The Pursuit of Happyness

What is happiness?
1) Riding the Bus,
2) Being Stupid,
3) Running,
4) Internship and
5) Happiness

Die Hard 4 - Definition of hero

When he's driving the computer nerd that he's protecting after he has several run ins with Assasians and Johns a little banged up. He's asked "Why are you doing this?" (or something like that) and McClane says "If there was someone else I would be glad to let them do it." then the kid asks "So why do it" then McClane responds "Because there is no one else." I don't know maybe I'm reading to deep in but I thought that really shows who and what McClane is, he's the guy who is willing to put his own neck out to protect us because thats' what he needs to do, not what he wants to do.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337978/

Trip to Leeds

Monday (27 December 2010)

Leeds Corn Exchange
The Leeds Corn Exchange is a Victorian building in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which was designed by Cuthbert Brodrick and completed in 1864. It currently houses a restaurant, a clothing boutique and a jewellery shop.

Leeds Civic Hall
Leeds Civic Hall is a civic building housing Leeds City Council, located in Millennium Square, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The design was the result of a competition held in 1926, which was won by Vincent Harris. Work began in 1931 and the hall was opened by King George V on 23 August 1933. Costing £360,000 to construct, it is notable that due to the Great Depression, most people employed in its construction would otherwise have been unemployed, therefore the building's construction was used as job creation, an example of Keynesian economics. The building houses Leeds City Council and includes offices such as the Lord Mayor's room, council chambers and a banqueting hall. Leeds Civic Hall is a Grade II* listed building.

Leeds Town Hall
Leeds Town Hall was built between 1853 and 1858 on Park Lane (now The Headrow), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England to a design by architect Cuthbert Brodrick.

Millennium Square (Leeds)
Millennium Square is a city square in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was Leeds' flagship project to mark the year 2000, and was jointly funded by Leeds City Council and the Millennium Commission. Total cost of production was £12m.

Leeds City Square
City Square is a paved open area in Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, England.
In 1897, the Leeds city council of the time wanted to improve the open space near to the (Old) Post Office and in 1899 work was completed. The city square was enhanced with the erection of statues, the grandest being the Black Prince on horseback in bronze by Thomas Brock.

Leeds Cathedral
Leeds Cathedral, consecrated as Saint Anne's Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Diocese of Leeds, and is the seat of the Bishop of Leeds. It is in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. (The city of Leeds does not have a Church of England cathedral, because it is in the Anglican Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, although Leeds Parish Church is large and architecturally significant.) The original cathedral was located in St. Anne's Church in 1878, but that building was demolished around 1900. The current cathedral building on Cookridge Street was completed in 1904, and was restored in 2006. The reredos of the old cathedral's high altar was designed by Pugin in 1842 and moved to the Lady Chapel of the new cathedral. The cathedral is a Grade II* listed building.

Leeds University - Parkinson Building
The Parkinson Building is a grade II listed [1] art deco building and campanile located in at the University of Leeds in the West Yorkshire region of England. The campanile is the highest point of the building and stands at 57 metres (187 ft) tall, making it the 17th tallest building in the city of Leeds. The building is named after Frank Parkinson, a major benefactor to the University of Leeds who donated £200,000 towards to cost of the new building.

Source: Wikipedia

Opera The Magic Flute - Mozart

First Opera show in the UK - 2nd December 2010
Thoughts: Good experience! However, I cannot really differentiate opera from musical theatre.


Synopsis:
A mythical land between the sun and the moon. Three ladies in the service of the Queen of the Night save Prince Tamino from a serpent. The Queen, appearing in a burst of thunder, tells Tamino about the abduction of her daughter, Pamina. Tamino, who has fallen in love with a portrait of Pamina, agrees to rescue her. The ladies give a magic flute to Tamino and silver bells to his friend Papageno, the birdcatcher, to ensure their safety on the journey and appoint three spirits to guide them.

Led by the three spirits to the temple of Sarastro, Tamino learns from a high priest that it is, in fact, the Queen who is evil. Sarastro tells the priests that Tamino will undergo initiation rites, guided by the three spirits and protected by the magic flute. Papageno uses his magic bells to summon in his true love, Papagena. The Queen of the Night, her three ladies, and Monostatos, Sarastro’s slave, attack the temple but are defeated and banished. Sarastro blesses Pamina and Tamino as all join in hailing the triumph of courage, virtue, and wisdom.

Source: http://www.magicfluteatthemet.com/about

Snowing in Oxford 2010

27 November 2010 - This is the first day of snowing in the year of 2010 at Oxford. Interestingly, the snow came about 3 weeks earlier compared to last year (which was on 17 December 2009). A very thin layer of snow was built up on the ground when I woke up at 8am. It was snowing a little bit when I went out at 9am (very mild and tiny snow, almost could not see it). The snow melted hours later in the afternoon.

Mere Christianity – Argument about the existence of God

Quoted from the book:

My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such violent reaction against it? A man feels wet when he falls into water, because man is not a water animal: fish would not feel wet. Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too – for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. This in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist – in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless – I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality – namely my idea of justice – was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creature with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark could be a word without meaning.

Source: Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewes, pg 31-32

愛可以再更多一點點 More Love

愛可以再更多一點點
我可以擁有全世界　卻没有愛
我可以明白所有的事　卻還是空
我可以用信心移山　卻還是孤單
這世界没有了愛　一切仍是黑白
不要埋藏在心裡　把愛說出來
不要默默在一旁　把愛說出來
喔愛　可以再更多一點點
不怕被傷害　把靈魂鎖起來
愛　可以再更多一點點
從天父來的愛　把懼怕挪開
發現　幸福在轉角與你相遇
一舜間　這世界變得好美

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHoKZTLiy1s&NR=1

The language of God - a scientist presents evidence for belief

Quoted from the book:

Have you been turned off by the hypocritical behavior of those who profess belief? Again, keep in mind that the pure water of spiritual truth is carried in those rusty containers called human beings, so there should be no surprise that at times those foundational beliefs can be severely distorted. Do not rest your evaluation of faith, therefore, on what you see in the behavior of individual humans or of organized religion. Rest it instead on the timeless spiritual truths that faith presents.

