For whatever reason, I felt an urge to go back over there this morning - specifically to walk up Blake Street and to take a few photos of it. Blake Street was built in 1854 and was named after John Blake who was the city's Master Cutler in 1831. It is also the steepest residential street in Sheffield and one of the five steepest streets in England. The very steepest is Vale Street in Bristol.
On one side of the road there are railings to aid pedestrians and I noticed that the paving stones are specially textured - presumably to inhibit falls. At the top of the street, "The Blake Hotel" is still open for business. I believe it is still thriving - unlike my old local at Crookesmoor which is due to close for good very soon. We had some great times in that little pub. It was called "The Closed Shop" though I wish I did not have to apply a past tense.
The top of Blake Street
The bottom of Blake Street
Who would choose to live on a road like Blake Street? Certainly not me. The residents of Blake Street must all have bulging calf muscles. Going to work or paying a visit to the shops would be a daily challenge and on wintry days that road would be as treacherous as a ski slope.
Sheffield is officially Great Britain's hilliest city. Those hills provide vistas that you just do not get in flat cities. However, I am very glad that not all of our streets are as steep as Blake Street.
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