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BBC News
13-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
The legacy of Sheffield's at-risk millennium icon
A former music museum labelled 'at risk' has been described as an "extremely unusual and distinctive piece of architecture" that represents the city of National Centre for Popular Music has most recently been used as Sheffield Hallam University's student union building, but was cited as "extremely vulnerable" following news the union was Twentieth Century Society included the landmark on its national list of buildings vulnerable to neglect, dereliction or demolition, but the university said it had no plans for demolition and was exploring alternative work began on the four 'kettles' in 1997 and it opened in 1999 as a millennium the National Lottery-funded attraction closed 17 months later after it failed to attract enough visitors. In 2002 it was sold to Yorkshire Forward and a year later to the university. Helen Jackson was chair of employment for economic development when the design process began, and Hillsborough MP when the museum says the design was part of regeneration plans for the city, following a rise in unemployment rates caused by a decline in industry across South Yorkshire."It represents a period when Sheffield were doing some very unusual and, in a way, imaginative work to counter the dreadful situation for the city because of the closure of so many of the steel plants and ensuing unemployment," she says."We aimed to get industries going that were helpful and welcoming for young people in the city and we chose pop music because The Human League and other groups were very popular at that time."The four 'kettles' were based on kettle drums and were covered in Sheffield steel to connect the design to the city's heritage."It didn't last that long but it was a symbol of Sheffield," says Jackson."It was not the thing that city councils do these days, they don't sadly have the imagination or cash to do this sort of thing, but we were proud of it and it was part of a regeneration package that was going to help alleviate unemployment."The policy to encourage the music industry in the city also led to the creation of Red Tape Studios and The Showrooms – both of which remain remembers a time when the plans for the venues were put forward to the city council's treasurer by none other than Sheffield band The Human League."I vividly remember a meeting about Red Tape Studios," she says."We had invited members of The Human League and they wandered in looking uncouncillor-like, in sandals, and joined us in trying to persuade the council treasurer who was a bit iffy about the whole thing."The treasurer said: 'I don't know about the money' and the band chipped in 'we can help with that', and so the ratepayers were saved." In 1989, Simon Gedye, now chair of Sheffield Civic Trust, had just arrived in Sheffield and was working as an architect."There was very little investment in the city," he says."The city was struggling with design quality, so this was an important building at the time. It summed up a time of optimism and New Labour, the designer also worked on the Millennium Dome."Mr Gedye created a team and submitted architectural plans for The National Centre for Popular Music, but after being shortlisted he lost out to Nigel Coates who won the commission and went on to create the 'kettles'."Nigel Coates was the most prominent gay architect of his generation," says Mr Gedye."He's an interesting architect and a lot of his work was fairly ephemeral. So there's not much of his built work left, so this is an important building of his and for the city."There was a lot of National Lottery funding so there was huge change."There was a number of projects in South Yorkshire - Magna, the Earth Centre - and this was one of them, and they were ambitious in terms of their design and quality and in terms of what they were trying to do." 'Amazing and jewel-like' Today, from his perspective of chair of Sheffield Civic Trust, Mr Gedye says the "iconic" building is an "important part of our built heritage"."We're in the business of promoting everything that's of quality in terms of architecture and public art in the city."We've been concerned about what was the National Centre of Popular Music building because it is iconic."It's an extremely unusual and distinctive piece of architecture. We've had a lot of discussion and concern that when Hallam University were moving their student union out it might be a risk to that building."There are a number of buildings of this age that are slightly under the age for listing by Historic England, which are changing and are at risk from not being protected."The group has now put in a local listing application for the building in a bid to ensure its says: "It's a very beautifully detailed piece of architecture. To some degree it has been obscured by its use as the student union because they've applied lots of film to the exterior of the building but it's a very clear and beautiful building internally."I've no doubt some people look at that building and say its ugly. It is stained at the moment but when it's cleaned and when you see the photographs of it new, it looked amazing and jewel-like." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'No plans' to demolish 'at risk' former pop museum