Are you distressed by some specific philosophical problem with faith, such as why a loving God would allow suffering? Recognize that a great deal of suffering is brought upon us by our own actions or those of others, and that in a world where humans practice free will, it is inevitable. Understand, also, that if God is real, His purposes will often not be the same as ours. Hard thought it is to accept a complete absence of suffering may not be in the best interest of our spiritual growth.

And finally, have you simply not taken time to seriously consider the spiritual worldview? In our modern world, too many of us are rushing from experience to experience, trying deny our own mortality, and putting off any serious consideration of God until some future moment when we imagine the circumstance will be right.

Life is short. The death rate will be one per person for the foreseeable future. Opening one’s self to the spirit can be indescribably enriching. Don’t put off a consideration of these questions of eternal significance until some personal crisis or advancing age forces a recognition of spiritual impoverishment.

Source: The Language of God - a scientist presents evidence for belief, Francis Collins, pg 231-233

Visit HOST family - Lewes and Old Heathfield

Friday (10 Sept)
1250pm - Oxford Tube (Oxford to Victoria)
1443pm - Arrive Victoria
1517pm - Train depart Victoria
1622pm - Arrive Lewes
0605pm - Lewes Station in the front part of it

Saturday (11 Sept)
Morning - 3 hours Tom (11) music class
PM - Shopping

Sunday (12 Sept)
1416pm - Train depart Lewes
1513pm - Arrive Victoria
1635pm - Oxford Tube (Victoria to Oxford)
1820pm - Arrive Oxford

Lewes


Old Heathfield

I will sing

Lyrics:
1
Lord You seem so far away
A million miles or more it feels today
And though I haven't lost my faith
I must confess right now
That it's hard for me to pray
But I don't know what to say
And I don't know where to start
But as You give the grace
With all that's in my heart

2
Lord it's hard for me to see
All the thoughts and plans You have for me
But I will put my trust in You
Knowing that You died to set me free
But I don't know what to say
And I don't know where to start
But as You give the grace
With all that's in my heart

Chorus:
I will sing I will praise
Even in my darkest hour
Through the sorrow and the pain
I will sing I will praise
Lift my hands to honor You
Because Your Word is true
I will sing

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W1EdvUfaRY

Visit Alice in London 26 August 2010

Imperial College London
Imperial College London (officially The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine as titled in its Royal Charter) is a British university in London specialising in science, engineering, medicine and business. Imperial College London is a member of the Russell Group of Universities, a part of the Golden Triangle, the IDEA League, the European University Association, AMBA, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Imperial's main campus is located in South Kensington in Central London, on the boundary between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster (the Knightsbridge part), with its front entrance on Exhibition Road. Including Imperial's other campuses, there is a total of 525,233 square metres (5,653,560 sq ft) of property which is the largest operational estate of any higher education institution in the UK. Formerly a constituent college of the University of London, Imperial became independent of the university on 8 July 2007, the 100th anniversary of its founding.

Science Museum (London)
A museum was founded in 1857 under Bennet Woodcroft from the collection of the Royal Society of Arts and surplus items from the Great Exhibition as part of the South Kensington Museum, together with what is now the Victoria and Albert Museum. It included a collection of machinery which became the Museum of Patents in 1858, and the Patent Office Museum in 1863. This collection contained many of the most famous exhibits of what is now the Science Museum. In 1883, the contents of the Patent Office Museum were transferred to the South Kensington Museum. In 1885, the Science Collections were renamed the Science Museum and in 1893 a separate Director was appointed. The Art Collections were renamed the Art Museum, which eventually became the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England (the others are the Science Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum). Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road. The museum is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 70 million items within five main collections: Botany, Entomology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology and Zoology. The museum is a world-renowned centre of research, specialising in taxonomy, identification and conservation. Given the age of the institution, many of the collections have great historical as well as scientific value, such as specimens collected by Darwin. The Natural History Museum Library contains extensive books, journals, manuscripts, and artwork collections linked to the work and research of the scientific departments. Access to the library is by appointment only.
The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons, and ornate architecture — sometimes dubbed a cathedral of nature — both exemplified by the large Diplodocus cast which dominates the vaulted central hall.
Originating from collections within the British Museum, the landmark Alfred Waterhouse building was built and opened by 1881, and later incorporated the Geological Museum. The Darwin Centre is a more recent addition, partly designed as a modern facility for storing the valuable collections.

Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A), in The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. Named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, it was founded in 1852, and has since grown to now cover some 12.5 acres (0.05 km2) and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5,000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, in virtually every medium, from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The holdings of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings and photographs are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world. The museum possesses the world's largest collection of post-classical sculpture, the holdings of Italian Renaissance items are the largest outside Italy. The departments of Asia include art from South Asia, China, Japan, Korea and the Islamic world. The East Asian collections are among the best in Europe, with particular strengths in ceramics and metalwork, while the Islamic collection, alongside the Musée du Louvre and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is amongst the largest in the world.

Les Misérables
Les Misérables (literally "The Miserable Ones"; usually pronounced /leɪ ˌmɪzəˈrɑːb/; French pronunciation: [le mizeʁabl(ə)]), translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims , is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. It follows the lives and interactions of several French characters over a twenty-year period in the early 19th century, starting in 1815.
The novel focuses on the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean and his experience of redemption. It examines the nature of law and grace, and expounds upon the history of France, architecture of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, antimonarchism, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. The story is historical fiction because it contains factual and historic events.
Les Misérables is known to many through its numerous stage and screen adaptations, most notably the stage musical of the same name, sometimes abbreviated "Les Mis" (pronounced /leɪ ˈmɪz/).

