Sheffield

In the 14th century, Sheffield was already noted for the production of knives, as mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales,[26] and by the early 1600s it had become the main centre of cutlery manufacture in England outside London, overseen by the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire.

[30] These innovations spurred Sheffield's growth as an industrial town,[31] but the loss of some important export markets led to a recession in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The collapse of the dam wall of one of these reservoirs in 1864 resulted in the Great Sheffield Flood, which killed 270 people and devastated large parts of the town.

[34] The growing population led to the construction of many back-to-back dwellings that, along with severe pollution from the factories, inspired George Orwell in 1937 to write: "Sheffield, I suppose, could justly claim to be called the ugliest town in the Old World".

The latter issued this statement on receipt of the report: "the council has already acknowledged that it got many things wrong in the handling of the street-trees dispute, and we wish to reiterate our previous apologies for our failings".

[61] It nestles in the eastern foothills of the Pennines,[62] between the main upland range and Peak District National Park to the west, and the lower-lying South Yorkshire Coalfield to the east.

The uplands of the Pennines to the west can create a cool, gloomy and wet environment, but they also provide shelter from the prevailing westerly winds, casting a "rain shadow" across the area.

[104] These topographical factors have served to restrict urban spread,[104] resulting in a relatively stable population size and a low degree of mobility.

The 2004 Barclays Bank Financial Planning study[105] revealed that, in 2003, the Sheffield district of Hallam was the highest ranking area outside London for overall wealth, the proportion of people earning over £60,000 a year standing at almost 12%.

Forgemasters, founded in 1805, is the sole remaining independent steel works in the world and dominates the north-east of Sheffield around the Lower Don Valley.

[122] The decision was based on the important role Forgemasters plays in the construction of the UK nuclear submarine fleet as well other vessels for the Royal Navy.

[126] In March 2021 it was announced that the Sheffield branch of John Lewis would close due to falling sales and a move to online shopping, which had increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[128][129] With the decline in high street shopping around the UK, efforts have been made to rejuvenate Sheffield City Centre and improve the retail and leisure offering.

[138] The area has a large student community owing to the presence of the Sheffield Hallam University Collegiate Campus adjacent to Ecclesall Road.

Tourism plays a major role in the city's economy on account of numerous attractions—namely the Peak District, sports events (in particular, the Snooker World Championships) and musical festivals (such as Tramlines).

[167] Destinations had included the Canary Islands, Balearics, Greece, Turkey, Poland and the Baltic countries with TUI Airways and Wizz Air operating from the airport.

[183] Launched by the coalition government in 2010, the University Technical College program was designed to foster greater interest in STEM subjects amongst students aged 14 to 18.

Despite being written off by most football pundits, and declared favourites for relegation from the Premier League, United exceeded expectations and finished in the top half of the table in the 2019–20 season.

[201] Following the closure and demolition of Don Valley Stadium in 2013, The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park was established and constructed on the same site, adjacent to the English Institute for Sport.

Sheffield was selected as a candidate host city by the Football Association (FA) as part of the English 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bid on 16 December 2009.

Within the City limits and located just 4 km (2.5 mi) from the finish, was the ninth and final climb of the stage, the Category 4 Côte de Jenkin Road.

Made up of 89 individual jets of water, this fountain lies at the corner of the quarter-circle shaped Peace Gardens and is named after Stuart Goodwin, a notable Sheffield industrialist.

[225] The Winter Garden, lying within the Heart of the City, is a large wood framed, glass skinned greenhouse housing some 2,500 plants from around the world.

[231] The Crucible Theatre, a grade II listed building, is the home (since 1977) of the World Snooker Championships, which sees most of Tudor Square and the adjoining Winter Garden used for side events, and hosts many well-known stage productions throughout the year from local, national and international performance groups.

[234] Sheffield was once home to a number of historically important nightclubs in the early dance music scene of the 1980s and 1990s, Gatecrasher One was one of the most popular clubs in the North of England until its destruction by fire on 18 June 2007.

[249] A number of major music acts, including Joe Cocker, Ace, Def Leppard, Paul Carrack, Arctic Monkeys, Bring Me the Horizon, 65daysofstatic, Rolo Tomassi, While She Sleeps, Pulp and Moloko, hail from the city.

[258] It was not as successful as was hoped, however, and later evolved to become a live music venue; then in February 2005, the unusual steel-covered building became the students' union for Sheffield Hallam University.

