I should imagine that 90 per cent of the population of Sheffield have heard of the Assay Office, and are vaguely aware of its role in hallmarking items of precious metal, but few fully appreciate its significance on the national and world stage. Sheffield Assay Office has been making its mark since 1773 when local … Read more
In the days when Doncaster Rovers’ home ground was Belle Vue, the town was proud of the fact that it had the largest playing area of any club in the Football League, at 110 yards long by 72 yards wide. But, in a town where size obviously matters, the old Rovers’ pitch would be dwarfed … Read more
On a good day, the 12 cooling towers and 851-foot main chimney of Drax Power Station are a familiar site on the horizon from the uplands to the west of Sheffield, 35 miles away as the crow flies. But 28 members and guests of Stumperlowe Probus Club were afforded a much closer look at Britain’s … Read more
After Nick Duggan’s talk on his own cutlery collection two days earlier, the ‘made in Sheffield’ theme continued when 22 Stumperlowe Probus Club members gathered as arranged at the iconic Bessemer Converter outside Kelham Island Museum ready to start our guided tour of the Hawley Tool Collection. As Nick, the curator, pointed out, the Hawley … Read more
Most of our members had read Catherine Bailey’s fascinating book Black Diamonds, the Rise and Fall of an English Dynasty, which maps the history of coal mining in South Yorkshire and the downfall of the Fitzwilliam family. So it was with great anticipation that we gathered at Wentworth Woodhouse – formerly Britain’s largest private residence, … Read more
Several members of Stumperlowe Probus Club have more than a passing interest in wine, including at least two who are shareholders in a commercial-size French vineyard, but they learnt much about the trials and tribulations of smaller scale production on a Peak District hillside 950 feet above sea level. A party of 26 club members … Read more