Source: Wikipedia

Sharing at Explore 31 August 2010 (Two ways to live (3) – Result of turning away from God)

Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.
Hebrews chapter 9, verse 27

Discussion questions
1) What do you understand from the first part (death) and the second part (judgement) of the verse?
2) How does this verse relate to you? Does this verse mean anything to you?


1) Death - What
i) “Man is destined to die once”
For me death was something or the greatest thing to be afraid of. Because I will just disappear when I die and will be separated from my families and friends. Last week I visited a friend in hospital. Her mum was in the hospital due to having some symptoms of stroke. Some parts of her mum’s physical body paralysed or can’t move during the day when she was sent to the hospital. However, her mum is getting better now but still have dizziness and headache sometimes. Something strikes my mind - what if the one that is in the hospital is my parent? What can I do to stop my parents from dying? I could feel that death is so real and is happening to the people around us and we will need to also face death one day. The Bible says man is destined to die. Destined means appointed or determined. No one can escape from death.

ii) “For the wages of sin is death”
However, there is something even worse than physical death and that is the separation from God. Last week we have learned that we have sin because we reject God and try living our own way without God. The Bible says that the result of sin is death. We will get paid when we work. For example Jeon works at Yo Sushi for 40 hours a month so he is going to get his salary of 40 hours x hourly rate. So the action/work of Jeon brings salary to him as a result. We get what we deserve. Therefore due to our sin as a result we need to face a more serious death which is the separation from God. When we live by our own way it is like saying to God, “Go away. I don’t want you telling me what to do. Leave me alone.” When we are being cut off from God who is the source of life and all good things, it means death or separation from God.

2) Judgement – Why
i) Fair
There are many unfair circumstances occur around us. Just like the Murderer game we played, we accused the innocent ones sometimes. If the facilitator was to point out the murderer, it would be less or no innocent people die because the facilitator knew who the murderer was in the first place. In the similar way, God knows everything and He is just. The ultimate fair judgment will take place after we die and where God is the judge.

ii) Afraid
I am afraid because I cannot stand before the judgement of God and say that I am not guilty. How many times I have rejected God and wanted to live my own way of life? How many times I have bad thoughts in my mind? How many times I have hurt other people with my words? How many times I do not react or response to something that I should have been responded to? If this is a DVD that records about my life, I will not be able to show to you because I am ashamed of what I have done. Let’s imagine if God has DVDs which record the life of every single person of us here, would you like the DVD to be played to everybody?

Conclusion
We turn away from God by rejecting Him. God is just and He is going to judge the world therefore we will face God’s judgement one day and the punishment for sin is death. However in a week time we will see that God is not only just and fair, He is also love. God is fair therefore He needs to judge our sin and the result of sin is death. However God is also love and He wants to save us from death. Come for the following weeks and we will see how God saves us from both the physical death and the separation from God.

Reference: http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/

Trip to Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham

19 August (Thursday)
10: 07 - Depart Oxford
14:51 - Arrive Newcastle
15:00 - Visit Newcastle University and Northumbria University
16:30 - BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art (FREE)
18:30 - Dinner
19:35 - Gateshead Millennium Bridge (FREE)
20:00 - The Sage Gateshead (FREE?)
22:30 - Tyne Bridge (FREE?)

20 August (Friday) SUNDERLAND
08:00 - Go to Sunderland city centre by Metro
09:00 - Walk around Sunderland City
10:00 - Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens (FREE)
11:30 - Mowbray Park (FREE?)
12:30 - Lunch
13:30 - Wear Bridge
14:30 - Visit Sunderland University (St Peter Campus)
15:00 - St Peters Church (FREE?)
16:00 - National Glass Centre (FREE)
18:30 - Seaburn and Roker Beach + Dinner (fish and chips)
19:30 - Sunderland Empire Theatre (depends whether can get free ticket)
21:30 - Back to Newcastle
22:00 - Gateshead Millennium Bridge (FREE)
???? - Tynemouth Museum (Very far)

21 August( Saturday) DURHAM
07:00 - Train NCL-DURHAM (£3.10)
07:30 - Durham Cathedral (FREE during service / £4)
09:00 - Walk around Durham City and riverbanks
10:00 - Durham Castle (Part of Durham University) (£3.50)
12:00 - Beamish Museum (£13) (Open Air Museum, depends on weather)
13:00 - Lunch
18:00 - The National Railway Museum at Shildon (depends on bus ticket)
19:00 - Dinner
20:30 - Back to Newcastle
21:30 - The Angel of the North (FREE) TRANSPORT

22 August (Sunday)
10:00 - Great North Museum (FREE)
12:30 - Lunch
13:00 - Discovery Museum (FREE)
16:18 - Depart Newcastle
20:40 - Arrive Oxford

Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne (often shortened to Newcastle) is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Situated on the north bank of the River Tyne, the city developed in the area that was the location of the Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, though it owes its name to the castle built in 1080, by Robert II, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror. The city grew as an important centre for the wool trade and it later became a major coal mining area. The port developed in the 16th century and, along with the shipyards lower down the river, was amongst the world's largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centres. These industries have since experienced severe decline and closure, and the city today is largely a business and cultural centre, with a particular reputation for nightlife.
Like most cities, Newcastle has a diverse cross section, from areas of poverty to areas of affluence. Among its main icons are Newcastle Brown Ale, a leading brand of beer, Newcastle United F.C., a Premier League team, and the Tyne Bridge. It has hosted the world's most popular half marathon, the Great North Run, since it began in 1981.
The city is the twentieth most populous in England; the larger Tyneside conurbation, of which Newcastle forms part, is the sixth most populous conurbation in the United Kingdom. Newcastle is a member of the English Core Cities Group and with Gateshead the Eurocities network of European cities.The regional nickname for people from Newcastle and the surrounding area is Geordie.