A former museum that became a students' union venue will not be demolished, its owners have said following fears that it was at risk. The charity Twentieth Century Society included the old National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield on a national list of buildings vulnerable to neglect, dereliction or demolition. They said the site, now part of Sheffield Hallam University, was "extremely vulnerable" after an announcement last year that the union would relocate. The university told the BBC that they had no plans to raze the building and they were exploring alternative uses. A university spokesperson said: "The HUBS building where Hallam Union has been based for a number of years is used on occasions for teaching, learning and other activities. "We will be looking at several different options for the building in the longer-term as part of the next phase of our campus plan." The National Centre for Popular Music closed in June 2000, just 15 months after it opened. According to the city council, the £15m venture was funded to the tune of £11m by the National Lottery – at the time it was the fourth-largest grant given to a project outside London. The unique design of the building - four drums representing different aspects of music - attracted mixed reviews. Oli Marshall, campaigns director at Twentieth Century Society, said he hoped the building would be reused in the future. "The HUBS building may feel very young to be recognised as heritage, but it's now a quarter of century old and the product of an era where unprecedented public funding delivered some really ambitious and extraordinary projects, that are of national significance. "While the museum may have been 'Top of the Flops', the building itself has long been a Sheffield icon." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Neglect fears over 'at risk' empty city store Sheffield Hallam University Twentieth Century Society
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'No plans' to demolish 'at risk' former Sheffield pop museum
A former museum that became a students' union venue will not be demolished, its owners have said following fears that it was at charity Twentieth Century Society included the old National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield on a national list of buildings vulnerable to neglect, dereliction or said the site, now part of Sheffield Hallam University, was "extremely vulnerable" after an announcement last year that the union would university told the BBC that they had no plans to raze the building and they were exploring alternative uses. A university spokesperson said: "The HUBS building where Hallam Union has been based for a number of years is used on occasions for teaching, learning and other activities."We will be looking at several different options for the building in the longer-term as part of the next phase of our campus plan." The National Centre for Popular Music closed in June 2000, just 15 months after it to the city council, the £15m venture was funded to the tune of £11m by the National Lottery – at the time it was the fourth-largest grant given to a project outside unique design of the building - four drums representing different aspects of music - attracted mixed Marshall, campaigns director at Twentieth Century Society, said he hoped the building would be reused in the future."The HUBS building may feel very young to be recognised as heritage, but it's now a quarter of century old and the product of an era where unprecedented public funding delivered some really ambitious and extraordinary projects, that are of national significance."While the museum may have been 'Top of the Flops', the building itself has long been a Sheffield icon."Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A hit wheel and a pottery flop: what happened to UK millennium projects?
As the former National Centre for Popular Music goes on the at-risk register, we look at what happened to some other millennium projects. Now known as the London Eye, when it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world's largest ferris wheel. It was praised for its design and engineering and has won more than 85 awards for national and international tourism. The Eye remains one of the country's most popular tourist attractions, visited by millions of people each year. The National Wildflower Centre opened in the borough of Knowsley in 2000. The building closed in 2017 and the National Wildflower Centre is now based at the Eden Project in Cornwall. It featured a 520ft-long 'inhabited wall' and an elevated walkway offering views of Court Hey Park. The £1.35m building was widely praised, scooping an RIBA award in 2001 and a Civic Trust award a year later. The building closed abruptly when the charity that ran the wildflower centre went into liquidation. After the building was repeatedly targeted for arson and vandalism, in 2023 Knowsley council said it intended to 'remove' it due to safety and cost concerns. The Dome opened on 31 December 1999, the eve of the millennium, and housed the Millennium Experience exhibition, which ran for a year. Its visitor numbers fell short of expectations and the project was the source of much derision. Various plans were floated for the future of the building, including a football stadium and a business park, but it reopened in 2007 as the O2 and is home to the O2 Arena, a 20,000-capacity venue. Archaeolink opened in 1997 with the aim of bringing in visitors to explore north-east Scotland's ancient archaeological heritage. The energy-efficient visitor centre, made from grass and glass, was set within Neolithic-style conical mounds and incisions and blended seamlessly into the landscape. Low visitors numbers led to the closure of the attraction in April 2011 after funding was withdrawn. After lying abandoned for more than a decade, the park was sold to local developers in 2024. This pedestrian footbridge opened in 2000, linking St Paul's Cathedral on the north bank of the Thames with Shakespeare's Globe and Tate Modern on the South Bank. It became known as the 'wobbly bridge' after pedestrians noticed it shaking on its opening day. It was closed for almost two years while fixes were made, reopening to the public in February 2002. The bridge featured in the film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It is estimated that 4 million people walk across the structure each year. This museum exploring the history of the area's pottery industry closed in 2011 due to low visitor numbers, as pottery manufacturing also dwindled. The museum was housed in the old town hall in Burslem, which is now home to a sixth-form college. The museum's modern extension was demolished as it was deemed too uneconomical to repair.
