|
Sheffield is the fourth
largest city in England.
The city lies in a natural amphitheatre
created by seven hills and takes its name from the settlement's
original location in a field beside the River Sheaf.
Set close to iron ore deposits,
and near oak woods for charcoal and fast flowing streams for
power, Sheffield became a centre for metal trades from the
14th century onwards.
By 1600 the town had become England's
major producer of cutlery. In 1740 Benjamin Huntsman
invented the crucible process in Sheffield and not long after
Thomas Boulsover developed silver plate, known throughout
the world as 'Sheffield Plate'. These innovations spurred
the growth of the industrial town.
In the 19th century the Industrial
Revolution saw a further increase in the town's population
and in 1893 Sheffield was granted a city charter.
Sheffield's impressive city hall,
opened by Queen Victoria in 1897, is crowned by a statue of
Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking. The
neo-classical Cutlers Hall, dating from 1832, stands opposite
Sheffield Cathedral.
International competition lead
to a decline in Sheffield's steel industry during the 1970s
and 1980s. Although steel-making has almost ceased,
the city's industrial past is reflected in its range of museums
and heritage sites. The Kelham Island Museum illustrates
Sheffield's industrial history and the Traditional Heritage
Museum details local trades and crafts.
At the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet,
a short distance from the city, visitors can discover how
steel was produced and see how the steelworkers and their
families lived.
Today Sheffield has become a
cultural centre with many galleries, museums and theatres
to visit and enjoy.
The Bishop's
House Museum, built in around 1500, contains many
original features and appears as it would have done in the
17th century.
Other visitor attractiions include
the City Museum and Mappin Art Gallery, which has been transformed
into the Weston
Park Museum which reopened in 2006. Other art galleries
in Sheffield include the Ruskin Gallery, Graves Gallery and
the Millenium Galleries.
The Crucible Theatre, Lyceum
Theatre and Sheffield Crucible Studio form the largest theatre
complex outside London. The
city also has some of the best night clubs in the country.
Sheffield's city centre has broad
pedestrianised streets, shopping centres such as the Forum
and Castlegate Market and yust off the M1 (at junction 34)
stands Meadowhall, one of Europe's top shopping malls. Built
in 1990, on the site of former steel mill, Meadowhall
is just a short ride from the city centre by Supertram.
Sheffield is one of the greenest
in Europe, with over 200 parks, gardens and woodlands, and
many canalside walks and nature trails. The Winter Garden,
Europe's largest indoor temperate glass house, with over 2,500
exotic plants, is a new landmark in the city centre.
Sheffield is also surrounded
by some spectacular scenery. About a third of Sheffield
lies in the beautiful Peak District National Park (no other
English city contains part of a National Park within its boundary).
Nearby stand the historic houses of Chatsworth and Hardwick
Hall to you to visit.
Sheffield is Britains first National
City of Sport, boasting some world-class venues for spectactor
sports including Olympic standard swimming and diving pools,
indoor climbing facilities, the largest all season ski resort
in the country, and Ice Sheffield. The famous teams
of Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday represent the
city in the football league.
|
the internet holiday and travel guide to the UK
Sheffield
