West Street Arch in Sheffield City Centre - Can you tell us exactly where this was?

[Sheffield History]

 

 

 

The photos above are of a brilliant huge archway built on West Street in Sheffield City Centre. 
Notice the tram tracks travelling along the road in the picture

The archway might have been for a royal visit in 1905?

But does anyone know exactly where this archway would have stood on West Street?

[lysandernovo]

It was certainly built as part of the celebrations surrounding the opening of the University. The University indicate a site along Glossop Road.

[SteveHB]

Looks like The Royal Hospital on the left hand side?

[Guest leksand]

A little eastward of the intersection of West Street & Rockingham Street, with the Rockingham Lane (correction: Bailey Lane - photo taken from RHS of West St) intersection not far behind the photograph. Number 79 West St - Smith & Snape (painters) evident behind the left hand side of the arch.

Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland

[dannyno]

In britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk, I found a page about the royal visit in the The Sheffield Daily Telegraph of 12 July 1905 (p8), which seems to have been the day it happened, and more information in the same paper of 14th July (p.7). 

Anyway, there are illustrations of five arches across those two issues of the newspaper:  West Street, Commercial Street, Glossop Road, Wicker and Fitzwilliam Street:

The Glossop Road one is described as "at the turning just before Clarkson Street is reached", in the SDT of 11 July (p9)

 

It seems there was a sixth too, at the Vickers premises.

And it's all explained in the 7 July 1905 issue of the same newspaper (p.8), under the heading "THE ROYAL VISIT - REMARKABLE SCHEME OF DECORATIONS".  Some quotes:

 

Quote

"Sheffield on the occasion of the King's visit will be decorated in a much more artistic style than London was at the Coronation," said an expert in decorations to one of our London representatives, yesterday.  The expert belongs to one of the best-known firm of decorators, Messrs. Defries, and he was busily engaged arranging various matters in connection with the visit...  <snip>  He instanced one particular thing, a large triumphal arch to be erected in Glossop Road. "Nothing like it has ever been seen in England.  It is of quite a new design, and a very pretty one too," he added.  It will consist of a central arch of a MASSIVE character, flanked by a smaller arch on either side, the whole being supported on decorated columns, mounted on MASSIVE bases, bearing the Royal arms and the arms of the city... <snip>  Five other triumphal arches will be erected in various parts of the city. One of the most picturesque of these will be that at the works of Vickers, Sons and Maxim.  It consists of a four-way arch supported by light columns, and represents the heavy manufactures of Sheffield.  The central arch is surmounted by the Royal Crown and bears the words "A hearty welcome".  

etc etc

 

[dannyno]

Sheffield Evening Telegraph of 11 July 1905 talks of "the castellated arch near the Carver Street Chapel" - that's what is now the Walkabout.

So guess the photos and the drawings are looking from different sides?

[dannyno]

On 28/10/2020 at 16:50, lysandernovo said:

It was certainly built as part of the celebrations surrounding the opening of the University. The University indicate a site along Glossop Road.

 Well, yes, but without the King's visit there wouldn't have been all the elaborate decoration.  So it was a few birds with one stone.

Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 13 July 1905:

Quote

The King and Queen visited Sheffield yesterday, and after lunching at the Town Hall with the Lord Mayor, His Majesty inaugurated the University.  Subsequently new colours were presented to the 2nd Battalion King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry by His Majesty, who also unveiled a memorial to the officers and men of the York and Lancashire Regiment who fell in the war, and paid a visit to the works of Vickers, Sons and Maxim.

 

[dannyno]

Found some more.

The Vickers arch (already mentioned above) and Brown's Bridge arch, both pictured in Sheffield Daily Telegraph 13 July 1905 (p7)