Local events

Friends of Portland Works talk – Sheffield Castle past, present, future

• Makerspace, Portland Works, Randall Street, Sheffield S1 4SJ
• Wednesday 21 October at 7pm

A talk by Chair of the Friends Martin Gorman.

• Carpenter Room, Sheffield Central Library, Surrey Street, Sheffield S1 1XZ
• Friday 23 October at 11:30am

Join historian Alan Stewart and Sheffield Archives for a free talk on Victorian crime in Sheffield.

• St John's Church, 5 Ranmoor Park Road, Sheffield S10 3GX
• Saturday 24 October at 11am

Talk by Dr Jenny Stephenson. Refreshments available.
Tickets £5.

• Room 5, Showroom Cinema, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX
• Tuesday 27 October at 7.30pm

Talk by Tony Ball. The water-powered mills and grinding wheels of Sheffield produced iron and steel goods of all sorts that were world-renowned for centuries. The water system of each site relied on a weir but the weir is often unheralded or completely ignored. This is an attempt to fill the gap: when were they made, how were they made. who made them?

• Skipton Town Hall, High St, Skipton BD23 1AH
• Saturday 31 October at 9.30 to 17.00

2026 is the 350th anniversary of the death of Lady Anne Clifford, the last of the Cliffords to bear that name. A collection of previously unedited letters by Lady Anne, to Lady Anne and about Lady Anne has been edited by Professor Jessica Malay, and the volume also contains the memoir of Lady Anne’s secretary, George Sedgewick (1618-85), published in full for the first time.
Tickets from £28 with or without lunch.

North East Derbyshire Industrial Archaeology Society talk – The History of the Sheffield to Tinsley Canal

• St Thomas' Church Centre, Chatsworth Road, Brampton, Chesterfield S40 3AW
• Monday 9 November at 7.30pm

Talk by Alan Dulcamara and Kevin Turner.
Visitors welcome £3. Further information cliff@nedias.co.uk

Sheffield Manor Lodge Monday talk – War Graves Commission

• Manor Oaks House, 389 Manor Oaks Lane, Sheffield S2 1UL
• Monday 9 November at 7pm

Talk by Annette Parker.
Ticket prices tbc, includes refreshments.

• Carpenter Room, Central Library, Surrey Street, Sheffield S1 1XZ
• Wednesday 11 November at 6pm

Sheffield City Archives will reveal the remarkable stories of the Sheffield creators of the First World trench magazine The Leadswinger. In this talk, Archivist Tim Knebel unmasks the men behind the magazine and shares their stories.

South Yorkshire Industrial History Society talk – Ernest Wright – Hand Scissor Makers in Sheffield

• Makerspace Room, Portland Works, Randall Street, Sheffield, S2 4SJ
• Monday 16 November at 7.30pm

Talk by Jonathan Wright.

• Room 5, Showroom Cinema, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX
• Tuesday 17 November at 7.30pm

Talk by Jason Monaghan. Excavations on the Channel Island of Alderney spanning a decade have investigated the well-preserved Late Roman fort known as the Nunnery. It has a similar plan to the so-called ‘signal stations’ of the north Yorkshire coast and the new evidence from Alderney enables this whole class of forts to be reconsidered. Dr Jason Monaghan is formerly the Head of Heritage for Guernsey and Roman pottery specialist for York Archaeological Trust. His talk illustrates the key features revealed by the excavations and survey of the extant parts of the fort which in places survives to the level of the Roman parapet. The role of the fort as a patrol base in the increasingly insecure Late Roman period is also discussed.

• Garden Room, Ranmoor Parish Centre, 5 Ranmoor Park Road, Sheffield S10 3GX
• Tuesday 17 November at 7.30pm

Talk by Martin Naylor with Sheffield’s history recorded in photographs.

• Christ Church meeting room, Manchester Road, Stocksbridge S36 1DY and online
• Wednesday 18 November at 7.30pm

Talk by Jenny Stephenson.