Letter: J G Graves deserves a fitting tribute

The Sheffield Cathedral is such a fine space for meditation in the daytime and an extremely interesting place to learn about Sheffield history (check out the various memorials to royalty and other local nobility and VIPs).

By Matthew Smith

Published 28th Apr 2023, 06:53 BST

It's a kind of living history. One striking omission both in the Cathedral and in the city as a whole is the lack of any memorial to J G Graves, of Graves gallery and Graves Park fame.

For anyone not "in the know" John George Graves was a self made businessman who made it his mission in his later years to enable everyone to have access to parkland, countryside, arts and literature through gifts of land and funding for an art gallery, art collection and grand public library.

In the Cathedral, for example, the only memorial to Graves is one brick in the chapel of rest. Next year marks the 90th anniversary of the completion of Sheffield Central library and Graves Art Gallery.

It would be a fitting tribute to have some kind of permanent memorial to the man who did so much for the city and it's people.

Matthew Smith

Hillsborough, S6