Brian Holmshaw was born in Nether Edge Hospital and grew up in Walkley, Frecheville and Grimesthorpe. He is volunteer cemetery manager for Sheffield General Cemetery Trust, but his day job is as a museum and heritage education consultant. He has two children and lives in Nether Green.

Crookesmoor Road

Over the years my own memories, family history and the history of the city have become completely inter-twined. Not that we were famous or anything, but because we were so ordinary, living here and there, working as labourers, machinists, shopkeepers, cutlers - moving with redevelopment or for work. The narrow brick built court houses of Walkley, Crookesmoor and Netherthorpe were my first memories. I still visit to walk around Crookes Valley Park, the Ponderosa or just to check if the stone wall by St Nathaniels Church that went down to our outside loo is still there (it is!).

Smiths Field and other bits of open land

Sheffield is full of little parcels of open space, tucked between terraces and industry, often with startling views and unusual perspectives. They might not be parks, but they are just as precious to local people as places to think and breathe.

The first one I remember was the crags at Frecheville, between Fox Lane and Birley Moor Road. Just scrubland, a tiny pool with newts, a scrap yard with glass on the wall tops and a concrete air raid shelter to play in.

Smiths Field off Grimesthorpe Road came later, four acres of woods and acid heathland, a place to build dens, play football or climb trees. A combination of soaring property prices and children not playing outside and making use of them mean places like Smiths Field are increasingly under threat of being built on, and lost as public open space forever.

Woolley Woods

A huge ancient woodland by Concord Park if you don't know it. Romping in here with school mates, granddad Harry or my dog was one of the great pleasures of youth. May is the finest time when the bluebells are out and the giant oaks are in early leaf.

Sheffield Round Walk

A radical venture by the Corporation when it was set up, aided and abetted by the philanthropist steel and cutlery barons that Sheffield once had, giving their land away for the public good. My granddad grew up in Sharrow in the 1920's and '30's so this route was his gateway from the factories and cramped court houses on Solferino Street to open sky and fresh air in the Mayfield Valley. I'm so glad he introduced it to me.

The General Cemetery

A lovely place to work and a safe haven from the bustle of the city and the rush of life in Sharrow and on Ecclesall Road. Thanks to the dedicated work of volunteers over the past nineteen years the bottom half of the cemetery at least is in good order and events and activities can take place on the open space by Montague Street. Tomorrow a gravestone rubbings day with family trails and gravestone rubbings kits is being laid on. We're proud of our connections with the many diverse communities in Sheffield and on June 8 the cemetery will be host to the city's Sheffield first ever Gay Pride Festival. May and June are the best time to visit when the gardens by the river Porter are at their best.

Sheffield buildings

There are some buildings that cheer me up whenever I think of 'em. None of them are the so-called iconic buildings of the city centre, often out of context or scale, trapped by over-complex building schemes, or ruined by poor restoration work. The state of the Anglican Chapel in the cemetery is one building the city should be ashamed of. By contrast the painstaking restoration of Burngreave Vestry Hall is one project that the city should be proud of. My dad worked as a radial arm driller at Snow and Co. on the Wicker in the '60's. Every year Snows had a Christmas party in the Vestry Hall for their workers families. My brother and I had some cracking times there, Tunnocks wafers, jelly on paper plates and Super-8 cartoons on a big screen.

Record Collector

Long may it live. Along with Bradleys Records (the one on Chapel Walk was my favourite), Hartley Seed Bookshop and the Limit Club on West Street, this Aladdin's cave of the offbeat made Sheffield a great place for the independent minded to live in the late seventies and early 80's.

Boardwalk

The building formerly known as Mucky Duck has given me much entertainment, from cheap Sam Smiths bitter when it was the Complete Angler to Kevin Coyne, Chicken Legs Weaver and the Zombies today. Half Man Half Biscuit play so often they ought to be offered a residency.

Rotherham

No don't laugh. Despite the ring road the town centre has a coherence that Sheffield doesn't, a smashing market and many great buildings. Leaflets detailing the under-rated church architecture and industrial heritage of the town are available at the tourist Information office. The theatres, too are superb, pantos at the Civic and the Saturday morning childrens shows at the Arts Centre. Think outside the box Sheffielders. Get to Rotherham.