NEEPSEND: life in a sheffield industrial community
Neepsend is Kelham Island's edgier twin across the river. It's got the same industrial history, but one that's quite different from its neighbour. This walk brings to life the story of how Neepsend grew from a small hamlet by the river, (a history much older than Kelham Island's), to a thriving and lively working class community. Today it is a vibrant part of Sheffield but its past is still there to see if you know where to look.
On a Neepsend walking tour you will learn the fascinating stories of a typical Sheffield working class community with its houses, pubs, shops, cinema, swimming baths, institutes, and churches. It isn't glamorous, but it's life in industrial Sheffield. It's factories that made (and in some cases still make) screws, saws and polish, it's the brewers, the typographers, the railway workers, the gas works and it's also of course a story of steel.
This is a walk about today as well. It'll show you the recording studios (that inspired the Arctic Monkeys), the artists and the items that still being produced in the area today. It also includes the opportunty to visit the hidden cellars of one of the area’s former factories.
Neepsend. It may not be glamorous, but it's a story of industrial Sheffield and where the city is today.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Walks are £10 and take around two hours depending on the size of the group. You need to book online in advance.
Walks start outside the Gardener’s Rest pub on Neepsend Lane (S3 8AT - map here) and finish not far away at Alder Bar on Percy Street (S3 8BT - map here). The distance is around XX miles (XX km).
We recommend arriving by public transport or taxi as it’s not always easy to find car parking spaces in the area. It also means you can take advantage of one of the local pubs, cafes or restaurants afterwards. If you are driving, the easiest places to park are about a 5-10 minute walk away on Hicks Street (S3 8BD) or Rutland Way (S3 8DG).
Most of the walk is accessible, however at the end of the walk there is a location with steps without any disabled access. Well behaved dogs are welcome.
You can also find the answers to more general Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
BOOK A TOUR
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT KELHAM ISLAND WALKS
“Very interesting. Even when you think you know a lot about an area there’s always more to discover. The guide was very knowledgeable and spoke clearly.”
“Excellent and exceptional. Anders was such a great and informative tour guide.
We are both Sheffield born and bred but we did not know half of the interesting facts what Anders told us about.”
Gardener’s Rest pub, Neepsend, Sheffield (Photo: Anders Hanson)
Frank by Pete McKee, Burton Road, Sheffield (Photo: Anders Hanson)
Yellow Arch Studios, Burton Road, Sheffield, built as a screw factory (Photo: Anders Hanson)
Rutland Works, former Samuel Osborn & Co, now Church: Temple of Fun, Rutland Road, Sheffield (Photo: Anders Hanson)