The event was run by Fiona Moorcroft who works with SAYiT, a lovely charity that runs events (such as cool film screenings) and provides help and support for LGBTQ+ young people in Sheffield.
Moorcroft began strong by asking us ‘what makes Sheffield Cathedral Queer?’ The answer involved Harry Strokes, a trans man who got married to his wife there in 1817, his life full of hard work and hard drinking. From there we launched into iconic landmarks visited by the famously wealthy lesbian Anne Lister, who ordered many pen knives from Georgian-era’s John Rogers in Sheffield; pen knives are rather like swiss army knives, and as Fiona said, ‘could anything be more lesbian?’
The talk was an expert balance of humour like this and discussion of the serious issues that have obscured attempts to uncover Queer history in Sheffield. Moorcroft said that too often Queer history is only recorded in the courts. Many of the buildings known for facilitating Queer joy (such as Canterbury Music Hall) have been demolished or replaced by modern hotels, and it is notably harder to find records, photographs, or drawings of them in the archives. I was impressed at how many photographs the presentation included despite this, showing the depth of research.
Some other incredibly fascinating characters highlighted were Annie Hindle, the ‘greatest male impersonator’ of her time and the first drag king in America; Edward Carpenter’s love of the annual naked racing in Sheffield; the three mechanics of Gwenda’s Garage in the 1980s; WWII veteran and Sheffield artist Louise Jennings, whose art actually hands up in Weston Park Museum.
Moorcroft combined personal tales of her own experience in Sheffield with the city’s Socialist history and its Queer inhabitants’ legacies, giving the talk a powerful, relatable, and poignant energy. Fiona also shed some light on the university’s Queer history: did you know that Grapefruit used to be called Climax and has been going for over 50 years!
The Q&A after the talk was a mix of talking about Sheffield’s Queer scene, discussion of Sheffield Central Library (which was heavily connected to Gay’s The Word in London), and a heartwarming tale from an audience member of how they met their partner (soon to be married) at Climax.
After the event, when I walked back across the city, I thought of the ghosts of Queer lives, having fun and living boldly in buildings now demolished. I felt a buzz in being able to imagine them clearer after being given solid examples, to think of them dancing in the lobby of what is now a Premier Inn.
Rating: ★★★★★
The Visual Tour of Sheffield’s Queer History took place on February 25th at the Weston Park Museum
