Mark Firth’s Lost Heritage:
Mark Firth (25 April 1819 – 28 November 1880) was an English industrialist and philanthropist. Mark Firth played a crucial role in the development of Sheffield during the 1800s. He owned steelworks, and the money he accumulated was put back into Sheffield. He donated land to develop a park for the people of Sheffield known as Firth Park. He opened Firth College to teach art and science, which became part of the University of Sheffield. He wanted to inspire the next generation of steelworkers, giving the City’s men and women equal opportunities in higher education. He gave grants to many of the City’s churches and funded the building of Hangingwater Almshouses, which offered accommodation for poor people.
It would be a great loss for Sheffield if he were no longer remembered because he has contributed so much to the City. Therefore I have made mockups of an exhibition that would be situated at the Sheffield Millennial Gallery, as well as creating printed publications such as flyers, leaflets and posters that would go alongside this.
His monument is grade II listed and is one of the grandest in the Sheffield General Cemetery. The decorative ironwork that surrounds it was forged in his works. This design is used for the visual identity of Mark Firth.
I produced a casting of Mark Firth's visual identity. This would be placed outside the locations that are associated with Mark Firth.