Newcastle University
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is a member of the Russell Group, a prestigious association of leading research-intensive UK universities. The University has one of the largest EU research portfolios in the UK. The post-nominal letters of graduates commonly have N'cle attached to indicate the institution.

Northumbria University
Northumbria University is an academic institution located in Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England. It is a member of the University Alliance- which represents the majority voice in British Higher Education, educating 26% of all students. Northumbria attracts 35,000 students from 140 countries. In 2006 it was twelfth in a list of English Universities ranked by student number and a significant provider of graduates to the professions, business and industry in its region. In the Research Assessment Exercise the university delivered the most significant improvement in the North of England, with research in eleven of twelve areas submitted described as "world leading". It is led by Professor Andrew Wathey, who took up the role of Vice-Chancellor in September 2008, joining from Royal Holloway University of London, where he was Vice-Principal.
The Sunday Times ranked Northumbria 56th out of 86 British universities in the period 1998-2007 inclusive. Northumbria University is international in its operations and reach, with programmes delivered in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, London and worldwide. Northumbria University recruits in Asia, with numbers of students studying degrees at partner institutions in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Seoul and elsewhere.
In terms of student numbers Northumbria University is the 5th biggest in the UK and the largest in the North East. It also hosts a large number of taught postgraduate students. In 2007/8 Northumbria University was included in a list of the 10 biggest providers of taught Postgraduate degrees in the UK.
The University has an excellent record in high-performance and team sport, and is an active sponsor of professional teams in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Some of its most notable alumni are national and international champions.

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (BALTIC) is an international centre for contemporary art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, North East England, United Kingdom. It presents a constantly changing programme of exhibitions and events, and is a world leader in the presentation, commissioning and communication of contemporary visual art.
The Baltic Flour Mill was built by the Rank Hovis company in 1950 and was extended in 1957 by the addition of an animal feed mill. The mill was closed in 1981.
Dominic Williams of Ellis Williams Architects won an architectural competition in the mid 1990s to convert the 1950s Baltic Flour Mill into a centre for art. After ten years in the planning and a capital investment of £50m, including £33.4m from the Arts Council Lottery Fund, BALTIC opened to the public at midnight on Saturday 13 July 2002. The inaugural exhibition, B.OPEN, featured work by Chris Burden, Carsten Holler, Julian Opie, Jaume Plensa and Jane & Louise Wilson and attracted over 35,000 visitors in the first week.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne in England between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and structural engineers Gifford. The bridge is sometimes referred to as the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. In terms of height, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is slightly shorter than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge, and stands as the sixteenth tallest structure in the city.

The Sage Gateshead
The Sage Gateshead is a centre for musical education, performance and conferences, located in Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the north-east of England. It opened in 2004.
The venue is part of the Gateshead Quays development, which also includes the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
The Sage Gateshead contains three performance spaces; a 1,700-seater, a 400-seater and a smaller rehearsal and performance hall, the Northern Rock Foundation Hall. The rest of the building was designed around these three spaces to allow for maximum attention to detail in their acoustic properties. Structurally it is three separate buildings, insulated from each other to prevent noise and vibration travelling between them. The gaps between them may be seen as one walks around inside. A special 'spongy' concrete mix was used in the construction, with a higher-than-usual air capacity to improve the acoustic. These three buildings are enclosed (but not touched) by the now-famous glass and steel shell. Hall One was intended as an acoustically perfect space, modelled on the renowned Musikverein in Vienna. Its ceiling panels may be raised and lowered and curtains drawn across the ribbed wooden side walls, changing the sound profile of the room to suit any type of music. Hall Two is a smaller venue, possibly the world's only ten-sided performance space. The building's concourse was designed to be used for informal music-making. Below the concourse level is the Music Education Centre, where workshops, community music courses and day-to-day instrumental teaching takes place.
The building is open to the public throughout the day. Visitors can see rehearsals, soundchecks and workshops in progress. It has five bars, a brasserie, the "Sir Michael Straker Café", and "The Barbour Room" – a multi-purpose function room which holds around 200 people. There is also "ExploreMusic": a technologically well-equipped musical branch of Gateshead public library, stocking books, and current magazines covering all aspects of music, a CD library with listening posts, and computers with free internet access, subscriptions to music websites, and music software.

Sunderland
The City of Sunderland (pronounced /ˈsʌndɚlənd/) is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland, but covers a far larger area which includes the town of Washington, and other smaller settlements.
The district was formed in 1974 as the Metropolitan Borough of Sunderland as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham. It was granted city status in 1992, the 40th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II's accession. The city had a population of 280,807 at the time of the 2001 census, with the majority of the population (177,739) residing in Sunderland.

Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens is a municipal museum in Sunderland, England. It is part of the Tyne and Wear Museums group, and is sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It contains the only known British example of a gliding reptile, the oldest known vertebrate capable of gliding flight. The exhibit was discovered in Eppleton quarry.

