The city is in the eastern foothills of thePennines and the valleys of theRiver Don with its four tributaries: theLoxley, thePorter Brook, theRivelin and theSheaf. Sixty-one per cent of Sheffield's entire area is green space and a third of the city lies within thePeak Districtnational park and is the fifth-largest city in England.[5] There are more than 250 parks, woodlands and gardens in the city,[5] which is estimated to contain around 4.5 million trees.[6]
Sheffield played a crucial role in theIndustrial Revolution, developing many significant technologies. In the 19th century, the city saw a huge expansion of its traditional cutlery trade, when processes for high-qualitystainless steel andcrucible steel were invented based on previous discoveries elsewhere. This fuelled an almost tenfold increase in the population. Sheffield received itsmunicipal charter in 1843, becoming the City of Sheffield in 1893. International competition in iron and steel caused a decline in these industries in the 1970s and 1980s, coinciding with the collapse of coal mining in the area. The Yorkshireridings became counties in their own right in 1889; theWest Riding of Yorkshire county was disbanded in 1974. The city then became part of the county ofSouth Yorkshire; this has been made up of separately governedunitary authorities since 1986. The 21st century has seen extensiveredevelopment in Sheffield, consistent with other British cities. Sheffield'sgross value added (GVA) has increased by 60% since 1997, standing at £11.3 billion in 2015. The economy has experienced steady growth, averaging around 5% annually, which is greater than that of the broader region of Yorkshire and the Humber.[7]
Sheffield had a population of 556,500 at the 2021 census, making it the second-largest city in theYorkshire and the Humber region. TheSheffield Built-up Area, of which the Sheffield sub-division is the largest part, had a population of 685,369 also including the town ofRotherham. Thedistrict borough, governed from the city, had a population of 566,242 at the mid-2019 estimate, making it the7th-most-populous district in England. It is one of eleven British cities that make up theCore Cities Group.[8] In 2011, the unparished area had a population of 490,070.[9]
The nameSheffield, has its origins inOld English and derives from the name of a principal river in the city, theRiver Sheaf, which runs through Sheffield albeit inculverts underneath the city centre.[11] This name, in turn, is a corruption ofshed orsheth, which refers to adivide orseparation.[12][13] The second half of the name Sheffield refers to a field, or forest clearing.[14] Combining the two words, it is believed that the name refers to anAnglo-Saxon settlement in a clearing by the confluence of theRiver Don and River Sheaf.[15] In historicalLatin, Sheffield is recorded with theLatinized nameSefelda.[16]
The area now occupied by the City of Sheffield is believed to have been inhabited since at least the lateUpper Paleolithic, about 12,800 years ago.[17] The earliest evidence of human occupation in the Sheffield area was found atCreswell Crags to the east of the city. In theIron Age the area became the southernmost territory of thePennine tribe called theBrigantes. It is this tribe who are thought to have constructed severalhillforts in and around Sheffield.[18]
Following the departure of the Romans, the Sheffield area may have been the southern part of theBrittonic kingdom ofElmet, with the rivers Sheaf and Don forming part of the boundary between this kingdom and the kingdom ofMercia.[19] Gradually,Anglian settlers pushed west from the kingdom ofDeira. A Britonnic presence within the Sheffield area is evidenced by two settlements calledWales and Waleswood close to Sheffield.[20] The settlements that grew and merged to form Sheffield, however, date from the second half of the first millennium, and are ofAnglo-Saxon andDanish origin.[18] In Anglo-Saxon times, the Sheffield area straddled the border between the kingdoms ofMercia andNorthumbria. TheAnglo-Saxon Chronicle reports thatEanred of Northumbria submitted toEgbert of Wessex at the hamlet ofDore (now a suburb of Sheffield) in 829,[21] a key event in the unification of the kingdom of England under theHouse of Wessex.[22]
Sheffield in the 19th century. The dominance of industry in the city is evident.Sheffield was targeted heavily by theLuftwaffe during WW2, owing to the city's industrial importance. The bombing campaign became known as theSheffield Blitz.
During the 1740s, a form of thecrucible steel process was discovered that allowed the manufacture of a better quality of steel than had previously been possible.[29] In about the same period, a technique was developed for fusing a thin sheet of silver onto a copper ingot to produce silver plating, which became widely known asSheffield plate.[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 resulting poor conditions culminated in acholera epidemic that killed 402 people in 1832.[18] The population of the town grew rapidly throughout the 19th century; increasing from 60,095 in 1801 to 451,195 by 1901.[18] TheSheffield and Rotherham railway was constructed in 1838, connecting the two towns. The town was incorporated as aborough in 1842, and was grantedcity status byletters patent in 1893.[32][33] The influx of people also led to demand for better water supplies, and a number of newreservoirs were constructed on the outskirts of the town.
The collapse of the dam wall of one of these reservoirs in 1864 resulted in theGreat Sheffield Flood, which killed 270 people and devastated large parts of the town.[34] In 1880 ten men from Sheffield were part of a group of 47 men who had attended a fancy-dress ball in Hulme, Manchester, but they were tried for soliciting sex between men.[35] Described by historian Lauren Wells as the 'Sheffield Ten', men from the city had their addresses published in local news.[35]
The growing population led to the construction of many back-to-back dwellings that, along with severe pollution from the factories, inspiredGeorge Orwell in 1937 to write: "Sheffield, I suppose, could justly claim to be called the ugliest town in theOld World".[36]
TheWomen of Steel statue commemorates the women of Sheffield who worked in the city's steel industry during the First and Second World Wars.
The Great Depression hit the city in the 1930s, but as international tensions increased and theSecond World War became imminent; Sheffield's steel factories were set to work manufacturing weapons and ammunition for the war effort. As a result, the city became a target for bombing raids, the heaviest of which occurred on the nights of 12 and 15 December 1940, now known as theSheffield Blitz. The city was partially protected by barrage balloons managed fromRAF Norton.[37] More than 660 people died and many buildings were destroyed or left badly damaged, including the Marples Hotel, which was hit directly by a 500-pound bomb, killing over 70 people.[38]
Park Hill flats, an example of 1950s and 1960s council housing estates in Sheffield
In the 1950s and 1960s, many of the city's slums were demolished, and replaced with housing schemes such as thePark Hill flats. Large parts of the city centre were also cleared to make way for a new system of roads.[18] In February 1962, the city was devastated by theGreat Sheffield Gale; winds of up to 97 mph (156 km/h) killed four people and damaged 150,000 houses, more than two-thirds of the city's housing stock at the time.[39] Increased automation and competition from abroad resulted in theclosure of many steel mills. The 1980s saw the worst of this run-down of Sheffield's industries, along with those of many other areas of the UK.[40] The building of theMeadowhall Centre on the site of a former steelworks in 1990 was a mixed blessing, creating much-needed jobs but hastening the decline of the city centre. Attempts to regenerate the city were kick-started when the city hosted the 1991World Student Games, which saw the construction of new sporting facilities such as theSheffield Arena,Don Valley Stadium and thePonds Forge complex.[18]
Sheffield is changing rapidly as new projects regenerate some of the more run-down parts of the city. One such, theHeart of the City Project, with £470 million investment,[41] has initiated a number of public works in the city centre: thePeace Gardens were renovated in 1998, theMillennium Gallery opened in April 2001, theWinter Gardens were opened in May 2003, and a public space to link these two areas, theMillennium Square, was opened in May 2006. Additional developments included the remodelling ofSheaf Square, in front of the refurbished railway station: the square contains "The Cutting Edge", a sculpture designed by Si Applied Ltd[42] and made from Sheffield steel. Recent development known as the 'Heart of the City' includes the restoration of the listed Leah's Yard complex.[43]
Sheffield was particularly hard hit during the2007 United Kingdom floods and the2010 'Big Freeze'. Many landmark buildings such as Meadowhall and theHillsborough Stadium flooded due to being close to rivers that flow through the city. In 2010, 5,000 properties in Sheffield were identified as still being at risk of flooding. In 2012 the city narrowly escaped another flood, despite extensive work by the Environment Agency to clear local river channels since the 2007 event. In 2014 Sheffield Council's cabinet approved plans to further reduce the possibility of flooding by adopting plans to increase water catchment on tributaries of the River Don.[44][45][46]Another flood hit the city in 2019, resulting in shoppers being contained in Meadowhall Shopping Centre.[47][48]
Between 2014 and 2018, there weredisputes between the city council and residents over the fate of the city's 36,000 highway trees. Around 4,000 highway trees have since been felled as part of the 'Streets Ahead'Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract signed in 2012 by the city council,Amey plc and theDepartment for Transport to maintain the city streets.[49] The tree fellings have resulted in many arrests of residents and other protesters across the city even though most felled trees in the city have been replanted, including those historically felled and not previously replanted.[50] The protests eventually stopped in 2018 after the council paused the tree felling programme as part of a new approach developed by the council for the maintenance of street trees in the city.[51]
In May 2022, Sheffield was named a "Tree City of the World" in recognition of its work to sustainably manage and maintain urban forests and trees.[52] This honour was given before the release of the independent inquiry's report on the so-called "Sheffield Chainsaw Massacre". The report concluded that "thousands of healthy and loved trees were lost. Many more could have been" and was critical of Sheffield City Council. 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".[53]
Sheffield is governed at the local level bySheffield City Council and is led by Councillor Tom Hunt (Assumed office 16 May 2023).[54] It consists of 84 councillors elected to represent 28 wards: three councillors per ward. Following the2024 local elections, the distribution of council seats isLabour 36,Liberal Democrats 27, theGreen Party 14,Conservative 0 andIndependent 7. The city also has aLord Mayor; though now simply a ceremonial position, in the past the office carried considerable authority, with executive powers over the finances and affairs of the city council. The position of Lord Mayor is elected on an annual basis.
