Ɖ xibišn stāts wɖ a Šefīld qt dfṛnt t ɖ ŕbn sprwl w nâ nô. Nîntīnʈ senčri pêntñz šo a fy dwelñz n črčspîrz set amñst grīn fīldz az vyd fṛm Šaro Mur (uņôn ātist, c.1838), Hilzbra (Toms Crezic, c.19^ʈ senčri) n Wōdzend (Wiłm Jon Stīvnsn, 1875), ɖo Šefīld’z dstnctv šêp, nesld in ɖ valiz v ɖ Rivr Don, rmenz recgnîẓbl. Prīdêtñ ɖz z a pêntñ fṛm wn v ɖ bg nemz v ɖ xibišn, JMW Trnr’z Vy v Šefīld fṛm Dābišrlên (1797), ẇč šoz ɖ modist sitīscêp mirrñ ɖ šêp v ɖ inveḷpñ hilz abv it.

Ɖz bycolic sìnz wr v cws sn t b čôct wɖ ɖ smog v ɖ industrı̣l reṿlušn in ẇč Šefīld md its fwtyn, n ɖr r mni xamplz v bʈ industrı̣l šīc n industrı̣l blīc in ɖ xibišn. Deric Grīvz’z Šefīld šoz ɖ pīcs v ɖ srândñ hilz âtstript bî čimnīstacs ẇl a grt dfunct factri glârz ovr ɖ sìn lîc a ruind cʈīdṛl. In ɖ secnd wrldwor Šefīld’z industrı̣l prâis bcem its peṛl ẇn bomñrêdz rzultd in sìnz lîc Henri Rušbi’z Snig Hil fṛm Enjlstrīt (1941) in ẇč blits-deṿstetd strīts apir lîc roz v brôcn tīʈ. Bî contrast Jac Cetl’z Rībildñ a Blastfrnis (1964-65) wɖ its vibṛnt culrpaḷt n hraldc feznt sīmz t revl in ɖ fîr v ɖ frnis, seḷbretñ Šefīld’z crietv spāc.

Ɖr’z a bitrswīt tug v nstalja ʈrt ɖ xibišn az Victorı̣n ečñz v bytifl myṇsipl bildñz ber witṇs t sitīgôsts loñ sns dmolišt. Or fr mr rīsnt losz, ɖr’z tribyts fṛm Pīt Mci n uɖrz t Ɖ Houl in ɖ Rôd, ẇl Joṇʈn Wilcinsn’z mtikḷs lîndrōñ v Ɖ Egbox rmîndz s v a tîm ẇn tânplanñ wz bold rɖr ɖn bnal – wl Ɖ Čīzgrêtr evr b imwṭlîzd in ɖs we? Mandi Pein’z pêntñ Paṛdîs Lost berz witṇs t anɖr monymnt t ācitecčṛl xybṛns: Pāc Hil – wns a drīm v modn livñ inspîrd bî La Cwbūzie, it lêtr bcem rivn wɖ sošl probḷmz n z nâ sīcñ t riinvnt itslf az a bastı̣n v ŕbn cūl.

Amñst ɖ 90 imijz in ɖ xibišn y r šr t fînd a glimps v yr Šefīld or īvn lrn smʈñ ny abt ɖ siti y cwl hom. I, fr xampl, nvr ň ɖr wz wns a Nwf̣c Pāc Picčrpaḷs nt fîv minits wōc fṛm mî hâs. Hâ I wš ɖr wz stl a siṇma so lôcl I cd pop rnd in mî pjaṃz…