It was established in 1846 in the Athenaeum Building in Fawcett Street, the first municipally funded museum in the country outside of London. In 1879 the Museum moved to a new larger building next to Mowbray Park including a library and winter garden based on the model of the Crystal Palace. President Ulysses Grant was in attendance at the laying of the foundation stone by Alderman Samuel Storey in 1877. The building was opened in 1879. The Winter Garden was damaged by a parachute mine in 1941 and was demolished with a 1960s extension taking its place, but in 2001 a lottery funded refurbishment of the Museum created a new Winter Garden extension and improved facilities. In 2003 the Museum was recognised as the most attended outside London. The Museum contains a large collection of the locally made Sunderland Lustreware pottery. Other highlights of the Museum are a stuffed Lion, the remains of a Walrus brought back from Siberia in the 1880s and the first Nissan car to be made in Sunderland. Also featured are the skeletal remains of a male human being.
The library was moved in 1995 to the new City Library and Arts Centre in Fawcett Street (occupying part of the former Binns Department Store). The move left more space for museum exhibits. The new City Library Arts Centre also houses the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, renowned as one of the leading forums for new artists in the North of England.
L.S. Lowry described his discovery of Sunderland in 1960, after which it became his second home: ‘One day I was travelling south from Tyneside and I realised this was what I had always been looking for.’ Sunderland Museum, with six works and 30 on long-term loan, have a collection surpassed only by Salford and Manchester.

Mowbray Park
Mowbray Park is a municipal park in the centre of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, located a few hundred yards from the busy throughfares of Holmeside and Fawcett Street and bordered by Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens to the north, Burdon Road to the west, Toward Road to the east and Park Road to the south. The park was voted best in Britain in 2008.

Wearmouth Bridge
The Wearmouth Bridge is a through arch bridge across the River Wear in Sunderland. It is the final bridge over the river before its mouth with the North Sea.
The current bridge is the third Wearmouth Bridge in its position. The first opened in 1796, and then was reconstructed in the 19th century.

University of Sunderland
The University of Sunderland is located in Sunderland, North East England. The University has more than 17,500 students, including 7,000-plus international students from some 70 countries.
The University was named the 'Best English University for student experience' by the Times Higher Education Supplement in December 2005.
The University is also one of the 31 United Kingdom Universities providing the New Route PhD as an alternative to the traditional Ph.D., although Sunderland also provides the latter.

St Peter's Church, Monkwearmouth
St Peter's Church is the parish church of Monkwearmouth in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is one of three churches that make up the Parish of Monkwearmouth; the others being All Saints Church and St Andrew's Church, Roker.
The first church on the site was built on instructions from Benedict Biscop in 674-75, of which only the west wall and porch survive. The tower was added before 1000 on top of the porch, and the rest of the church in the 14th century.
Along with the monastery in Jarrow, St Peter's is the United Kingdom's nomination for a World Heritage Site in 2010.

National Glass Centre
The National Glass Centre is located in Monkwearmouth, on the north banks of the River Wear, on the former site of J.L. Thompson and Sons shipyard. The centre is close to the site of St. Peter's Church, part of the original Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Priory built in 674. It was here that Benedict Biscop introduced glass making into Britain, by hiring French glaziers to make the windows for the priory. The glass-making industry exploded in the eighteenth century, driven by an abundance of cheap coal and high-quality imported sand. Sunderland glass became known throughout the country. In later years, the Pyrex brand of glassware was manufactured in Sunderland. In 2007, the last two remaining glass firms in Sunderland - Corning Glass Works and Arc International (who make Pyrex) - announced they would close.
Despite the decline in the industry, in 1998 the centre was opened for £17 million. It was funded by the Arts Council in conjunction with the University of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Development Corporation, European Regional Development Fund and Sunderland City Council. The centre, located alongside the university's St. Peter's campus, continued the regeneration of the banks of the Wear.
The National Glass Centre is constructed from glass and steel. It has a glass roof that people can walk around and look down into the centre below. There is a total of 3,250 square metres of glass on the roof, and it can hold 4,600 people on at any one time. Each glass panel on the roof is 6 cm thick.

Durham Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham — known as Durham Cathedral — in the city of Durham, England, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Durham. The Bishopric dates from 995, with the present cathedral being founded in AD 1093. The cathedral is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green.
The present cathedral replaces the 10th century "White Church" built as part of a monastic foundation to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. The treasures of Durham Cathedral include relics of St Cuthbert, the head of St Oswald of Northumbria and the remains of the Venerable Bede.
Durham Cathedral occupies a strategic position on a promontory high above the River Wear. From 1080 until the 19th century the bishopric enjoyed the powers of a Bishop Palatine, having military as well as religious leadership and power. Durham Castle was built as the residence for the Bishop of Durham. The seat of the Bishop of Durham is the fourth most significant in the Church of England hierarchy, and he stands at the right hand of the monarch at coronations. Signposts for the modern day County Durham are subtitled "Land of the Prince Bishops."
There are daily Church of England services at the Cathedral, with the Durham Cathedral Choir singing daily except Mondays and while the choir is in recess. The cathedral is a major tourist attraction within the region, the central tower of 217 feet (66 m) giving views of Durham and the surrounding area.

Durham Castle

Durham Castle is a Norman castle in the city of Durham, England, which has been wholly occupied since 1840 by University College, Durham. It is open to the general public to visit, but only through guided tours, since it is in use as a working castle and is home to over 100 students. The castle stands on top of a hill above the River Wear on Durham's peninsula, opposite Durham Cathedral (grid reference NZ274423).
he castle was originally built in the 11th century as a projection of the Norman king's power in the north of England, as the population of England in the north remained "wild and fickle" following the disruption of the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is an excellent example of the early motte and bailey castles favoured by the Normans. The holder of the office of the Bishop of Durham was appointed by the King to exercise royal authority on his behalf, the Castle was his seat.
It remained the Bishop's palace for the Bishops of Durham until the Bishops made Bishop Auckland their primary residence and the castle was converted into a college.
The castle has a large Great Hall, created by Bishop Antony Bek in the early 14th century. It was the largest Great Hall in Britain until Bishop Richard Foxe shortened it at the end of the 15th century. However, it is still 14 m high and over 30 m long.