For much of its history the council was controlled by the Labour Party, and was noted for itsleftist sympathies; during the 1980s, when Sheffield City Council was led byDavid Blunkett, the area gained the epithet the "Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire".[55] However, the Liberal Democrats controlled the Council between 1999 and 2001 and took control again from 2008 to 2011.
The area's partnership retains the Sheffield City Region name, covering the South Yorkshire authorities, as well asBolsover District,Borough of Chesterfield,Derbyshire Dales,North East Derbyshire andBassetlaw District. In 2014, theSheffield City Region Combined authority was formed by the South Yorkshirelocal authorities with the other councils as non-constituent members and the partnership integrated with the authority structure. In September 2020, the authority changed to its current name.[59]
The city returns five members of parliament to theHouse of Commons, with a sixth, the Member of Parliament forPenistone and Stocksbridge representing parts of Sheffield and Barnsley.[60] The former Deputy Prime MinisterNick Clegg was an MP for Sheffield, representingSheffield Hallam from2005 until he was unseated2017, when the seat returned a Labour MP for the first time in its history.[61]
Sheffield is a geographically diverse city.[63] It nestles in the eastern foothills of thePennines,[64] between the main upland range andPeak District National Park to the west, and the lower-lyingSouth Yorkshire Coalfield to the east. It lies at the confluence of five rivers:Don,Sheaf,Rivelin,Loxley andPorter. As such, much of the city is built on hillsides with views into the city centre or out to the countryside. Blake Street, in the S6 postcode area, is the third-steepest residential street in England, with a gradient of 16.6°.[65] The highest point in the City of Sheffield is 548 m (1,798 ft) nearHigh Stones andMargery Hill.[66] The city's lowest point is just 29 m (95 ft) above sea level nearBlackburn Meadows. However, 79% of the housing in the city is between 100 and 200 m (330 and 660 ft) above sea level[67] and the highest residential street is Redmires Lane at 302 m (991 ft).[68] This variation of altitudes across Sheffield has led to frequent claims, particularly among locals, that the city was built on Seven Hills. As this claim is disputed, it likely originated as a joke referencing theSeven Hills of Rome.[69][70]
Gleadless Valley, demonstrating the hilly terrain within the city
Estimated to contain around 4.5 million trees,[6] Sheffield has more trees per person than any other city in Europe and is considered to be one of the greenest cities in England and the UK,[71][72] which was further reinforced when it won the 2005Entente Florale competition. With more than 250 parks, woodlands and gardens, it has over 170 woodlands (covering 10.91 sq mi or 28.3 km2), 78 public parks (covering 7.07 sq mi or 18.3 km2) and 10 public gardens. Added to the 52.0 sq mi (134.7 km2) of national park and 4.20 sq mi (10.9 km2) of water this means that 61% of the city isgreenspace. Despite this, about 64% of Sheffield householders live further than 300 m (328 yd) from their nearest greenspace, although access is better in less affluent neighbourhoods across the city.[5][73] Sheffield also has a very wide variety ofhabitat, comparing favourably with any city in the United Kingdom: urban, parkland and woodland, agricultural and arable land, moors, meadows and freshwater-based habitats. There are six areas within the city that are designated assites of special scientific interest.[74]
The present city boundaries were set in 1974 (with slight modification in 1994), when the formercounty borough of Sheffield merged withStocksbridgeUrban District and two parishes from theWortley Rural District.[5] This area includes a significant part of the countryside surrounding the main urban region. Roughly a third of Sheffield lies in thePeak District National Park. No other English city had parts of a national park within its boundary,[75] until the creation in March 2010 of theSouth Downs National Park, part of which lies withinBrighton and Hove.
According to theKöppen classification, Sheffield has atemperateoceanic climate (Cfb) like the rest of the United Kingdom. The uplands of thePennines 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.[76] Between 1971 and 2000 Sheffield averaged 824.7 mm (32.47 in) of rain per year; December was the wettest month with 91.9 mm (3.62 in) and July the driest with 51.0 mm (2.01 in). July was also the hottest month, with an average maximum temperature of 20.8 °C (69.4 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in the city of Sheffield was 39.4 °C (102.9 °F), on 19 July 2022.[77] The average minimum temperature in January and February was 1.6 °C (34.9 °F),[78] though the lowest temperatures recorded in these months can be between −10 and −15 °C (14 and 5 °F), although since 1960, the temperature has never fallen below −9.2 °C (15.4 °F),[79] suggesting that urbanisation around the Weston Park site during the second half of the 20th century may prevent temperatures below −10 °C (14 °F) occurring.
