Instigated October 17th 2009 - Latest Update - Sunday, 06-Mar-2011 21:25:41 CET
Here is a selection of Roadtrip Videos. These movies are basically
speeded up journeys in and around the sheffield area. The idea is to make
records of the views from a passing car so that in years to come, an interesting
comparison can be made with the contemporary scene. I have made every effort
to annotate each journey with subtitles explaining the exact location. Many
of the movies are enhanced with music of which I have had a hand in making..
In many cases the speed of progress varies within the movie so that the wait
at traffic signals is not too long and also long stretches of motorway are
speeded up so that you see the movie as if the vehicle is traveling along
at 300 mph.
Once again I get into the news when my roadtrip videos get into the local Sheffield Star Newspaper, in the Martin Dawes section in 9th of January 2008.
1) Tinsley Cooling Towers - These towers were demolished at 3am on the 24th of August 2008 after standing here for 70 years when they were 2 of 7 hyperbolic cooling towers for Blackburn Meadows Power Station. The towers were either loved or hated by the local population, with a considerable campaign to have them left as landmarks. The demolition event was attended by thousands of observers, the M1 motorway alongside on the viaduct was closed for safety...
2) Parson Cross and Southey Green - This quick dash around the area shows the current state of what was once the biggest council estate in England, As you can see from the movie, the housing has been thinned out somewhat by the council in an attempt to improve the area. There are plans for new housing within the area, but it seems that there is no current construction activity.
3) Middlewood to Stocksbridge - This movie was recorded when the man road was cut off by a landslide due to the floods of 2007, this is the reason why the route goes via Worral.
4) Snake Pass! - Glossop to Sheffield in 3 minutes - In this one I compressed the usual 45 minute journey into 3 minutes
5) Sheffield Inner Ringroad Clockwise - This ringroad has finally been completed after 30 years of piecemeal construction. The original plans in the 1960s involved massive concrete flyovers and motorway standard roadway.
6) Sheffield Centre to Doncaster Sheffield Airport - The new airport at the former RAF Finningley has a runway as good as any in the UK. This Movie demonstrates the best way to get to the airport from Sheffield City Centre by road. Watch out for the Labourghini !
7) Sheffield to Mayfield Valley - This movie was requested by Stewart in Australia. He wanted to see if the Mayfield Valley was as nice as it was before he emigrated. He later reported that it looked just how he remembered it.
8) Nether Edge - This is parts of a few trips stitched together. Starting with London Road, then back through nether edge and the bottom of woodseats, before looping back over Millhouses up to Ecclesall where we head down back through Sharrow past Abbeydale to Heeley Baths.
9) Wicker Arches & Attercliffe - This Trip goes around the Wicker Arches on the new ring road, then via the shops at Attercliffe before heading toward Tinsley. In this one I was trying to capture the details of the shop fronts, especially to show to Ex Pats who remember Attercliffe as a vibrant residential area which was full of thousands of houses and lots of local shops. Most of that community was lost when the houses were cleared and the road widened over the last 20 - 30 years. It must look very different today from what was there in the 1960s.
10) Manor Top to Lowfields - This one goes down City Road and Park Grange Road, before a quick circuit around Queens Road, St. Mary's and Bramall Lane. From January 2008.
11) Park Square Sheffield to Sheffield City Airport - This airport is still the subject of local controversy, especially as it was sold for a pound then run down before it was closed by the new owners. This movie was made in the last weeks of operation of the SCA in January 2008. We can see aircraft moving on the runway at the end of the film...