Valley of the damned

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to this week’s Monday briefing.

The Porter Valley is one of the jewels in Sheffield’s crown. 200 years ago it was an industrial landscape but is now a place where people go to enjoy themselves. Thousands flock there every week, many of them to the beautiful 18th century millpond at Forge Dam. However, as anyone who has been there recently will know, the millpond isn’t looking that beautiful at the moment as water levels plummet and dead wildlife collects in its stagnant pools. What is going on and when can people expect it to look like the beauty spot we know and love? That’s our big story today.

As well as that we have an update about our recent story about the “Container King” of Sheffield, a talk about how outsiders view our city at Weston Park Museum, and a unique colour-coded home in Ecclesall.

In case you missed it

For our weekend read, Dan visited one of Sheffield’s strangest heritage sites: Birley Spa bath house in Hackenthorpe. While the site has lots to interest visitors, including the creepy mannequins (pictured below), the overriding feeling is one of frustration about why such an important part of the city’s heritage has been left to rot. You can still read that piece here.

Last week we sent out two great newsletters to our more than 2,700 paying members. In the first, Holly Williams visited the second Sheffield Wine Week to meet some of the people trying to turn our city into a destination for vino aficionados as well as those who love beer. And in the second, Victoria looked into the sad demise of the food hall Department, less than two months after it had opened. The venue took over from the ill-fated Kommune but ended up going the same way as its predecessor in just seven weeks, leading some to suggest that the building may be cursed (or maybe kursed). An extract from that piece is below.

At least two vendors say they believe a lack of proper marketing helped to kill Department. One argues that the refurbished space was far nicer than the popular Cambridge Street Collective — “it had nice seating, at Cambridge Street you’re just on outdoor seating” — but that “not enough people knew” it had even reopened. Another claims that, just prior to launch night, the vendors had to collectively urge Department to start doing more to drum up interest. “On all the social media accounts, there was no mention of food, no pictures of food,” they say. “We had to get together and ask them to promote it as a food hall, rather than making it look like some kind of exhibition space.”

The big picture: Pod's own country 📻 

The second Crossed Wires podcast festival took place at the weekend, bringing thousands of people to venues across the city centre. Highlights included Michael Palin in conversation with Greg James at the City Hall, and Pete McKee DJing at Cole Brothers. For our recent piece about co-founder Dino Sofos, click here.

The big story: Valley of the damned

Top line: Water levels at Forge Dam are now so low that wildlife is dying and new islands have been formed. The lake is currently four feet below its normal level while “huge beaches of mud” have emerged and fishes and ducklings have been seen floating dead in the stagnant water.

‘Wildlife emergency’: Two recent reports in The Star illustrate the problems. Two weeks ago, they reported that wildlife in the lake was dying due to the “stagnant, oxygen-depleted water”. And last week they reported that water levels were now so low that a new island had emerged in the middle of the lake while the edges of the lake had turned into beaches of mud.

• As The Tribune has reported before, the problem is being caused by sediment being carried by the River Porter down the valley. Over the 250 years since the dam was built, this sediment has built up and if nothing was done, the lake could eventually disappear.

Restore and rejuvenate: This was not how it was meant to be. Back in 2021, Sheffield council said a £500,000 restoration project would “rejuvenate” the millpond. They said the work would “carefully remove and re-profile decades of silt, creating a mosaic of deep and shallow water” and provide a “twin pronged nature-based solution” to reduce future sediment in the valley. This would be done by first slowing the flow of the River Porter as it approached the dam utilising natural flood management techniques. And secondly, by the “sensitive installation” of a natural porous barrier to encourage the main flow of the river away from the lake and over the weir.

What went wrong? The contract to desilt the lake was given to environmental specialists Sanctus. When we spoke to them in 2023, they said that when work was carried out, due to its age the dam was in “an element of disrepair”, meaning that when the silt was removed the structure became “quite porous”.

• This means the lake now drains away rapidly when it isn’t raining, meaning that at times it can look worse than if no work took place at all.
• The dry spring and summer we have had so far this year have further exacerbated the problems, leaving the lake in its current sorry state.

A summer of disappointment: When it became clear that the restoration had not worked, Sheffield council told us they were "working to find a solution". In 2024, they announced they were to spend a further £46,300 to fix the leaky dam. However, earlier this year the Friends of Porter Valley said these repairs would not start until at least September due to legal issues and wildlife restrictions and warned visitors to expect another “summer of disappointment” at the dam.