The coldest temperature to be recorded was −8.2 °C (17.2 °F) in 2010.[80] (Note: The official Weston Park Weather Station statistics, which can also be viewed atSheffield Central Library, has the temperature at −8.7 °C (16.3 °F), recorded on 20 December, and states that to be the lowest December temperature since 1981.) The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city of Sheffield atWeston Park, since records began in 1882, is −14.6 °C (5.7 °F), registered in February 1895.[81] The lowest daytime maximum temperature in the city since records began is −5.6 °C (21.9 °F), also recorded in February 1895.[citation needed] More recently, −4.4 °C (24.1 °F) was recorded as a daytime maximum at Weston Park, on 20 December 2010 (from the Weston Park Weather Station statistics, which also can be viewed at Sheffield Central Library.) On average, through the winter months of December to March, there are 67 days during which ground frost occurs.[76]
The Weston Park Weather station, established in 1882, is one of the longest running weather stations in the United Kingdom. It has recorded weather for more than 125 years, and a 2008 report showed that the climate of Sheffield is warming faster than it has at any time during this period, with 1990 and 2006 being the hottest years on record.[87] In collaboration with theStockholm Environment Institute, Sheffield developed acarbon footprint (based on 2004–05 consumption figures) of 5,798,361 tonnes per year. This compares to the UK's total carbon footprint of 698,568,010 tonnes per year. The factors with the greatest impact are housing (34%), transport (25%), consumer (11%), private services (9%), public services (8%), food (8%) and capital investment (5%).[88] Sheffield City Council has signed up to the10:10 campaign.[89]
Sheffield is within agreen belt region that extends into the wider surrounding counties, and is in place to reduceurban sprawl, prevent the towns and areas in theSheffield built-up area conurbation from further convergence, protect the identity of outlying communities, encouragebrownfield reuse, and preserve nearby countryside. This is achieved by restricting inappropriate development within the designated areas, and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building.[90][91] The main urban area and larger villages of the borough are exempt from the green belt area, but surrounding smaller villages, hamlets and rural areas are 'washed over' with the designation. A subsidiary aim of the green belt is to encourage recreation and leisure interests,[90] with many rural landscape features and facilities included.
Sheffield is made up of many suburbs and neighbourhoods, many of which developed from villages orhamlets that were absorbed into Sheffield as the city grew.[18] These historical areas are largely ignored by the modern administrative and political divisions of the city; instead it is divided into 28 electoralwards, with each ward generally covering 4–6 areas.[92] These electoral wards are grouped into sixparliamentary constituencies. Sheffield is largelyunparished, butBradfield andEcclesfield have parish councils, andStocksbridge has a town council.[93]
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.
TheUnited Kingdom Census 2001 reported a resident population for Sheffield of 513,234, a 2% decline from the 1991 census.[95] The city is part of the widerSheffield urban area, which had a population of 640,720.[96]In 2011 the racial composition of Sheffield's population was 84%White (81%White British, 0.5%White Irish, 0.1%Romani orIrish Traveller, 2.3%Other White), 2.4% ofmixed race (1.0% White and Black Caribbean, 0.2% White and Black African, 0.6% White and Asian, 0.6% Other Mixed), 8%Asian (1.1%Indian, 4%Pakistani, 0.6%Bangladeshi, 1.3%Chinese, 1.0% Other Asian), 3.6%Black (2.1% African, 1%Caribbean, 0.5%Other Black), 1.5%Arab and 0.7% of other ethnic heritage.[97][failed verification] In terms of religion, 53% of the population are Christian, 6% are Muslim, 0.6% are Hindu, 0.4% are Buddhist, 0.2% are Sikh, 0.1% are Jewish, 0.4% belong to another religion, 31% have no religion and 7% did not state their religion.[98] The largestquinary group is 20- to 24-year-olds (9%) because of the large university student population.[99]
TheIndustrial Revolution served as a catalyst for considerable population growth and demographic change in Sheffield. Large numbers of people were driven to the city as thecutlery and steel industries flourished. The population continued to grow until the mid-20th century, at which point, due to industrial decline, the population began to contract. However, by the early 21st century, the population had begun to grow once again.
The population of Sheffield peaked in 1951 at 577,050, and has since declined steadily. However, the mid-2007 population estimate was 530,300, representing an increase of about 17,000 residents since 2001.[100]
Although a city, Sheffield is informally known as "thelargest village in England",[101][102][103] because of a combination of topographical isolation and demographic stability.[101] It is relatively geographically isolated, being cut off from other places by a ring of hills.[104][105] Local folklore insists that, like Rome, Sheffield was built "on seven hills".[105] The land surrounding Sheffield was unsuitable for industrial use,[101] and now includes several protectedgreen belt areas.[106] These topographical factors have served to restrict urban spread,[106] resulting in a relatively stable population size and a low degree of mobility.
After many years of decline, the Sheffield economy is going through a strong revival. The 2004Barclays Bank Financial Planning study[107] 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%. A survey byKnight Frank[108] revealed that Sheffield was the fastest-growing city outside London for office and residential space and rents during the second half of 2004. This can be seen in a surge of redevelopments, including theCity Lofts Tower and accompanyingSt Paul's Place, Velocity Living and the Moor redevelopment,[109] the forthcomingNRQ and theWinter Gardens,Peace Gardens,Millennium Galleries and many projects completed under theSheffield One redevelopment agency. The Sheffield economy grew from £5.6 billion in 1997 (1997GVA)[110] to £9.2 billion in 2007 (2007 GVA).[111]
The "UK Cities Monitor 2008" placed Sheffield among the top ten "best cities to locate a business today", the city occupying third and fourth places, respectively, for best office location and best newcall centre location. The same report places Sheffield in third place regarding "greenest reputation" and second in terms of the availability of financial incentives.[112]
Sheffield has an international reputation for metallurgy and steel-making.[113] The earliest official record of cutlery production, for which Sheffield is particularly well known, is from 1297 when a tax return for 'Robert the Cutler' was submitted.[114] A key reason for Sheffield's success in the production of cutlery lies in its geographic makeup. The abundance of streams in the area provided water power and the geological formations in theHope Valley, in particular, provided sufficient grit stones for grinding wheels.[114] In the 17th century, theCompany of Cutlers in Hallamshire, which oversaw the booming cutlery industry in the area and remains to this day, was established and focused on markets outside the Sheffield area, leading to the gradual establishment of Sheffield as a respected producer of cutlery.[114] this gradually developed from a national reputation into an international one.[114]
Stainless steel was invented byHarry Brearley in 1912, bringing affordablecutlery to the masses.[115][117] The work ofF. B. Pickering and T. Gladman throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was fundamental to the development of modern high-strength low-alloy steels.[118] Further innovations continue, with new advanced manufacturing technologies and techniques being developed on theAdvanced Manufacturing Park, situated just over the boundary in the borough of Rotherham, by Sheffield's universities and other independent research organisations.[119] Organisations located on the AMP include the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC, a research partnership between theBoeing Company and theUniversity of Sheffield), Castings Technology International (CTI),The Welding Institute (TWI),[120]Rolls-Royce plc andMcLaren Automotive.
Forgemasters steel works in Sheffield. The site was formerly run byVickers Limited which was founded in Sheffield in 1828 and became one of the most prominent engineering companies in the world.
Forgemasters, founded in 1805, is the sole remaining independentsteel works in the world and dominates the north-east of Sheffield around theLower Don Valley.[121] The firm has a global reputation for producing the largest and most complex steel forgings and castings and is certified to produce critical nuclear components, with recent projects including theRoyal Navy'sAstute-class submarines.[122] The firm also has the capacity for pouring the largest single ingot (570 tonnes) in Europe and is currently in the process of expanding its capabilities.[123] In July 2021 Forgemasters was bought outright by the UKMinistry of Defence for £2.56 million, with the intention of investing a further £400 million over the next decade.[124] The decision was based on the important role Forgemasters plays in the construction of the UK nuclear submarine fleet as well other vessels for theRoyal Navy.[124]
While iron and steel have long been the main industries of Sheffield,coal mining has also been a major industry, particularly in the outlying areas, and thePalace of Westminster in London was built usinglimestone fromquarries in the nearby village ofAnston.
The Diamond, at the University of Sheffield. The university is a major public sector employer in the city
Sheffield has a large public sector workforce, numbering 77,500 workers. During the period 1995–2008 (a period of growth for the city and many others in the UK), the number of jobs in the city increased by 22% and 50% of these were in the public sector.[125] Major public sector employers include theNational Health Service, The University of Sheffield,Sheffield Hallam University, and numerous government departments and agencies including theHome Office (Visas & Immigration),Department for Education &Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. Recently developed offices in St Paul's Place andRiverside Exchange play host to the aforementioned government departments.
