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The Sheffield culture guide written by in-the-know locals

Kathryn Hall

Our Favourite Places would be nothing without our contributors — a massive thanks to all of them!

Tell us about you…

I like the smell of fresh ink on paper, losing hours in bookshops, and campsites with good views.

What does Sheffield mean to you?

Quite simply, it’s where I feel at home.

What’s your favourite Sheffield place?

Rare and Racy. Maybe it’s the free jazz and the incense emanating from out back, but its air is always calming. I’d set up camp in there indefinitely if they’d have me. And if things like that were socially acceptable.

[Update: Rare and Racy is now closed so I'll add in a shout out to the Showroom. I worked front of house there for many years and it's where I made most of my friends and learned about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into cultural events. I owe a lot to that place.]

What would you do to improve the city?

A funicular up to the Cholera Monument. Cable cars between Kelham Island and Parkwood Springs. But really I’d settle for more independent bookshops, more affordable spaces for people to try out new ideas, and fewer beautiful buildings left standing sad, empty and crumbling.

Latest contributions

Power of Connection

Sat. 8 April 2023

Millennium Gallery

A workshop revealing our hidden abilities to be creative with others.

OFP's Sheffield gift guide

Show Sheffield's creative community some extra love after a rough year, and shop for presents the independent way this festive season with gift tips from OFP contributors.

Inside the Circle of Fire: A Sheffield Sound Map by Chris Watson

"You can find music, if you choose to listen, in almost anything." In 2013 sound recordist Chris Watson created an incredible, immersive soundscape at Millennium Gallery. Now he's turned it into a stereo experience for Museums Sheffield from Home.

Zoyander Street

An artist repurposing old technology and “toxic garbage” to create playful and playable forms of documentary – using art and gaming to process ideas around emotion, trans experiences and the self.