Heritage & History in the Hamlet

Last weekend I found myself with a free day, I hadn't planned anything so decided to have a little look online for any local events or markets, whilst searching I came across the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet's 'Festival Forge In'. I set off collecting Charlotte on the way, and camera's in hand, feeling like true tourists we headed off for an adventure of the past.
We paid our entry fee and headed down into the courtyard and it literally was like stepping back in time; with the sound of blacksmiths hammering away and the smell of smoke really adding to the historic feeling.

You will have gathered by now that I love anything historic, and I am particularly fascinated by the lives of women and the parts they played in history, so I got very excited as we headed into the first building 'The Worker's Cottage'.

The cottage was a very basic two up two down layout with minimal furnishings and decor; a rag rug in front of the fire and a gorgeous quilt handmade by the 'Hamlet Haberdashers' were among the few soft furnishings. This typically would have been the place which many working class women would have spent the majority of their time. Wandering round the cottage you can see how basic tasks we now often take for granted, such as washing, cooking would have easily taken up the day. 

Our next stop was 'The Counting House', Charlotte and I were busy investigating the old books when we were disturbed by a tall gentleman in a top hat. He proceeded to ask if our husbands were looking for work and that they'd only jobs for women in 'The Blacking Shop'. It's great that the staff stay in character I can imagine children love it.

Feeling more feminist than ever we continued our journey of the past, amazed by the shear scale of the industrial cogs and machinery; we particularly enjoyed admiring the Water Wheel which was in action for the first time at an event. 

Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main courtyard was my favourite building so far, 'The Manager's House' and I think you'll be able to see why...

Dream Pantry

Lovely little sewing machine.

A stark contrast to the basic worker's cottage, the with many more luxuries, Charlotte and I spent quite sometime admiring this house, the ladies dressing table particularly caught our eye. 

Lace in the process of being handmade.

It was great to see so many traditional crafts still being practiced today, there were wood carvers and black smiths, weavers and yarn spinners, even a sword maker had a display stand there. The Sheffield Lace makers were also there with their intricate craft on display, its amazing to see the detail up close, it really makes you appreciate how time consuming it must be. 

Well another great day out in Sheffield, I really enjoyed the museum and would recommend it to anyone, all ages and interests. 

Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet

Website

Twitter

Facebook

xx

Breakfasts & Brunches

A Very Crafty Breakfast!

So Charlotte and I started our breakfast collaboration off at 'The Rude Shipyard' and this time we chose to head to the other side of town to Kelham Island to visit 'Craft and Dough'. We sacrificed our ladies morning and decided to stir things up a bit by inviting the men along. Ben and Neil have been close friends for nearly four years now and Charlotte and I met through them, so it seemed only right to let them in on the brunch fun!

Craft and Dough is in a great location situated right next to the Kelham Island Museum, I love this area of Sheffield, there are lots of quirky cafes and little businesses popping up everywhere; its definitely a place to watch for the future.

The decor has a very rustic charm with the contrast of wood and metal throughout, I particularly liked the crystal whisky decanter lampshades above the bar.

Neil was the only one who went for the Full English, the rest of us chose pancakes topped with maple syrup and bacon and I couldn't believe how good they were. Scotch pancakes are actually a specialty of mine, check out the ones I made for Neil's Birthday breakfast in bed here.

We spent the morning chatting away and then took a trip over to see Ben and Charlotte's new house.

So if you want a tasty brunch with a cool rustic feel get yourself down to Craft and Dough, you could even combine it with a visit to the Kelham Island Museum.

Craft and Dough

Website

Twitter

Facebook

xx