Sheaffeld

The Sheaf from Cutler's Walk

Most English place names have evolved through history, emerging from times when spelling expectations were not as clearcut as they are today. When I was in Uttoxeter recently, I learnt that through the centuries the little Staffordshire town's name had gone through no less than seventy nine changes from Wotocheshede in 1086 to Utoc Cestre and Utcester just before standardised spellings became the fashion.

This city, Sheffield, also knew  name or spelling changes through time. I used one of the older versions as the title of this blogpost - Sheaffeld.

One of the city's five little rivers is the River Sheaf. It travels for little more than seven miles from its source to its confluence with the much larger River Don. Historically, those seven miles marked a section of the border between the ancient kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia that predated the very notion of a united country called England.

In Old English the term "sheaf" or "scēað" meant a boundary. "Feld" that later became "field" meant an open area of land or pasture. So you can see that way back in history when a small settlement grew in what is now our city centre Sheaffeld was a logical and rather simple choice. It was not fanciful.

Cutler's Walk

Today I walked down by The River Sheaf. For three or four centuries it drove a handful of waterwheels and industrial premises grew up along its banks - mostly connected with metal working - including the manufacture of cutlery, wire and farm implements.

But I was mostly there to see a muralist at work by Cutler's Walk  which narrowly weaves its way by the The Sheaf and the main Midland railway line. And there she was up a ladder hard at work - Zoe Genders. She has been commissioned to create a 200 square metre mural which is likely to see her working into early September.

Zoe Genders at work today

I stopped to talk to her and it was interesting to hear that she views her creations as ephemeral. They are just here for a while and she expects taggers and teenage scrawlers to come along with spoiling additions. That's all part of the reality of being an urban muralist.

I wished her well and promised that I would return in September to see the finished work.

To tell you the truth, Zoe's abstract graphical shapes and lines and blocks of colour are not my favourite style of street art but it is what she does and she seemed happy in her work.

⦿

This morning at 4.30am, the Irish singer-songwriter and musician Glen Hansard died in a tragic motorcycle accident in County Dublin, Ireland. When I first heard this news, a sharp intake of breath was necessary. I hope they play "Falling Slowly" at his funeral. He leaves behind his Finnish wife Maire and their beloved three year old son. So sad. He was only 56.