Virus Variety Part 3

If You Can't Move The Passengers ...

The pattern of roads leading out of Sheffield southbound was in embryo in 1732.

Church Lane (upper left) begat Church Street; Prior Gate begat High Street; Fargate remains and Pinson Street (bottom left) begat today's Pinstone Street. The "New Church" (also lower left) was St Paul's.

Built in 1720, opened in 1740 (opening delayed by an ecclesiastical punch-up), it was demolished in 1938.

It was roughly on New Church Street that Sheffield's new Town Hall was built.

The current building, commissioned to replace the Old Town Hall on Waingate ...

... was designed by the London-based architect Edward William Mountford in the Renaissance Revival style and constructed between 1890 and 1897.

The building was opened by Queen Victoria, using a remote control lock from her carriage, on 21 May 1897.

The turning of the key in the lock triggered a light in the building which was the signal for three concealed men to open the gates.

Trams and then buses ran High Street, Fargate, Pinstone Street in both directions. Fargate was closed to traffic and pedestrianised in 1973 ...

... whereupon buses were banished to Church Street and Leopold Street.

Come the trams and Church Street and High Street became one way westbound which gave buses a sort of one way anti clockwise roundabout route ...

High Street

Church Street

Leopold Street

Pinstone Street

Furnival Gate

Arundel Gate

... joining and leaving this mammoth gyratory where appropriate for their individual route. Thus Leopold Street and Pinstone Street became one way southbound for buses with limited access for other vehicles.

But we need to step back a bit. With the demolition of St Paul's in 1938, its churchyard became officially St Pauls Gardens but nicknamed "The Peace Gardens" after the abortive Munich agreement.

As part of this process, Pinstone Street gained a super smashing tram shelter, seen to the left of the gardens in the picture below.

It replaced an earlier shelter built into the churchyard wall.

Trams ...

... subsequently gave way to buses, but the grand and very sheltered shelter remained. Non tram/bus users were advised to take the diversionary route via the peace gardens to avoid cloggage at the tram/bus stands!

And a snippet of Sheffield tram trivia. Pinstone Street was the only place on the network where trams could overtake. Adjacent to the super shelter was a passing loop.

The middle tram of the three is overtaking the tram at the stand - possibly, from the anxious looks of the inspectors, broken down!

The gardens (by now officially renamed to favour the public nickname) were refurnished in 1997.

Modern bus stops have been spread out and passengers are now offered two stands on Leopold Street ...

... and three on Pinstone Street.

So how is Sheffield City Council dealing with social distancing at these stops?

Easy peasy.

... Move The Bus Stops!

Yes, indeed; all buses have been diverted away from Leopold Street and Pinstone Street ...

... much to the chagrin of passengers and operators.

For the answer to "where", you will have to wait until tomorrow.

Meanwhile At fbb Mansions

While fbb toils over railway models, blogs and leaflets for the fbb's monthly Sunday's Best meeting (suspended), the Lady of the House is also busy, busy. One of Mrs fbb's skills involves horticultural activity in the extensive gardens front and read of their "pied à terre".

With less scheduled external activity a particular pleasure of lockdown is to take morning coffee and/or the afternoon cuppa amongst the glories of God's creation.

Tubs at the front step ...

... a profusion of pots ...

... and buckets of beauty on the boundary fence!

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one inch to his height?

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the flowers, how they grow ...

... they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Jesus speaking : Matthew's Gospel : Chapter 6 verses 26 to 30

STOP PRESS

The South Yorkshire Bus Review, led by City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis ...

...  was published this morning at 0001.

fbb has not yet perused its 118 pages but will go for an "overview" report in tomorrow's blog.

One "knee-jerk" reaction to the chapter headings, "Will it change anything?"

 Next Virus Variety blog : Friday 19th June