Some are unaccompanied, some have a piano or organ, there is a flip chart with the words on in one place, a string quartet (quintet, sextet, septet) accompanies the singing at another, some encourage soloists, others stick to audience participation, a brass band plays at certain events, the choir takes the lead at another.

[282] The films and plays The Full Monty, Threads, Looks and Smiles, When Saturday Comes, Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?, The History Boys and Four Lions are set in the city.

Furthermore, scenes in HBO miniseries The Regime, starring Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, were filmed in Sheffield as well as in Wentworth Woodhouse, a stately home in neighbouring Rotherham.

Lithograph drawing showing a large stately home in ruins
Sheffield Manor ruins as they appeared c. 1819
19th century picture of Sheffield
Sheffield in the 19th century. The dominance of industry in the city is evident.
Bombing in Sheffield during the Sheffield Blitz, WW2.
Sheffield was targeted heavily by the Luftwaffe during WW2, owing to the city's industrial importance. The bombing campaign became known as the Sheffield Blitz .
Photo of the statue Women of Steel at barker's Pool, Sheffield
The Women of Steel statue commemorates the women of Sheffield who worked in the city's steel industry during the First and Second World Wars.
Panorama of a brutalist housing estate
Park Hill flats , an example of 1950s and 1960s council housing estates in Sheffield
Sheffield Town Hall
The staircase at Sheffield Town Hall
Sheffield panorama
Rivelin Valley
Gleadless Valley, demonstrating the hilly terrain within the city
Population of Sheffield from 1700 to 2011
Population of Sheffield from 1700 to 2011. The exponential population growth during the 19th century and the subsequent plateauing during the 20th century are evident.
St Paul's Tower, a new, mixed use development which forms part of the St Paul's Place development. In the top left corner is the Main St Paul's tower itself. Below it is the Tower 2, connected to the main tower but half the height. To the right is another office building in the same development. All have been completed within the last 5 years and represent some of the newest architecture in the city.
St Paul's Place , 2010. St Paul's Tower , the tallest building in Sheffield, is in the centre. The St Paul's Place development constitutes a major redevelopment of the area and has attracted numerous large companies to the complex, such as DLA Piper , PwC and Barclays . The Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills have also established a presence within St Paul's Place.
Monument to Harry Brearley and the birthplace of stainless steel at the former Brown Firth Research Laboratories
Photo of the Forgemasters steel works, Sheffield
Forgemasters steel works in Sheffield. The site was formerly run by Vickers Limited which was founded in Sheffield in 1828 and became one of the most prominent engineering companies in the world.
University of Sheffield Diamond
The Diamond , at the University of Sheffield. The university is a major public sector employer in the city
An aerial view of Sheffield City Centre
A view of Sheffield City Centre . Some of the major shopping precincts can be seen in the left and centre of the image.
The Moor shopping precinct
IKEA, Sheffield
Ecclesall Road, Sheffield
Ecclesall Road
Little Kelham in the Kelham Island Quarter
Little Kelham in the Kelham Island Quarter
Aerial view of Park Square, where the Sheffield Parkway meets the Sheffield Inner Ring Road
Aerial view of Park Square, where the Sheffield Parkway meets the Sheffield Inner Ring Road
Meadowhall Interchange , a combined bus, coach, rail and tram interchange
Kelham Island Museum (left). The museum is home to The Bessemer Converter , the most important technique for making steel from the 1850s to the 1950s.
Red brick university building
Firth Court , the administrative and ceremonial centre of the University of Sheffield
Sheffield Hallam University city campus seen from South Street Park
UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park (left) and Sheffield Hallam University (right)
Bramall Lane , the home of Sheffield United , is close to the city centre.
Hillsborough , the home of Sheffield Wednesday , is the city's largest stadium with a capacity of just under 40,000.
iceSheffield
A Modern sporting facility. The building is roughly rectangular in shape and is quite modern, with a wooden clad design. It is surrounded by greenery and has several tall, white spikes on its roof.
English Institute of Sport, Sheffield
A large sports centre situated in Sheffield City Centre
Ponds Forge (bottom left) with Sheffield City Centre behind and Park Square in the bottom right
The Crucible Theatre (centre) and Lyceum Theatre (right)
Sheffield City Hall, a Neo-classical design with a large portico and prominent pillars which were damaged when a bomb fell on the adjoining Barkers Pool during the Second World War. It is a grade II* listed building
Sheffield City Hall , a Grade II* listed building
BBC Radio Sheffield
Valley Centertainment, Sheffield