Crookesmoor Vestry Hall - 80 Crookesmoor Road Sheffield

I passed Crookesmoor Vestry Hall yesterday and saw evidence that someone was actually on the premises

For those who are not familiar with the building, it is Grade 2 building that has been allowed to deteriorate over the years by various parties. From my understanding, property developers bought the building with the intention of converting it into student accommodation, but their planning application was rejected by Sheffield City Council. And it seems that the developers just left the building to fall into a chronic state of disrepair, no doubt in the hope that it would become a dangerous structure.

I took this photograph in 2010 of the Vestry Hall, and I can assure you that this marvelous building has markedly deteriorated since then.   

Various persons in subsequent years have attempted to force the issue but a successful conclusion has proved elusive. This is from the old Liberal Democrats magazine Focus who proposed "Action on Empty Buildings" in the Crookesmoor and Upperthorpe districts. Sadly their attempts to promote the building came to naught (rather like their 2015 General Election campaign) 

I hope this new activity that I witnessed is a precursor to renovating this rather pleasant building. Time will tell!

     

Arthur James Walkden 1896 - 1948

I've just posted an article to the site regarding the life and death of Arthur James Walkden. Arthur had an "interesting" life for want of a better phrase but it ended on Monday 6th December 1948 at Sheffield's Nunnery Colliery. I am trying at the moment to find out the circumstances surrounding his death but it is proving to be difficult

Nunnery Colliery also appears on the site in a different guise. I posted an article many years ago on a tragedy that occurred on 3rd December 1923 at the colliery when seven men lost their lives