Our take: As several local residents told us two years ago, half a million pounds is a lot to spend on a bad job. Of the £500,000 plus the restoration work cost, the Friends of Porter Valley contributed £261,000, made up of around £150,000 in donations and around £100,000 which was left to the campaign in a will. Those who contributed had a right to expect that Forge Dam would look a lot better than it currently does. Its current state is an embarrassment for the city.

Your Tribune briefing 🗞️

Balls of steel 🍽️ In our recent piece about “Container King” Martin McGrail, we weren’t able to report several key allegations against him, namely that when the restaurant Norse left Steelyard Kelham, he kept £40,000 worth of their stuff including a £6,000 oven, four fridges worth £3,000 each, and a hand-made counter and racking worth £4,000. Now, Ashley Bagshaw, the owner of Norse, says he has been made aware that some of his tableware including plates and jugs have turned up at another restaurant, Remarkable Hare in Matlock. “The fact that he’s selling my personal belongings on disgusts me,” Bagshaw told us. When The Tribune asked McGrail why he had refused to return the equipment, he claimed that it was a legal matter, although Bagshaw says this is news to him. When we asked McGrail whether he had sold Norse’s tableware, he refused to answer.

Stars in our eyes 🌟 What do Gordon Banks, Michael Palin, Sean Bean and Def Leppard have in common? They are all from Sheffield, of course, but as well as that they are among 21 individuals and groups who have a star on the Sheffield walk of fame outside the Town Hall. Now, Sheffield council is looking for a new generation of Sheffield Legends who have "made a significant contribution to promoting the city in a positive light" to feature alongside them. If approved by councillors on Thursday, a public nomination process will launch this summer, inviting residents to suggest a new set of names. So, who do you think should be included? Let us know in the comments and we’ll publish the best.

‘Stop Darnall Dying’ 🚗 Darnall residents are urging the council to install cameras and speed ramps on Staniforth Road, where they claim drivers regularly flout the speed limit, to prevent more people dying in crashes. According to the Stop Darnall Dying website, there have been 11 deaths from careless driving in the area since 2008, with several of these deaths taking place on the busy road in question. Only a few days ago, 16-year-old Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Al Yazidi died after he was struck by a car on Staniforth Road shortly before 5pm. 

This week’s weather 🌥️

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say this week will get increasingly warm/hot as high pressure builds north and east over the UK.

Monday ⛅ The odd morning shower, then brightening up through the afternoon. Windy from the NW with highs of 21C.

Tuesday ☀ Breezy but often sunny with temperatures warmer than Monday. Dry with highs of 23C.

Wednesday ⛅ A decaying warm front may bring some cloud, otherwise largely dry and warm with sunny spells. Highs of 25C.

Thursday 🌤 Hot with good spells of strong summer sunshine, lighter winds and highs of 28C.

Friday 🌤 Hotter still with further long spells of strong sunshine. Gentle breezes with highs perhaps nudging 30C.

Outlook: Staying hot and often sunny through the weekend with just the outside chance of a thunderstorm. Gentle breezes.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

The weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on the sudden closure of the Department foodhall, which opened to great fanfare just two months ago.

Home of the week 🏡

As longer term readers will know, we love modernism here at The Tribune, and this two bedroom Ecclesall apartment is a beauty. The flat benefits from an open plan design, tons of light and a detached garage which can be used as storage. But best of all (to our mind at least) are the colour-coded rooms (red living room, yellow kitchen, green and blue bedrooms and white bathroom) meaning you’ll never forget where you are ever again. It is on the market for £280,000.

Things to do 📆

Art 🖼️ On now at the Millennium Gallery is Colour, a new exhibition which brings together over 150 objects including work by Hokusai, Kandinsky, Bridget Riley, Andy Warhol and more, alongside examples of exquisitely crafted decorative ceramics. See beautiful bird plumage and iridescent insects which show how colour is used in the natural world and textiles demonstrating the rich spectrum of natural and manmade pigments and dyes. The free show runs until September.

Talk 🗣️ Weston Park Museum is 150 years old this year and is hosting a series of displays, events and activities to celebrate. On Wednesday, join Dr Julie Banham as she looks at how Sheffield has been defined and whether a true depiction of a city can ever be captured. The talk explores just some of the motivations and reactions of visitors, artists and commentators as they tried to define Sheffield over the years. The 45 minute talk is free and begins at 1pm.

Theatre 🎭 Starting on Wednesday at the Montgomery Theatre on Surrey Street is Cole Porter’s classic musical Anything Goes. Co-written by PG Wodehouse, Anything Goes is a fast-paced comedy musical that takes you back to the Golden Age of high society on the high seas and includes the iconic songs including I Get A Kick Out of You, De-Lovely and of course the title song Anything Goes. Tickets are priced £19 and the show runs until Saturday.