Beamish Museum

Beamish, The North of England Open Air Museum is an open-air museum located at Beamish, near the town of Stanley, County Durham, England. The museum's guiding principle is to preserve an example of everyday life in urban and rural North East England at the climax of industrialisation in the early 20th century.
Much of the restoration and interpretation is specific to 1913, together with portions of countryside under the influence of industrial revolution in 1825. On its 300-acre (120 hectare) estate it utilises a mixture of translocated, original and replica buildings; a huge collection of artifacts, working vehicles and equipment; as well as livestock and costumed interpreters.
The museum has received a number of prestigious awards since it opened its present site to visitors in 1972 and has been influential on other "living museums". It is a significant educational resource, and helps to preserve some traditional north-country and rare livestock breeds.
Beamish is the first English museum to be financed and administered by a consortium of County Councils (Cleveland, Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear) and it was the first regional open-air museum in England. The museum was first proposed in 1958 and the collections were established on the Beamish site in 1970 under director Frank Atkinson (b. 1924). Atkinson, realising that the region's traditional industries of coal-mining, shipbuilding, and iron and steel manufacture were disappearing along with the communities that served them, was anxious to preserve the customs, traditions and ways of speech of the region. He said, "It is essential that collecting be carried out quickly and on as big a scale as possible. It is now almost too late."

The Angel of the North
The Angel of the North is a contemporary sculpture designed by Antony Gormley, which is located in Gateshead, England.
As the name suggests, it is a steel sculpture of a graceful angel, standing 70ft (20m) tall, with wings measuring 90ft (54m) across. The wings themselves are not planar, but are angled 3.5 degrees forward, which Gormley has said aims to create "a sense of embrace". It stands on a hill, on the southern edge of Low Fell overlooking the A1 road and the A167 road into Tyneside and the East Coast Main Line rail route, and just south of the site of Team Colliery.

Souce: Wikipedia

Trip to Stonehenge, Salisbury & Avebury

15 August 10.00am – 6.20pm (Sunday)
By agent - Cotswold Roaming
1) Salisbury Cathedral
2) Stonehenge
3) Avebury

We travel over the beautiful Berkshire and Wiltshire Downs past the hill fort of Old Sarum, site of one of Britain’s oldest settlements to the city of Salisbury. Nearby at Salisbury Cathedral you can see an original copy of the Magna Carta and admire the tallest spire in Britain (2 hours, 20 minutes in Salisbury). After lunch we travel up the Avon valley to Stonehenge, the most mysterious and enigmatic of all monuments (55 minutes stop). Moving deeper into Ancient Britain, we pass a chalk hill figure and the West Kennet Long Barrow, a burial chamber dating back 5,500 years. The tour continues to Avebury, Britain’s largest stone circle (40 minutes stop), before the return to Oxford via the Vale of the White Horse.

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral inSalisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body was completed in only 38 years. The cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom (123m/404 ft). Visitors can take the "Tower Tour" where the interior of the hollow spire, with its ancient wood scaffolding, can be viewed. The cathedral also has the largest cloister (enclosure, surrounded space) and the largest cathedral close (architectural term referring to the series of buildings that serve as appendages to a cathedral) in Britain (80 acres). The Cathedral contains the world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has one of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta (all four original copies are in England).[1] Although commonly known as Salisbury Cathedral, the official name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary. In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration in 1258.

Magna Carta
Magna Carta (Latin for "Great Charter") is one of the most celebrated documents in English history. At the time it was the solution to a political crisis in Medieval England but its importance has endured as it has become recognised as a cornerstone of liberty influencing much of the civilized world. A visit to view the best preserved original Magna Carta in the Chapter House is for many visitors the highlight of their time at Salisbury Cathedral.

How did the Magna Carta come about?
The feudal system bound medieval society together in a hierarchy of relationships. Under the feudal system the King was all-powerful. Dispute grew between the barons and bishops and King John over his poor government, heavy war taxes and quarrels with the Pope. Weakened by his defeat by the French in 1214 and keen to avoid a civil war he feared losing, King John met the barons at Runnymede (between Windsor and Staines in Southern England) on 15 June 1215 and agreed the terms of the document now known as Magna Carta. Its content, driven by the concerns of barons and church, was designed to re-balance power between the King and his subjects. When King John set his seal on Magna Carta he conceded the fundamental principle that even as king he was not above the law.

Stonehenge
One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. It is at the centre of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds. Archaeologists had believed that the iconic stone monument was erected around 2500 BC, as described in the chronology below. One recent theory, however, has suggested that the first stones were not erected until 2400-2200 BC, whilst another suggests that bluestones may have been erected at the site as early as 3000 BC. The surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 in a co-listing with Avebury Henge monument. It is a national legally protected Scheduled Ancient Monument. Stonehenge is owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage, while the surrounding land is owned by the National Trust. Archaeological evidence found by the Stonehenge Riverside Project in 2008 indicates that Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings. The dating of cremated remains found on the site indicate burials from as early as 3000 BC, when the initial ditch and bank were first dug. Burials continued at Stonehenge for at least another 500 years.

Quick guide
Age: estimated at 3100 BC
Location: Wiltshire, UK
OS Reference: SU 122 422
Type of stone: Bluestone, Sarson, Welsh Sandstone
Worship: Lunar, Solar
Access: English Heritage - there is a charge to visit the stones
Extra notes: Except on special or arranged occasions, visitors are unable to walk amongst the stones

Avebury

Avebury is the site of an ancient monument consisting of a large henge, several stone circles, stone avenues and barrows, surrounding the village of Avebury in the English county of Wiltshire. It is one of the finest and largest Neolithic monuments in Europe, about 5,000 years old. Although older than the megalithic stages of Stonehenge 32 kilometres (20 mi) to the south, the two monuments are broadly contemporary overall. Avebury is roughly midway between the towns of Marlboroughand Calne, just off the main A4 road on the northbound A4361 towards Wroughton. Avebury is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, a World Heritage Site, and a National Trust property.