Sheffield City Council, which is also a major public sector employer in the city, employs over 8,000 people, spread across four different sections (known as portfolios). Sheffield City Council is also theLocal Education Authority (LEA) and as such manages all states schools and their associated staff. As part of its mandate to provide public services, Sheffield City Council maintains contracts with three private contractors—Amey,Veolia andCapita (contract ending in 2020). Together, these contractors provide additional employment in the city.
A view ofSheffield City Centre. Some of the major shopping precincts can be seen in the left and centre of the image.The Moor shopping precinct
Sheffield is a major retail centre, and is home to manyhigh street anddepartment stores as well as designer boutiques.[126] The main shopping areas in the city centre are onThe Moor precinct,Fargate,Orchard Square and theDevonshire Quarter. Department stores in the city centre includeMarks and Spencer andAtkinsons. Sheffield's main market was onceCastle Market, built above the remains of the castle. This has since been demolished.[127]Sheffield Moor Market opened in 2013 and became the main destination for fresh produce. The market has 196 stalls and includes local and organic produce, as well as international fusion cuisine such as Russian, Jamaican and Thai.[128] In March 2021 it was announced that the Sheffield branch ofJohn Lewis would close due to falling sales and a move to online shopping, which had increased because of theCOVID-19 pandemic. John Lewis received £3 million of public funding from Sheffield City Council in 2020 to keep the local store open.[129] The localDebenhams branches are expected to re-open after the lifting of the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, but only to clear existing stock, after which it is expected the stores will close.[130][131]
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. Major developments includeLeopold Square,The Moor, St Paul's Place (a mixed use development) and theHeart of the City I & II projects. In March 2022 Sheffield City Council announced that a new leisure hub would be constructed at the southern end of Fargate. The £300,000 hub will feature cafes, shops and large-screen TVs for sports events.[132] The development is also related to other efforts to rejuvenate the Fargate area, such as a new mixed-use events and coworking hub at 20–26 Fargate, also overseen by Sheffield City Council.[133]
Meadowhall shopping centre, located to the north-east of Sheffield close to the boundary withRotherham and next to theM1 motorway, is a major regional shopping destination and currently rankedeleventh largest in the UK with a floorspace of 1.5 million sq ft (140,000 m2). Attracting over 30 million visitors a year (up from 19 million in its first year), the centre hosts 270 shops, 37 restaurants and a cinema.[134][135] Many nationally renowned brands have a presence at the centre includingMarks & Spencer,Hugo Boss andJaeger. The centre is connected to the city centre by rail,Supertram and bus services.[134] Prior to the opening of Meadowhall, the site was occupied for East Hecla (steel) works, a major employer in the north-east of the city. The opening of Meadowhall in 1990 marked the beginning of major rejuvenation in theLower Don Valley as the steel industry contracted. In a 2010 survey of forecast expenditure at retail centres in the United Kingdom, Meadowhall was ranked 12th andSheffield City Centre 19th.[136]
IKEA, Sheffield
To the South of Meadowhall shopping centre is Meadowhall Retail Park, a 190,500-square-foot (17,700 m2) retail park with 13 retail and food units.[137] Next to the retail park is the SheffieldIKEA store, opened in 2017. The opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries including the Swedish Ambassador to the UK.[138] The Sheffield store was the 20th opened in the UK and led to the creation of 480 new local jobs.
The second-largest shopping centre in Sheffield isCrystal Peaks, located in the south-east of the city, alongside Drakehouse Retail Park. Both the shopping centre and the retail park opened in 1988 and now attract around 11 million visitors a year.[139] In total there are 101 retailers (including eateries) at Crystal Peaks and Drakehouse, including a range of high street brands. Crystal Peaks also includes a travel interchange which serves as the hub for bus travel in the east and south-east of Sheffield.
Ecclesall RoadLittle Kelham in the Kelham Island Quarter
Beyond the city centre there are numerous other leisure and shopping areas. To the south-west of the city centre isEcclesall Road, a major thoroughfare connecting the south-western suburbs to the city centre and lined with bars, restaurants and cafes, as well as housing.[140] The area has a large student community owing to the presence of the Sheffield Hallam University Collegiate Campus adjacent to Ecclesall Road. The leisure section of the road is approximately 1.6 mi (2.5 km) long, with the south-western end becoming Ecclesall Road South and a predominantlyresidential area. Another popular shopping and leisure area isLondon Road, to the south of the city centre. The road is famous for its multicultural community which has led to an abundance of international cuisines being served at restaurants along the road. To the west of the city centre isBroomhill, a student-centric neighbourhood which also caters for school students as well local university students and NHS staff. To the north-west of the city centre areHillsborough, a large retail and sports hub, andStocksbridge Fox Valley, a modern leisure and retail centre built on a brownfield industrial site.[141]
In the late 2010s and early 2020s several new developments began to the north of the city centre in theKelham Island Quarter, an increasingly popular mixed-use development. The area has become known for its independent cafes, restaurants and pubs and has seen significant residential development in recent years.
Tourism plays a major role in the city's economy on account ofnumerous attractions—namely the Peak District, sports events (in particular, theSnooker World Championships) and musical festivals (such asTramlines). In 2019, the tourism industry in Sheffield was valued at £1.36 billion and supported 15,000 jobs.[142]
In 2012,Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone was launched to promote development in a number of sites in Sheffield and across the wider region. In March 2014 additional sites were added to the zone.[143]
Aerial view of Park Square, where the Sheffield Parkway meets the Sheffield Inner Ring Road
Motorways near the city are theM1 andM18.[144]Sheffield Parkway connects the city centre to the motorways. The M1 skirts the city's north-east and crossingTinsley Viaduct near Rotherham. The M18 branches from the M1 close to Sheffield, linking the city withDoncaster and ending atGoole.TheA57 andA61 roads are the majortrunk roads through Sheffield.[144] These run east–west and north–south, respectively, crossing in the city centre, from where the other major roads generally radiate spoke-like. An innerring road, mostly constructed in the 1970s and extended in 2007 to form a complete ring,[145] allows traffic to avoid the city centre, and anouter ring road runs to the east, south-east and north, nearer the edge of the city, but does not serve the western side of Sheffield.[144]
Coach services running through Sheffield are operated byNational Express and to a lesser extentMegabus andFlixbus. National Express services call atSheffield Interchange, Meadowhall Interchange and Meadowhead Bus Stop. Megabus and Flixbus services only call at Meadowhall. National Express services 564, 560, 350, 320, 310 and 240 call at Sheffield, as do others on a less frequent basis.[153] The 560/564 service is a direct connection to LondonVictoria Coach Station via Chesterfield andMilton Keynes, operating 12 times a day in both directions. The 350 and 240 services connect Sheffield toManchester Airport andHeathrow/Gatwick Airports, respectively.[154] Two Megabus services, the M12 and M20, call at Sheffield en route to London fromNewcastle upon Tyne andInverness, respectively.[155]
Although hilly, Sheffield is compact and has few major trunk roads, thereforecycling in Sheffield is a popular method of transport. It is on theTrans-Pennine Trail, aNational Cycle Network route running from west to east fromSouthport in Merseyside toHornsea in theEast Riding of Yorkshire and north to south fromLeeds in West Yorkshire toChesterfield in Derbyshire.[156] There are many cycle routes going along country paths in the woods surrounding the city, and an increasing number of cycle lanes in the city itself.
