Thursday 3 September 2009

Benefactor




What would Sheffield be like if J G Graves had not existed or if he had been less munificent? Blacka was just one of his gifts to the people of Sheffield. Ecclesall Woods and Graves Park, visible from Blacka, were also bought by him for the people to enjoy.
We can also now see a huge tall building reaching for the sky in the centre of the city some 5 miles away. Just a hundred yards from there and not visible from Blacka is a genuinely worthwhile example of good architecture, the Graves Art Gallery and Central Library, possibly the only distinguished building in the city. At present there is a small exhibition within the art gallery devoted to Graves himself. He made his money from a mail order business, The Universal Supply Warehouse and spent a great deal of it as a benefactor. His business was a kind of Amazon of the day in Sheffield.
He was also a lover of beautiful things of various sorts leaving his collection of art work to the gallery he funded. The exhibition devoted to him is only small but definitely worth a visit.



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