Souce: Wikipedia

Trip to London - 2

14 August (Satudray)
0845 - Mathew arrives
0850 - Marble Arch
0913 - Friend arrives
0930 - Oxford Street
1000 - British Museum
1330 - Lunch
1800 - Walk from museum to Big Ben
1900 - Walk from Big Ben to Victoria Satation
2000 - Dinner
2135 - Depart London
2315 - Arrive Oxford


British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.

The British Museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. The museum first opened to the public on 15 January 1759 in Montagu House in Bloomsbury, on the site of the current museum building. Its expansion over the following two and a half centuries was largely a result of expanding British colonial footprint and has resulted in the creation of several branch institutions, the first being the British Museum (Natural History) in South Kensington in 1887. Some objects in the collection, most notably the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, are the objects of intense controversy and calls for restitution to their countries of origin.

Source: Wikipedia

祷告 I Pray

祷告，因为我渺小
祷告，因为我知道我需要 明瞭 你心意对我重要

祷告，已假装不了
祷告，因为你的爱我需要 你关怀 我走过的你都明白

有些事我只想要对你说
因你比任何人都爱我
痛苦从眼中流下
我知道你为我擦

在早晨我也要来对你说
主耶稣今天我为你活
所需要的力量你天天赐给我
你恩典够我用

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqdVMpHKORc&NR=1

Trip to Sheffield

31 July (Sat)
1200 - Arriving (Sheffield, Meadowhall Interchange)
1230 - Meadowhall + Lunch
1530 - Botanical Garden (Free)
1900 - Dinner
2030 - Walk around city centre of Sheffield
2100 - Wheel of Sheffield at Fargate (FREE, photograph)
2130 - Sheffield Cathedral (FREE, photograph)

01 Aug (Sun)
0700 - Bus to Peak District (£6)
1000 - Maddock Heights of Abraham (£9.70)
1700 - Chatsworth House
1800 - Bakewell
2000 - Back to Sheffield + Dinner

02 Aug (Mon)
0800 - Millennium Gallery (FREE)
0930 - Sheffield Hallam University (FREE)
1100 - Millennium Square + The Winter Garden + Peace Garden + Town Hall (All FREE)
1330 - Lunch
1530 - Norfolk Heritage Park
1645 - Trem (Cathedral or Castle Square)
1715 - Leaving (Sheffield, Meadowhall Interchange)

Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Sheffield Botanical Gardens cover 19 acres and were first opened in 1836. Originally designed by Robert Marnock in the Gardenesque style, the site now has fifteen different garden areas featuring collections of plants from all over the world, including Mediterranean, Asian, American prairie-style, woodland and rock-and-water plantings. The National Collections of Weigela, Diervilla and Sarcococca are sited here. The Gardens contain several listed buildings including the restored Grade II* listed curvilinear Glass Pavilions, some of the earliest ever built, which were officially re-opened by HRH The Prince of Wales on 1 September 2003.

Wheel of Sheffield
Wheel of Sheffield is a 60 m (200 ft) tall transportable Ferris wheel installation on Fargate, by the Town Hall, in Sheffield,England. It opened on 20 July 2009, and was intended to remain until January 2010. However, planning permission has been sought for a further year of operation. It has 42 passenger cars, and is operated by World Tourist Attractions.

Sheffield Cathedral
Sheffield Cathedral (The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, Sheffield) is the cathedral church for theChurch of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status when the diocese was created in 1914. Sheffield Cathedral is one of five Grade I listed buildings in the city, along with Town Hall, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, and the parish churches at Ecclesfield and Bradfield. It is located in the city centreon Church Street and served by Sheffield Supertram's Cathedral stop.

Listed Building
A listed building may not be demolished, extended or altered without special permission from the local planning authority
 Grade I: buildings "of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important".
 Grade II*: "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".
 Grade II: buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".

Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire.
Most of the area falls within the Peak District National Park, whose designation in 1951 made it the first national park in the British Isles. An area of great diversity, it is conventionally split into the northern Dark Peak, where most of themoorland is found and whose geology is gritstone, and the southern White Peak, where most of the population lives and where the geology is mainly limestone-based. Proximity to the major cities of Manchester and Sheffield and the counties ofLancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Staffordshire and South and West Yorkshire coupled with easy access by road and rail, have all contributed to its popularity. With an estimated 22 million visitors per year, the Peak District is thought to be the second most-visited national park in the world (after the Mount Fuji National Park in Japan).

The Heights of Abraham
The Heights of Abraham is a tourist attraction in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, England. It consists of a hilltop park on top of Masson Hill, accessed by a cable car from the village below. Amongst the attractions in the park, which has been open sinceVictorian times, are cavern and mine tours. The cable car was opened in 1984 and was the first alpine cable car in Britain. The route is 568m long and climbs 169m. The Heights of Abraham company has since become a consultant for other cable car systems, and was also responsible for the passenger pods on the London Eye.

Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a large country house in Chatsworth, Derbyshire, England 3½ miles northeast of Bakewell (GB Grid SK260700). It is the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire, and has been home to their family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549. Standing on the east bank of the River Derwent, Chatsworth looks across to the low hills that divide the Derwent and Wye valleys. The house is set in expansive parkland, and backed by wooded, rocky hills rising to heather moorland. Chatsworth's garden is one of the most famous in England. The house contains a unique collection of priceless paintings, furniture, Old Master drawings, neoclassical sculptures, books and other artifacts. Chatsworth has been selected as the United Kingdom's favourite country house several times.

