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Sheffield
KNOWLEDGE OF Sheffield
Sheffield, now England's fourth city, was badly bombed during World War Two, when many of its oldest buildings were destroyed. Today much of its architecture is modern, but remnants of its past still survive, scattered around the city centre and suburbs.
Early and General History
The remains of an Iron Age settlement still exist, at Wincobank Hill Fort, on the city's northern outskirts. However, Sheffield did not begin to grow into a town until the twelfth century, when it developed around a Norman castle built where the River Sheaf and the River Don join. Both this timber castle and the stone version built to replace it in 1270 have now disappeared, but the Castle Foundations are still intact, accessible via a door which leads down beneath the city's Castle Market.
Mary Queen of Scots, who was held prisoner in Sheffield between 1570 and 1584, was housed both in the castle and in the "Turret House" of Sheffield's original Manor Lodge. (Both can be visited by groups who pre-book, but a good view of the exteriors is also available from Manor Lane.)
Sheffield's oldest surviving building is the Old Queen's Head pub in Pond Hill. The pub dates from around 1480 and its timber frame is still intact. Bishop's House (now a museum) dates from around 1500. Various monuments which document Sheffield's history can be found around the city; these include a surviving Police Box; the Cholera Monument (a tribute to victims of the devastating cholera outbreak which Sheffield experienced in 1832); the "Mi Amigo" memorial stone and the King Ecgbert Memorial at Dore, which dates from 829.
Local Industry
Sheffield has a worldwide reputation for its steel and cutlery industries, both of which are still active today. Cutlery-making has been established as a local trade since the Middle Ages and signs of this heritage are visible throughout the city. Specialist cutlery shops still trade; Cutlers' Hall (built in 1832) still stands, and Mr Shepherd's Wheel and Grinding Shop, where water-powered machines originally used to sharpen cutlery are displayed, has been preserved as a museum. A Monument to Thomas Boulsover, who invented Sheffield Plate in 1742, marks the site of his mill, off Whiteley Wood Road. The Joseph Rodgers & Sons plaque is a tribute to one of Sheffield's foremost cutlery firms.
In the mid 18th century, industrialists taking advantage of the coal, iron ore and streams naturally available in the region began to produce steel. Crucible steel was invented by Benjamin Huntsman, who set up Attercliffe Works in 1772 and the industry took off. Within a hundred years, Sheffield had become the world's dominant steel-producing area. Large factories were erected and huge developments of terraced houses were built for the workers. Steel-making factories still exist in Sheffield, and the Kelham Island Industrial Museum offers an excellent introduction to Sheffield's industrial past. One of Henry Bessemer's famous "Converters", which from 1855 allowed steel to be produced more cheaply and on a much larger scale than previously, is displayed here. Huntsman's house and grave can also be visited.
Other Sheffield industries include the famous Bassett factory, which began business in 1842 and still produces Liquorice Allsorts and Jelly Babies and stainless steel, which was also invented locally, and is now exported throughout the world. The first branch of Thornton's was also based in Sheffield.
Early and General History
The remains of an Iron Age settlement still exist, at Wincobank Hill Fort, on the city's northern outskirts. However, Sheffield did not begin to grow into a town until the twelfth century, when it developed around a Norman castle built where the River Sheaf and the River Don join. Both this timber castle and the stone version built to replace it in 1270 have now disappeared, but the Castle Foundations are still intact, accessible via a door which leads down beneath the city's Castle Market.
Mary Queen of Scots, who was held prisoner in Sheffield between 1570 and 1584, was housed both in the castle and in the "Turret House" of Sheffield's original Manor Lodge. (Both can be visited by groups who pre-book, but a good view of the exteriors is also available from Manor Lane.)
Sheffield's oldest surviving building is the Old Queen's Head pub in Pond Hill. The pub dates from around 1480 and its timber frame is still intact. Bishop's House (now a museum) dates from around 1500. Various monuments which document Sheffield's history can be found around the city; these include a surviving Police Box; the Cholera Monument (a tribute to victims of the devastating cholera outbreak which Sheffield experienced in 1832); the "Mi Amigo" memorial stone and the King Ecgbert Memorial at Dore, which dates from 829.
Local Industry
Sheffield has a worldwide reputation for its steel and cutlery industries, both of which are still active today. Cutlery-making has been established as a local trade since the Middle Ages and signs of this heritage are visible throughout the city. Specialist cutlery shops still trade; Cutlers' Hall (built in 1832) still stands, and Mr Shepherd's Wheel and Grinding Shop, where water-powered machines originally used to sharpen cutlery are displayed, has been preserved as a museum. A Monument to Thomas Boulsover, who invented Sheffield Plate in 1742, marks the site of his mill, off Whiteley Wood Road. The Joseph Rodgers & Sons plaque is a tribute to one of Sheffield's foremost cutlery firms.
In the mid 18th century, industrialists taking advantage of the coal, iron ore and streams naturally available in the region began to produce steel. Crucible steel was invented by Benjamin Huntsman, who set up Attercliffe Works in 1772 and the industry took off. Within a hundred years, Sheffield had become the world's dominant steel-producing area. Large factories were erected and huge developments of terraced houses were built for the workers. Steel-making factories still exist in Sheffield, and the Kelham Island Industrial Museum offers an excellent introduction to Sheffield's industrial past. One of Henry Bessemer's famous "Converters", which from 1855 allowed steel to be produced more cheaply and on a much larger scale than previously, is displayed here. Huntsman's house and grave can also be visited.
Other Sheffield industries include the famous Bassett factory, which began business in 1842 and still produces Liquorice Allsorts and Jelly Babies and stainless steel, which was also invented locally, and is now exported throughout the world. The first branch of Thornton's was also based in Sheffield.
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