High Speed 2 had been planned to serve a city centre station in Sheffield as a spur from the main eastern HS2 line. It was scheduled to be operational by 2033, with four trains an hour, reducing journey times to London and Birmingham to 1 hour 19 minutes and 48 minutes, respectively.[159] In November 2021, the UK government published theIntegrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands which announced HS2's eastern spur route (between the East Midlands and Leeds, including Sheffield) had been cancelled. The document announced upgrades to the Midland Mainline, with HS2 trains able to run on this upgraded and electrified route.[160]
TheSheffield Supertram (not derived from theprevious tramways), opened in 1994 and was operated byStagecoach. The opening was shortly after the similarMetrolink scheme in Greater Manchester. The Supertram network consists of 37 mi (60 km) of track and four lines (with all lines running via the city centre): from Halfway toMalin Bridge (Blue Line), from Meadowhall toMiddlewood (Yellow Line), from Cathedral toHerdings Park (Purple Line),[163] and the fromCathedral toRotherham Parkgate (Black Line). The system contains both on-street and segregated running, depending upon the section and line. The Black Line opened in 2018,[164] withtram-trains; these are trams that are able to share a line with conventional heavy rail trains between Sheffield and Rotherham.
In March 2024, control of the network passed to the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority.[165]
Due to the topographical nature of the city, Sheffield was not served by its own airport. In May 1990,Sheffield Development Corporation entered into an agreement with A. F. Budge (Mining) Ltd for the construction and operation of the airport and the development of adjacent land. In 1997,Sheffield City Airport was opened on land close to the M1 and the Sheffield Parkway. The airport was operated on STOLPORT model similar toLondon City Airport and operated a limited range of short range business focused flights to destinations in theBritish Isles and theNetherlands. The airport fell into decline with the growth of low cost airlines in the late 1990s and the last scheduled flight took place in 2002. The airport closed and lost itsCivil Aviation Authority license in 2008.[168]
Doncaster Sheffield Airport (also known as Robin Hood Airport) then became the closest international airport to Sheffield, located 18 mi (29 km) from the city centre. It opened on 28 April 2005 on the formerRAF Finningley site and was served mainly by charter and budget airlines, with about one million passengers a year.[169] Destinations had included the Canary Islands, Balearics, Greece, Turkey, Poland and the Baltic countries withTUI Airways andWizz Air operating from the airport. A link road, called the Great Yorkshire Way, connects Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the M18 motorway, reducing the journey time from Sheffield city centre from 40 to 25 minutes.[170] The airport closed in 2022. In June 2023 South Yorkshire's mayorOliver Coppard handed Doncaster council £3.1 million to help the council build a case for legal action in pursuit of a compulsory purchase order, which it believes will cost up to £6.25 million.[171][172][173]
Sheffield's museums are managed by two distinct organisations.Museums Sheffield manages theWeston Park Museum (a Grade II* listed Building),Millennium Galleries andGraves Art Gallery.[175] These museums constitute the oldest extant museums in the city, with Graves Art Gallery and Weston Park Museum being gifted to the city by industrialist philanthropists in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Millennium Galleries, being established in the early 2000s, is one of the newest museums and constitutes part of the Heart of the City development, connecting directly to the Winter Garden and Millennium Square. All three museums host a broad range of exhibits which reflect Sheffield's history and numerous other themes, including exhibitions on loan from other major galleries and museums.
In August 2022 the Yorkshire Natural History Museum opened on Holme Lane in Sheffield. Many of the exhibits come from the collection of James Hogg and feature a collection of Jurassic marine life, such asammonites,belemnites,plesiosaurs andichthyosaurs, many of which were collected from the Lias of the Yorkshire Coast. The museum has Europe's first publicly accessible fossil preparation and conservation laboratory with ultrasonic preparation facilities, an acid preparation laboratory, 3D scanning, CT scanning and 3D printing.[180][181] On the opening day palaeontologist Dean Lomax exmined one of the fossils on display and declared it to be the oldest example of a vertebrate embryo found in Britain and the oldest complete ichthyosaur embryo ever found in Britain.[182]
Firth Court, the administrative and ceremonial centre of the University of Sheffield
The city's universities arethe University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University. The two combined bring about 60,000 students to the city every year.[183] The University of Sheffield is the city's oldest university. It was established in 1897 as University College Sheffield and gained university status in 1905. Its history traces back to Sheffield Medical School found in 1828, Firth College in 1879 and Sheffield Technical School in 1884. The university is one of the originalred brick universities and is a member of theRussell Group.
Sheffield Hallam University city campus seen from South Street Park
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a university on two sites in Sheffield. City Campus is located in the city centre, close to Sheffield railway station, andCollegiate Crescent Campus is about 2 mi (3.2 km) away, adjacent toEcclesall Road in south-west Sheffield. Sheffield Hallam University's history goes back to 1843 with the establishment of the Sheffield School of Design. During the 1960s several independent colleges (including the School of Design) joined to become Sheffield Polytechnic (Sheffield City Polytechnic from 1976) and was finally renamed Sheffield Hallam University in 1992.
Launched by thecoalition government in 2010, theUniversity Technical College program was designed to foster greater interest inSTEM subjects amongst students aged 14 to 18. Sheffield currently hosts two UTCs,UTC Sheffield City Centre andUTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park. All UTCs, including those in Sheffield, are sponsored by the Baker Dearing Educational Trust,[186] established byLord Baker. The two UTCs in Sheffield are also sponsored and supported by Sheffield Hallam University. Whilst the UTCs are equivalent to regular secondary schools and sixth forms, their governance structure and curriculum are different, owing to their status as free schools and focusing on STEM, as opposed to a broader curriculum.
Sheffield has a long sporting heritage, and the city claims to be the birthplace of professionalassociation football.[192] In 1857 a collective ofcricketers formed the world's first-ever official football club,Sheffield F.C.,[193] and the world's second-ever,Hallam F.C., who also play at theworld's oldest football ground[194] in the suburb ofCrosspool. Sheffield and Hallam are today Sheffield's two major non-league sides, although Sheffield now play just outside the city in nearbyDronfield, Derbyshire. Sheffield and Hallam contest what has become known as the Sheffield derby. By 1860 there were 15 football clubs in Sheffield, with the first ever amateur league and cup competitions taking place in the city.[195]
Sheffield is best known for its two professional football teams,Sheffield United, nicknamedThe Blades, andSheffield Wednesday, nicknamedThe Owls. United, who play atBramall Lane south of the city centre and Wednesday, who play atHillsborough in the north-west of the city, both compete in theEFL Championship for the2024–25 season. The two clubs contest theSteel City Derby, which is considered by many to be one of the most fierce football rivalries in English Football.[196]
In the pre-war era, both Wednesday and United enjoyed large amounts of success and found themselves two of the country's top clubs; Sheffield Wednesday have been champions of the Football League four times—in1902–03,1903–04,1928–29 and1929–30, whilst Sheffield United have won it once, in1897–98. During the 1970s and early 1980s the two sides fell from grace, with Wednesday finding themselves in theThird Division by the mid-70s and United as far as theFourth Division in1981. Wednesday once again became one of England's high-flying clubs following promotion back to theFirst Division in1984, winning theLeague Cup in 1991, competing in theUEFA Cup in 1992–93, and reaching the final of both theLeague Cup andFA Cup in thesame season.
United and Wednesday were both founding members of theFA Premier League in 1992, but The Blades were relegated in1994. The Owls remained until2000. Both clubs had gone into decline in the 21st century, Wednesday twice relegated toLeague One and United suffering the same fate in2011, despite a brief spell in the Premier League in2006–07. United was promoted to the Premier League in 2019 under manager, and Sheffield United Fan, Chris Wilder. 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. In the 2020–21 season, United sat at the bottom of the Premier League table by the conclusion of the season and were relegated.
Sheffield was the site of the deadliest sports venue disaster in the United Kingdom, theHillsborough disaster in 1989, when 97Liverpool supporters were killed in a stampede and crush during anFA Cup semi-final at the venue.