Bakewell
Bakewell is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, deriving its name from 'Beadeca's Well'. It is the only town included in the Peak District National Park, and is well known for the local confection Bakewell Pudding(often mistaken for the Bakewell Tart). It is located on the River Wye, about thirteen miles (21 km) southwest of Sheffield, 31 miles (50 km) southeast of Manchester, and 30 miles (48 km) north of the county town of Derby; nearby towns include Chesterfield to the east and Buxton to the west northwest. According to the 2001 Census the civil parish of Bakewell had a population of 3,979. The town is close to the tourist attractions of Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall.

Millennium Galleries
The Millennium Galleries is an art gallery in the City of Sheffield, England. Opened in April 2001 as part of Sheffield's Heart of the City project, it is located in the city centre close to the city library, Sheffield Hallam University, and the city's theatre district. The gallery is divided into four sections: the Special Exhibition Gallery hosts touring exhibitions from galleries like the Tate Galleryand the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Craft and Design Gallery shows the work of past and present craftsmen and designers, the Metalwork Gallery is designed to showcase Sheffield's metal industries, and the Ruskin Gallery hosts the collection of theGuild of St George, which was established in Sheffield by John Ruskin in the 19th century. The gallery is connected to another city landmark, the Sheffield Winter Gardens.

Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a Higher Education institution in South Yorkshire, England, based on two sites inSheffield. City Campus is in the city centre, close to Sheffield railway station, and Collegiate Crescent Campus is about two miles away, adjacent to Ecclesall Road in south-west Sheffield.
The university is the eighth largest in the UK in terms of enrolment, with more than 30,000 students, over 4,000 staff and 650 courses.
One of the university's priorities is to promote regional wealth creation through enterprise and knowledge transfer. This commitment is represented at strategic level via the Sheffield First Partnership – a high-level public, private and voluntary sector partnership to develop and implement economic and social strategies for the city.

Millennium Square
Millennium Square is a new square in Sheffield, England, created as part of the Heart of the City project. It lies in front and to the south of the Winter Gardens, and complements the Peace Gardens and the neo-Gothic Town Hall. It contains fountains in the shape of steel spheres, recalling Sheffield's past as a centre of the steel making industry, whilst linking with the fountains of the Peace Gardens, as well as Sheaf Square, Hallam Square and Barkers Poo

The Winter Garden
Sheffield Winter Garden in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire is one of the largest temperate glasshouses to be built in the UK during the last hundred years, and the largest urban glasshouse anywhere in Europe. It is home to more than 2,000 plants from all around the world. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 22 May 2003.
Part of the £120 million Heart of the City regeneration project that has created the Peace Gardens and the £15 millionMillennium Galleries, the Winter Garden was designed by Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects and Buro Happold and are some 70 metres (77 yd) long and 21 metres (23 yd) high.
The building has background frost protection to minimum of 4 degrees Celsius and it is one of the largest Glue Laminate or "Glulam" buildings in the UK (Glulam is made by forming and gluing strips of timber into specific shapes). The wood used isLarch, a durable timber which will, over time, turn a light silvery grey colour. The larch, derived from sustainable forests, requires no preservatives or coatings. This reduces the use of solvents and also avoids the use of chemicals that could kill the plants. It has an intelligent Building Management System which controls fans and vents to make sure the plants are cooled in summer and kept warm in winter. The system will "learn" year-on-year.
The bedding plants are changed five times a year, to give a seasonal change, and all the plants are watered by hose or bywatering can, as it is the only way to ensure that all the plants get the correct amount of water.

Peace Garden
The Peace Gardens are an inner city square in Sheffield, England. It was created as part of the Heart of the City project by Sheffield City Council.
The Gardens themselves front onto Sheffield's gothic town hall (not to be confused with the Sheffield City Hall, a popular concert venue), creating a spectacular view as shoppers and visitors sit in the gardens.
It has won many awards, and was one of the major sites responsible for Sheffield's first place in the Entente Florale 2005.

Sheffield Town Hall
Sheffield Town Hall is a building in the City of Sheffield, England. The building is used by the City Council, and also contains a publicly displayed collection of silverware. The current building, Sheffield's fourth town hall, is located on Pinstone Street. It was designed by the London-based architect E. W. Mountford and constructed over a seven year period from 1890 to 1897, opening on 21 May 1897. An extension designed by F. E. P. Edwards was completed in 1923.
The design echoed to a certain extent the architecture of the adjacent St. Paul's Church of 1720 (now demolished). The exterior is built of "Stoke" stone from the Stoke Hall Quarry in Grindleford, Derbyshire and is decorated with carvings by F. W. Pomeroy. The friezes depict the industries of Sheffield, and the 64 metre high clock-tower is surmounted by a statue ofVulcan. During construction, the building was criticised for its expensive embellishments.
The building was opened by Queen Victoria, using a remote control lock from her carriage. The turning of the key in the lock triggered a light in the building which was the signal for three concealed men to open the gates.

Norfolk Heritage Park
Norfolk Heritage Park (grid reference SK365859) is a public park in Sheffield,South Yorkshire, England surrounded by the Norfolk Park residential suburb.
Located to the south of Sheffield City Centre, the estate has grown up on part of the former deer park associated with Sheffield Manor. Norfolk Heritage Park is formed out of part of the deer park and was donated to the city of Sheffield by the Duke of Norfolk in Victoriantimes and enjoyed its heyday during Queen Victoria's reign. Later, the park fell into neglect and disrepair, but was renovated late in the 20th century.
In 2002, Sheffield Fayre, a family event featuring horticulture/wildlife, and multi-period re-enactment, was launched, and it is now an annual event during the late Summer Bank Holiday.

Source: Wikipedia