Olympus OM-1, F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 4 January 2020
Taken shortly before the photo of the cow that I posted a few days ago, this is farmland near Whiston, South Yorkshire, UK.
I liked the muddy field entrance leading into the shot and the brow of the hill giving the impression that the land goes on for miles (Spoiler alert! It doesn’t – there’s a motorway not far beyond the ridge – sorry to spoil the illusion :)).
There are a lot of farms with haystacks and haybales still in the fields this year, slowly rotting away through the autumn and winter. I can only assume that they were caught in rain before the farmers had chance to wrap them or get them into dry barns. I’ve seen some that have actually grown a fresh green grassy hairstyle!
Zeiss Mess-Ikonta 524/16 & Ilford HP5+.
Taken on 23 December 2019
I present to you today a couple of pictures of the “Anvil Stone” which sits atop Baslow Edge overlooking the Derwent Valley. I’m not sure if it’s name is official, or one of those things that has just fallen into common usage but you can certainly see how it gets the name.
It was blowing a gale when I first arrived, the wind swooping up the valley sides and buffeting anything close to the edge, so I took care where I stood atop the crags. It’s not a sheer drop along most of the edge (although surely high enough to be potentially fatal in a number of places), but it wouldn’t take that big a fall to sprain an ankle or break a limb or two (or smash delicate cameras!) if you were not to take care.
I entitled this second shot “Jawas” on Flickr as I found the shape of the rock form this angle to be evocative of the Sandcrawler vehicles they use on Tattooine. 🙂
Olympus OM-1, F.Zuiko 50mm f/1.8 & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 4 January 2020
This is the view from the edge of Lady Canning’s Plantation looking back towards Sheffield city centre, which lies around 4.5 miles away. It’s a nice illustration of how close you are to rolling countryside just a hop and a skip from town. The large block of a building that sits to the left of the image is the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.
I think I botched the exposure somewhat as the shadowy area of the wall is showing significant grain. I love my OM-1, but it’s relatively simple metering can sometimes fool me into picking the wrong shutter speed / aperture combo.
Olympus OM-1, Zuiko 28mm f/3.5 & Ilford Delta 400.
Taken on 30 December 2019
Steel City Snapper photography 