Rotherham United, who play in the Championship, did play their home games in the city between 2008 and 2012, having moved to play at Sheffield'sDon Valley Stadium in 2008 following a dispute with their previous landlord at their traditional home ground ofMillmoor, Rotherham. However, in July 2012, the club moved to the new 12,000 seatNew York Stadium in Rotherham. There are also facilities for golf,climbing and bowling, as well as a newly inaugurated national ice-skating arena (IceSheffield).
Sheffield Eagles RLFC are the city's professionalrugby league team and play their matches atSheffield Olympic Legacy Stadium. They currently play in the second tier of the professional league, theChampionship and won back to back titles in 2012 and 2013. Their most successful moment came in 1998, when, against all the odds they defeatedWigan in the Challenge Cup final, despite being huge underdogs. The team then hit troubled times before reforming in 2003. Since then they have played their rugby in the Championship (second tier). In 2011, they made the playoffs finishing in fifth place. They made the Grand Final, by defeatingLeigh, who were huge favourites in a playoff semi final. In the final, they were comprehensively beaten byFeatherstone Rovers. Sheffield also put in a bid to be a host city for the2013 Rugby League World Cup, but their bid was unsuccessful.
Sheffield is home to theSheffield Steelers professional ice hockey team who play out of the 9.300 seaterSheffield Arena and are known as one of the top teams in the UK, regularly selling out the arena. They have the 28th highest average attendance rating in Europe, and the highest in the UK. They play in the 10 team professionalElite Ice Hockey League. Sheffield is also home to the semi-professional ice hockey team Sheffield Steeldogs who play in the NIHL.
The Sheffield Ice Hockey Academy also are based in Sheffield, and play out ofIceSheffield, competing in the EIHA Junior North Leagues and have had one player,Liam Kirk, become the first born and trained British player to be drafted into the NHL, when he was drafted in theNHL entry draft 189th overall in 2018 by theArizona Coyotes. TheNational Hockey League'sStanley Cup was made in Sheffield in 1892. Sheffield is also home to theSheffield Steel Rollergirls, a roller derby team.
English Institute of Sport, SheffieldPonds Forge (bottom left) with Sheffield City Centre behind and Park Square in the bottom right
Many of Sheffield's sporting facilities were built for theWorld Student Games, which the city hosted in 1991, including Sheffield Arena and thePonds Forge international diving and swimming complex. Ponds Forge is also the home of Sheffield City Swimming Club, a local swimming club competing in theSpeedo league. The formerDon Valley International Athletics Stadium, once the largest athletics stadium in the UK, was also constructed for the Universiade games.[203]
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. The park is designed to a collaborative project with input from numerous stakeholders including both universities in Sheffield, the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, the NHS and private medical companies.[204] A key part of this collaboration is Sheffield Hallam University's £14 million Advanced Well-being Research Centre (AWRC), which was established along similar lines to the University of Sheffield'sAdvanced Manufacturing Research Centre's (AMRC's).[204] The site also includes teaching facilities, a stadium and research & innovation facilities.[204]
TheSheffield Ski Village was the largest artificialski resort in Europe, before being destroyed in a series of suspected arson attacks in 2012 and 2013. The city also has six indoor climbing centres and is home to a significant community of professional climbers, including Britain's most successful competitive climberShauna Coxsey. Sheffield was the UK's first National City of Sport and is now home to theEnglish Institute of Sport – Sheffield, where British athletes trained for the 2012 Olympics.[205]
Sheffield hosted the finish of Stage 2 of the2014 Tour de France. 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. The one point in theKing of the Mountains competition was claimed byChris Froome ofTeam Sky. The climb was just 0.8 km (0.5 mi) long at an average gradient of 10.8%. The stage was won by the eventual overall winner,Vincenzo Nibali ofAstana Pro Team.[210]
IceSheffield, an Ice Rink with 2Olympic sized rinks, was opened in May 2003, and is home to the Sheffield Steeldogs, Sheffield Ice Hockey Academy, and Sutton Sting amongst other teams. It is the host to the yearly EIHA Conference Tournament, EIHA Nationals, and Sheffield Junior Tournament.
TheSheffield Walk of Fame in the City Centre honours famous Sheffield residents past and present in a similar way to the Hollywood version.[214] Sheffield also had its own Ferris Wheel known as theWheel of Sheffield, located atop Fargate shopping precinct. The Wheel was dismantled in October 2010 and moved to London's Hyde Park.[215]
Heeley City Farm andGraves Park are home to Sheffield's two farm animal collections, both of which are fully open to the public.[216][217] Sheffield also has its own zoo; the Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife & Falconry Centre.[218]
There are about1,100 listed buildings in Sheffield (including the whole of theSheffield postal district).[219] Of these, only five are Grade I listed. Sixty-seven are Grade II*, but the overwhelming majority are listed as Grade II.[220] Compared to other English cities, Sheffield has few buildings with the highest Grade I listing:Liverpool, for example, has26 Grade Ilisted buildings. This situation led the noted architecture historianNikolaus Pevsner, writing in 1959, to comment that the city was "architecturally a miserable disappointment", with no pre-19th-century buildings of any distinction.[221] By contrast, in November 2007, Sheffield's Peace and Winter Gardens beat London's South Bank to gain theRoyal Institute of British Architects' Academy of Urbanism "Great Place" Award, as an "outstanding example of how cities can be improved, to make urban spaces as attractive and accessible as possible".[222] In the summer of 2016 a public art event across the city occurred called theHerd of Sheffield which raised £410,000 for theSheffield Children's Hospital.[223]
Sheffield has a reputed 4.5 million trees[6] and is considered to be one of the greenest cities in England and the UK.[224][72] There are many parks and woods throughout the city and beyond. Containing more than 250 parks, woodlands and gardens, there are around 78 public parks and 10 public gardens in Sheffield,[5] including 83 managed parks (13 'City' Parks, 20 'District' Parks and 50 'Local' Parks) located throughout the city.[225] Included in the city parks category are 3 of Sheffield's 6 public gardens (theSheffield Botanical Gardens, thePeace Gardens and Hillsborough Walled Gardens, with theSheffield Winter Gardens,Beauchief Gardens and Lynwood Gardens being the separate entities).
The Sheffield Botanical Gardens are on a 19-acre site located to the south-west of the city centre and date back to 1836. The site includes a large, Grade II listed, Victorian eraglasshouse. The Peace Gardens, neighboured next to theTown Hall and forming part of the Heart of the City project, occupy a 0.67 hectares (1.7 acres) site in the centre of the city. The site is dominated by its water features, principal among which is the Goodwin Fountain. Made up of 89 individual jets of water, this fountain lies at the corner of the quarter-circle shaped Peace Gardens and is named afterStuart Goodwin, a notable Sheffield industrialist. Since their redevelopment in 1998, the Peace gardens have received a number of regional and national accolades.[226] Hillsborough Walled Garden is located inHillsborough Park, to the north-west of the city centre. The gardens date back to 1779 and have been dedicated to the victims of theHillsborough Disaster since the redevelopment of the gardens in the early 1990s.[227]The Winter Garden, lying within theHeart of the City, is a large wood framed, glass skinnedgreenhouse housing some 2,500 plants from around the world.[228]
Also within the city there are a number ofnature reserves which when combined occupy 1,600 acres (6.5 km2) of land.[229] There are also 170woodland areas within the city, 80 of which are classed as ancient.[229]
The south-west boundary of the city overlaps with thePeak District National Park, the first national park in England (est. 1951).[230] As a consequence, several communities actually reside within both entities. The Peak District is home to many notable, natural, features and also human-made features such asChatsworth House, the setting for the BBC seriesPride and Prejudice.[231]
Sheffield City Council has created a new chain of parks spanning the hillside behindSheffield Station. The park, known as Sheaf Valley Park, has an open-air amphitheatre and will include an arboretum.[232] The site was once home to a medieval deer park, latterly owned by theDuke of Norfolk.[232]
Sheffield has two large theatres, theLyceum Theatre and theCrucible Theatre, which together with the smallerStudio Theatre make up the largest theatre complex outside London, located inTudor Square.[233] The Crucible Theatre, a grade II listed building, is the home (since 1977) of theWorld 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. The theatre was awarded the Barclays 'Theatre of the Year Award' in 2001. Between 2007 and 2009, the theatre underwent a £15 million refurbishment during which time major internal and external improvements were carried out. The Lyceum, which opened in 1897, serves as a venue for touringWest End productions and operas byOpera North, as well as locally produced shows. Sheffield also has theMontgomery Theatre, a small 420 seater theatre located a short distance from Tudor Square, opposite the town hall on Surrey Street.[234] There are also a large number of smaller amateur theatres scattered throughout the city.