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘It's unjust': charity fights to save UK's at-risk modern buildings
Sheffielders describe it as 'alien-shaped' and like a 'kettle' but it seems the former National Centre for Popular Music may soon be consigned to history, with the distinctive building at risk of being bulldozed. The Marmite structure – soon to be vacated by its current occupant – is one of three in the UK built around the turn of the millennium to feature on the annual at-risk list from the charity Twentieth Century Society (C20), which campaigns to save architecturally interesting modern buildings. It is the first time millennium-era projects have featured on the list, which highlights outstanding 20th and 21st-century buildings across the country at risk from demolition, dereliction or neglect. Alongside Sheffield's former pop-themed visitor centre – which first opened in 1999 and closed 15 months later to headlines describing it as the 'top of the flops' and 'rock horror show' – the list contains the National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley (2000) and Archaeolink Prehistory Park in Aberdeenshire (1997), both of which are abandoned. Also featured is the brutalist east stand of St James' Park stadium in Newcastle, the wooden Grand National rollercoaster in Blackpool, which was opened in 1935, and Caerphilly's Penallta Pithead Baths, a now-derelict miners' washhouse built in 1938. Of the 10 buildings on the list, six are in the north of England, exposing a north-south divide in how historical buildings are looked after, which is 'big and getting bigger', according to Oli Marshall, C20 campaigns director. He said a lack of funds meant councils were less able to protect heritage sites than in the past, adding: 'Moreover, the money and investment in Britain always seems to flow in one direction. 'We have to ask ourselves, if some of these outstanding buildings were located in London or the south-east, would they already have been restored or rehabilitated by now? The answer is almost certainly yes. 'It's a situation that's unjust, but also risks reshaping our national history in favour of what survives, versus what is lost.' In Sheffield, locals are divided over the building. Hayley Glover, 43, who owns the cafe opposite, Kollective Coffee & Kitchen, thought the building should stay open to the public as she fondly remembers it being built 26 years ago. 'I think it's a shame that it's sat there empty, and whilst it's empty the square on the opposite side of the road is getting a lot of undesirables in there. 'So obviously, footfall getting in and out the building for us is a good thing. It would be a shame for it to be closed.' The building was bought in 2004 by Sheffield Hallam University and was used as its students' union, but is now due to be vacated, with questions hanging over its future. The university is not ruling out knocking it down entirely. Cory Anson, 30, a sales worker, thought the building had some aesthetic appeal: 'It's a beautiful building. I did a course there once, it's just a really nice building. I think it's a staple of Sheffield as well, to be honest. Like everybody knows about the kettle building.' The four giant stainless steel drums that make up the structure surround an atrium with a glazed roof. For Molly Mallette, 26, who works supporting women in the criminal justice system, and her boyfriend, Louis Binns, 25, who works at the university, the building elicits some debate. To Mallette it is 'hideous'. She added: 'I think it's a real eyesore in the area, to be honest. I don't really know what it's meant to be. I've got no other word for it, I just don't think it's very attractive.' Binns disagreed, however. 'It's interesting to look at,' he said. 'From working at Hallam Help, when directing students it's incredibly easy because it obviously stands out.' Kristina Drmic, 24, a former student who now works at the students' union, pointed to the unmissable nature of the building. 'It's very easy for students to find us because the description of it is very unique. Some people call it the alien-shaped building, some people call it the four kettles. 'I think the shape of it is part of the Sheffield culture and I think it should stay and shouldn't get demolished.' Anthea Page, 58, who works in communications, said the building was redundant and she would gladly welcome its closure. 'It doesn't serve its current purpose,' she said. 'It's used for the Hallam students' union and it's not well used, it's not very well placed. The entrances aren't in the right place.'
