THE SIGN HUNTERS

ENGLAND: Welcome to Rotherham

Written by Laszlo, 22 June 2018

A few days ago, I shared a QuikStory on hunting the Sheffield sign (click here, it is shorter than 30 sec). The interesting thing about it was that it showed my hesitation whether to go and to explore Sheffield or Rotherham (or both). Since the Rotherham sign was literally across the road, and the town was the neighbouring settlement to Sheffield (literally a few miles from Sheffield centre), my quandary was understandable. I like discovering new places, but when you only have a few hours, you need to apply restrictions to your activity. Anyway, eventually, I decided that half of my time given for that day, I could spend in Rotherham and then I would go to Sheffield for the rest of the day.

Rotherham is a large town in the Sheffield urban area. There are similar places here in the Midlands as well, for example, Birmingham and some of its surrounding settlements, such as Wolverhampton or Walsall. They, of course, have their own local economy and sometimes industry, but overall, they serve the dominant city. Rotherham, for example, was known for its local coal mining as a major contributor to the Sheffield steel industry. These places normally appear to be suburban areas as the majority of its inhabitants commute to work to the nearby economic centre.

I personally like the size and friendliness of Rotherham. I think it is more prestigious than chavvy, but you can certainly identify the latter's signatures on it, too. It has a beautiful church in the town centre (Rotherham Parish Church), has a nice and spacious park, and all the usual shops and market hall that one needs. Other than that, I would not call it too exciting, but I did find some interesting graffiti and a 'unicorn' which makes Rotherham cool in a way. At least for me. Well, have a look at my photos and have a virtual trip with me in Rotherham.