Chapel Walk: Iconic sign over Fargate entrance to Sheffield walk could return - along with TLC for shop fronts
A dearly-missed sign from above a Sheffield shopping precinct will be seen again one day - along with some TLC for its tired looking stores.
Chapel Walk has an advertising problem. Standing on Fargate today, there is very little to suggest the alleyway to Norfolk Street is anything other than a shortcut.
Realistically, there is only word-of-mouth and an A-board at the entrance to the walk to remind passers-by there is a thoroughfare of shops down the way, including Juno Books, Element Games, Printed By Us, Thou Art Tattoo Shop, and several cafes and lunch spots like Staniforths and Feast.
The problem was perhaps compounded in 2023 when Marks & Spencer closed its rear exit that used to lead from its Food Hall onto Chapel Walk, removing one more route for shoppers to stumble upon and explore the area.
But there used to be a much bigger clue.
In 1996, a distinctive blue sign created by artist Andrew Bell was installed above both entrances to Chapel Walk.
The eye-catching bell design - one of which is still above the Norfolk Street entrance - not only signalled the route was more than a back alley, it proudly listed shops on the Walk and pointed the way to the theatres on Tudor Square.
However, the Fargate sign came down in 2017 at the beginning of extensive renovations for a £4.6m student apartment development above what is now Boots Opticians.
At the time, many Chapel Walk businesses said they were “blighted” by the scaffolding during construction, which made the route a gloomy, foreboding tunnel and was credited with severely damaging trade.
After a seven month delay to works, the lead company, Fargate Evolve Developments Limited, made a public apology in 2019 that the scaffolding had been up so long, until it came down in early 2020.
Of course, many residents will remember the scaffolding returned in early 2024, when renovation works on the ancient street began under Sheffield City Council’s Fargate Front Door Scheme.
Organisations on the walk were awarded £1.24m for improvements, with planning papers in 2024 saying: “Graffiti, damage to materials, closed shops, and the poor condition of shopfronts detract from the Conservation Area, the various historic buildings along Chapel Walk, and the experience of visitors and shoppers to that area.
“The aim is to create a promenade of shops that encourage visitors and shoppers to Chapel Walk.”
Probably most significant is a £250,000 fund for The Sheffield Church Burgesses Trust improve a total of eight shop fronts, another £250,000 for contractors George King Architects to eventually install public art to spruce Chapel Walk up, and a £90,000 pot to help small and new businesses with fit out costs if they move into a vacant property - which Chapel Walk sadly has more than its fair share of today.
But, despite the scaffolding coming down once again, what Chapel Walk needs now is advertising - something a certain, still missing, iconic blue sign could help with.
The Star asked Sheffield City Council to confirm when the sign will be returned to Chapel Walk.
The council confirmed the sign remains in storage and will be “assessed for refurbishment/reuse” by a public art officer - but did not say when it will be back.
The Star reported in August this year on the condition and vacancy of all 26 units along Chapel Walk, showing how many faces have come and gone in the last five years. Stores like the Samaritans charity store, The Cook Shop and a Doc Martens outlets are some of the names that have left, while new arrivals like LGBTQ club Gut Level have made a home.
But if the council wants an easy win to make Chapel Walk the shopping destination it wants it to be, there’s a beloved blue sign waiting in storage that many in Sheffield would love to see again.