1Welcome to this podcast about the Sheepmarket, which is one of the oldest parts of the city.
2As its name suggests, there was originally a market here where farmers brought their sheep,
3but now it's been redeveloped into a buzzing, vibrant area of the city,
4which is also home to one of the city's fastest-growing communities.
5The nearby university has always meant the area's popular with students, who come in to enjoy the lively nightlife,
6but now graduates embarking on careers in the worlds of fashion and design
7are buying up the new apartments recently built here
8to replace the small houses where the market workers used to live.
9The narrow old side streets are great places for finding original pictures, jewellery and ceramics which won't break the bank,
10as well as local produce like fruit and vegetables.
11There's also lots of pavement cafes where you can have a coffee and watch tourists from all over the world go by.
12The oldest buildings in the area are on the main streets,
13including the city's first department store, built in the 1880s, which is still open today.
14The Sheepmarket is a centre for fashion,
15and there's a policy of encouraging new young designers.
16The Young Fashion competition is open to local young people who are passionate about fashion.
17This year they've been asked to design an outfit based on ideas from the music and technology that's part of their everyday life,
18using both natural and man-made fibres.
19The garments will be judged by a panel of experts and fashion designers,
20and the winning entries will be modelled at a special gala evening.
21Parking at the Sheepmarket is easy.
22There are plenty of pay and display car parking spaces on the roadsides
23which are fine if you just want to stay for an hour or two,
24but if you want to spend the day there, it's better to park in one of the four underground car parks.
25It's not expensive and if you can present a receipt from one of the local stores, you'll not be charged at all.
26After six pm many of the car parks have a flat rate which varies but it is usually very reasonable.
27The Sheepmarket is one of the main centres for art and history in the whole of the country.
28If you look at our map, you'll see some of the main attractions there.
29Most visitors start from Crawley Road, at the bottom of the map.
30The Reynolds House is one of the oldest houses in the city, and is open to the public.
31It's on the north side of Crawley Road, next to the footpath that leads to the public gardens.
32The area's particularly interesting for its unusual sculptures.
33The Thumb is just what its name suggests, but it's about 10 metres high.
34You'll see it on Hill Road, across the road from the Bank.
35The Museum's got a particularly fine collection of New Zealand landscapes.
36It's on the east side of the Sheepmarket, on City Road.
37It's on the other side of the road from the public gardens, immediately facing the junction with Hill Road.
38The Contemporary Art Gallery is on a little road that leads off Station Square, not far from the public gardens.
39The road ends at the gallery - it doesn't go anywhere else.
40That's open every day except Mondays.
41The Warner Gallery specialises in 19th-century art.
42It's on City Road, near the junction with Crawley Road,
43on the same side of the road as the public gardens.
44It's open on weekdays from 9 to 5, and entry is free.
45Finally, if you're interested in purchasing high quality artwork,
46the place to go is Nucleus.
47You need to go from Crawley Road up through Station Square and east along Hill Road
48until you get to a small winding road turning off.
49Go up there and it's on your right -
50if you get to City Road you've gone too far.