Sheffield made the shortlist for the first city to be designatedUK City of Culture, but in July 2010 it was announced thatDerry had been selected.[235]
Sheffield has a number ofpubs throughout the city. West Street, running through the heart of theWest End district of the city centre, is home to pubs, bars and clubs and attracts student visitors. Recent additions to the city's leisure scene includeLeopold Square, situated just off the northern end of West Street andMillennium Square, which are home to several restaurants offering international cuisine. Aagrah, an Indian restaurant in the square which servesKashmiri cuisine, was prior to 2014 voted "Best Restaurant Group in the UK" at theBritish Curry Awards.[236]
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.[237]
Sheffield has a thriving poetry and spoken word scene: from Wordlife's events across the city to the sustained work of Sheffield Authors; from the vibrant monthly arts night, Verse Matters, at the Moor Theatre Deli to the longstanding work of The Poetry Business, there are always opportunities for new and experienced writers to get writing and to share their work.
The city is home to thirteenmorris dance teams—thought to be one of the highest concentration of sides in the country. Nearly all forms of the dance are represented in the city, includingCotswold (Five Rivers Morris,[238] Pecsaetan Morris,[239] Harthill Morris,[240] Lord Conyer's Morris Men,[241] Sheffield City Morris,[242] William Morris[243]),border (Boggart's Breakfast[244]),North West (Yorkshire Chandelier,[245] Silkstone Greens,[246] Lizzie Dripping[247]),rapper (Sheffield Steel Rapper[248]) andLongsword.
The Tramlines Festival was launched as an annual music festival in 2009,[250] it is held at Hillsborough Park (the main stage) and at venues throughoutSheffield City Centre, and features local and national artists.[251]
Sheffield has a folk music, song and dance community. Singing and music sessions occur weekly in pubs around the city and it also hosts the annual Sheffield Sessions Festival.[272] The University of Sheffield runs a number of courses and research projects dedicated to folk culture.[273]
The tradition of singing carols in pubs around Christmas is still kept alive in the city. The Sheffield Carols, as they are known locally, predate modern carols by over a century and are sung with alternative words and verses.[274] Although there is a core of carols that are sung at most venues, each particular place has its own mini-tradition. The repertoire at two nearby places can vary widely, and woe betide those who try to strike up a 'foreign' carol. 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.[275]
Sheffield has two commercial newspapers,The Star andSheffield Telegraph, both published byJPIMedia, which took over the assets ofJohnston Press PLC.The Star has been published daily since 1897; theSheffield Telegraph, now a weekly publication, originated in 1855.[277]
Sheffield has its own TV station;Sheffield Live TV, a not-for-profit company which began broadcasting on 23 September 2014.[278] SLTV has been awarded a 12-year licence to provide the digital terrestrial broadcasting service.[279][280][281] Regional broadcastersBBC Yorkshire andYorkshire Television also cover the city.
Sheffield Hospital Radio broadcasts a 24-hour service to the Royal Hallamshire, Northern General and Weston Park hospitals and also offers a dedicated patient visiting service. The charity is operated by volunteers from studios at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital.[284]
Valley Centertainment, located in theDon Valley, is the main out of town leisure complex in Sheffield. It opened in the 1990s and was built on land previously occupied bysteel mills across the road from what is now Sheffield Arena. It is anchored by a 20 screenCineworld complex which is the largest in the chain and contains the onlyIMAX screens and4DX screen in Sheffield.[293] Other features of the complex include abowling alley, several chain restaurants, an indoor play area as well as indoorlaser tag. Sheffield has six other cinema complexes, five of which are in the city centre and a one at Meadowhall—Odeon Sheffield, situated on Arundel Gate in the city centre,Curzon, which opened in 2015 in the former Sheffield Banking Company building on George Street,[294][295]The Light, located on The Moor and opened in 2017 as part of the regeneration project, andVue, located within Meadowhall Shopping Centre, are the three other mainstream cinemas in the city. TheShowroom, an independent cinema showing non-mainstream productions, is located inSheaf Square, close toSheffield station. In 2002 the Showroom was voted as the best Independent cinema in the country byGuardian readers.[296]
Sheffield is policed bySouth Yorkshire Police (aterritorial police force) whose headquarters are in the city. Sheffield constitutes one of its four District commands (Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham being the other three).[297] The force polices an area of approximately 600 sq mi (1,554 km2) and is the 13th-largest force inEngland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Oversight of South Yorkshire Police is conducted by the Police and Crime Commissioner,Alan Billings.
Medical services in Sheffield are provided by three NHS Foundation Trusts:
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides healthcare to people (primarily adults) throughout Sheffield and South Yorkshire. The trusts title includes the word 'teaching' because it undertakes training of medical students at the University of Sheffield and has strong links to Sheffield Hallam University as well. The trust has two campuses: The West Campus containing theRoyal Hallamshire Hospital, the Jessop Wing (maternity wing),Weston Park Hospital (specialist cancer treatment) andCharles Clifford Dental Hospital. TheNorthern General Hospital is the second 'campus' and is a large facility in the northern suburbs of Sheffield, containing the city's A&E department. Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust provides healthcare for children within the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire and the UK as a whole.[298] On 12 June 2020, 66 confirmed deaths caused by thecoronavirus were reported in theCrabtree and Fir Vale district in the three months up to May 2020. TheOffice for National Statistics said this was the highest number of coronavirus deaths of any area of England and Wales.[citation needed][299]
Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health services, services for people with learning disabilities, substance misuse services, long term neurological conditions, as well as a consortium of GP practises.[300] The Sheffield Institute for Motor Neurone Disease (also known as Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience – SITraN) has been developed by the University of Sheffield.[301]
Sheffield City Council is responsible for running fifteen libraries within the city and the Hospital Library Service at Weston Park Hospital. A further sixteen are run by community and volunteer groups with over 1,000 volunteers trained by Sheffield City Council.[304][305] The largest isSheffield Central Library which is collocated withGraves Art Gallery on Surrey Street, inSheffield City Centre. The Sheffield Central Library also contains the Local Studies Library with 30,000 items related to local history.
Domestic waste services in Sheffield are provided byVeolia Environmental Services under contract from and on behalf of the council. Council owned/run buildings are maintained byKier Group Sheffield in partnership with the council.[306][307]
Sheffield has a District Energy system that exploits the city's domestic waste, byincinerating it and converting the energy from it to electricity. It also provides hot water, which is distributed through over 25 mi (40 km) of pipes under the city, via two networks. These networks supply heat and hot water for many buildings throughout the city. These include not only cinemas, hospitals, shops and offices, but also universities (Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Sheffield), and residential properties.[308] Energy generated in a waste plant produces 60 megawatts of thermal energy and up to 19 megawatts of electrical energy from 225,000 tonnes of waste.[309]
Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, United States – This is mainly due to both cities' link with the manufacturing ofsteel, with both cities being known as "Steel City".
