Hidden waterway under railway station uncovered
Rail passengers can now see a section of the river that was hidden under a station for more than 150 years.
A new lightwell has previously been opened at Sheffield Station, opening up a hidden 1.6 kilometer section of the River Sheaf, which gives the city its name.
Organizers said the installation would also help wildlife in the waterway that runs through Victoria culverts and is joined by the Porter Creek.
Simon Ogden, Chairman of the Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust, said: “We aim to ensure light reaches the river, encouraging the passage of fish and wildlife, allowing the public to hear, see and smell the river.”
The light well, which revealed a previously hidden well towards the river, ran into safety issues; Designers were concerned that passengers’ high-heeled shoes might get stuck in the steel grating covering the opening, and perch seats were installed as a decorative and safety barrier.
It was positioned on platform 5A, where the Sheaf River meets the Porter Creek.
Ogden said the River Sheaf was “of fundamental importance in the history of Sheffield” but its final mile (1.6 kilometres) was hidden from view “to save the public from the stench of sewage and pollution and to enable the station to be built”.
Light well revealing a well previously hidden towards the river [BBC/Naj Modak]
He said: “Our aim is to put ‘The Sheaf’ back into Sheffield and Porter Brook for the recovery of nature and the wellbeing of local people.”
He said that fully revealing the river “is our preference, but where this is not possible, we aim for the light to reach the river.”
“We know that fish, mammals and insects are returning to rivers.
“We think the salmon are coming from Newfoundland in Canada across the Atlantic Ocean to the Don River, we can at least get them to Totley.”
The perch seats were also used to include engraved information about the history of the River Sheaf and four short poems, three of which won the national poetry competition in 2023.
The project also had to take into account passengers who might wear high heels. [Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trus]
The lightwell was designed by civil engineer and Trust volunteer Ric Bingham and was manufactured and installed by Sheffield company Steel Line.
“One of the problems with grates is that people wearing high heels tend to get stuck and possibly break their ankles,” Bingham said.
Organizers said the installation would also help wildlife in the waterway [BBC/Naj Modak]
The project was funded by grants from Sheffield Town Trust, South Yorkshire Community Foundation, Gripple, Outokumpu, Transpennine Express, Freshgate Trust Foundation, JG Graves Trust and Sheffield City Council, as well as proceeds from the Sheaf & Porter Trust’s ‘Hidden Rivers Tours’ of the culverts.
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