Two roads in Sheffield have been named after sister cities; a section of the A6102 in Norton is named Bochum Parkway; and a road inHackenthorpe is named Donetsk Way. Likewise in Bochum, Germany, there is a major road called the Sheffield-Ring.
^The area that is the subject of this article does not have legal city status of itself, but is widely regarded as a city since it is the main and nominate settlement in the City of Sheffield local government area.
^Pike, Alistair W. G.; Gilmour, Mabs; Pettitt, Paul; Jacobid, Roger; Ripoll, Sergio; Bahn, Paul; Muñoz, Francisco (2005). "Verification of the age of the Palaeolithic cave art at Creswell Crags, UK".Journal of Archaeological Science.32 (11):1649–1655.Bibcode:2005JArSc..32.1649P.doi:10.1016/j.jas.2005.05.002.
^abcdefgVickers, J. Edward (1999).Old Sheffield Town. An Historical Miscellany (2nd ed.). The Hallamshire Press Limited.ISBN1-874718-44-X.
^The wordWales derives from the Germanic wordWalhaz, and was originally used by the Anglo-Saxons to refer to the native Britons. In reference to the villages of Wales and Waleswood,S.O. Addy, in hisA Glossary of Words Used in the Neighbourhood of Sheffield, p. 274, states "The Anglo-Saxon invaders or settlers called the old inhabitants or aborigines of this country wealas, or foreigners." See also, "Welsh" inSimpson, Jacqueline; Roud, Stephen (1989).Oxford English Dictionary.Clarendon Press.ISBN0-19-210019-X.
^In an entry dated 827, theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle states "Egbert led an army against the Northumbrians as far as Dore, where they met him, and offered terms of obedience and subjection, on the acceptance of which they returned home" (transcriptionArchived 13 April 2018 at theWayback Machine). Most sources (for example Vickers,Old Sheffield Town) state that the date given in the chronicle is incorrect, and that 829 is the more likely date for this event.
^Hunter, Joseph (1819). "Sheffield underDe Busli andDe Lovetot".Hallamshire: The History and Topography of the Parish of Sheffield in the County of York. Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mayor, and Jones. pp. 24–29.
^Hey, David (1997). "The Establishment of the Cutlers Company". In Binfield, Clyde; Hey, David (eds.).Mesters to Masters: a History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire. Oxford University Press. pp. 12–25.ISBN0-19-828997-9.
^Tweedale, Geoffrey (1986). "Metallurgy and Technological Change: A Case Study of Sheffield Specialty Steel and America, 1830–1930".Technology and Culture.27 (2). The Johns Hopkins University Press on behalf of the Society for the History of Technology:189–222.doi:10.2307/3105143.JSTOR3105143.S2CID112532430.
^Southall, Aidan William (2000). "The transformation of the city: from the Feudal to the Capitalist mode of production, and on to the apocalypse".The city in time and space. Cambridge University Press. pp. 306–419.ISBN0-521-78432-8.
^"RAF Norton".sites.google.com.Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved2 November 2020.
^Walton, Mary; Lamb, Joseph Percy (1980).Raiders over Sheffield: the story of the air raids of 12th & 15th December 1940. Sheffield City Libraries.ISBN0-900660-55-4.OCLC7273086.
^Eden, Philip."The Sheffield Gale of 1962"(PDF).Royal Meteorological Society.Archived(PDF) from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved1 February 2022.
^Taylor, Ian R.; Evans, Karen; Fraser, Penny (1996). "The catastrophic decline of Sheffield's industrial district".A tale of two cities: global change, local feeling and everyday life in the North of England : a study in Manchester and Sheffield. Taylor & Francis. pp. 63–72.ISBN0-415-13829-9.
^"Home".Heart of Sheffield. Retrieved25 February 2025.
^Price, David (2008). "Blunkett and the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire".Sheffield Troublemakers: Rebels and Radicals in Sheffield History. Phillimore & Co. Ltd. pp. 149–160.ISBN978-1-86077-569-7.
^"Introducing Museums Sheffield".Museums Sheffield website. Sheffield Galleries & Museums Trust.Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved21 July 2009.
^"About SIMT".Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust website. Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust.Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved15 July 2010.
^Barbosa, O.; Tratalos, Jamie A.; Armsworth, Paul R.; Davies, Richard G.; Fuller, Richard A.; Johnson, Pat; Gaston, Kevin J. (2007). "Who benefits from access to green space? A case study from Sheffield, UK".Landscape and Urban Planning.83 (2–3):187–195.Bibcode:2007LUrbP..83..187B.doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.04.004.
^United Kingdom Census 2001."Sheffield (Local Authority)". Office for National Statistics. Archived fromthe original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved11 July 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^abcBaldwin, John; Bottoms, A. E.; Walker, Monica A. (1976).The urban criminal: a study in Sheffield. Social science paperbacks. Vol. 159. Taylor & Francis. p. 47.ISBN978-0-422-74870-4.
^Binfield, Clyde, ed. (1993).The History of the City of Sheffield, 1843–1993: Society. Vol. 2. Sheffield Academic Press. p. 5.ISBN978-1-85075-431-2.
^Burgoyne, Jacqueline Lesley; Clark, David (1984).Making a go of it: a study of stepfamilies in Sheffield. Routledge. p. 45.ISBN978-0-7102-0318-2.
^There are numerous sources showing the international reputation of Sheffield for metallurgy, and in particular steel and cutlery manufacture. Some examples are: theOxford English Dictionary, which begins its entry forSheffield, "The name of a manufacturing city of Yorkshire, famous for cutlery"; and theEncyclopædia Britannica, which in its entry for "Sheffield" states that by 1830 Sheffield had earned "recognition as the world centre of high-grade steel manufacture".David Hey in the preface to his 1997 bookMesters to Masters: A History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire. (Oxford University Press,ISBN0-19-828997-9) states "It (Sheffield) was known for its cutlery wares long before the incorporation of theCutlers' Company in 1624, and long before it acquired an international reputation as the steel capital of the world."
^Taylor, Ian R.; Evans, Karen; Fraser, Penny (1996). "Shop 'Til You Drop: The 'Nice Shops' and the Markets in Manchester and Sheffield".A tale of two cities: global change, local feeling and everyday life in the North of England: a study in Manchester and Sheffield. Taylor & Francis. pp. 115–162.ISBN0-415-13829-9.
^Bayliss, David (1997). "Bus Privatisation in Great Britain".Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Transport.123 (2):81–93.doi:10.1680/itran.1997.29377.
^Edwards, Lewis A. (2007). "Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation".Inland Waterways of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Read Books. pp. 269–273.ISBN978-1-4067-1470-8.
^Harman, R.; Minnis, J. (2004).Pevsner City Guides: Sheffield. Yale University Press. p. 3.ISBN0-300-10585-1.
^Campbell, Duncan (10 November 2007)."Sheffield honoured".The Guardian. London: Guardian News and Media Limited.Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved21 June 2009.
^"The Octagon Centre".The University of Sheffield Corporate Information and Computing Services. The University of Sheffield. Archived fromthe original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved13 August 2009.
^Pierce, Morris A. (1996)."Sheffield Heat and Power".District Energy in Great Britain. World Wide Web Virtual Library for District Energy. Archived fromthe original on 21 April 2009. Retrieved19 July 2009.
^"Facts & Figures".Veolia Environmental Services website. Veolia Environmental Services. Archived fromthe original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved6 August 2009.
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