Information AboutSheffield |
|
Sheffield is a 2005 ). It should be noted that this figure includes the whole area included in the city. Some population figures, for example those given at List Of English Cities By Population use just the urban core of the city and therefore are lower. and it is one of the eight largest English cities outside London that form the English Core Cities Group . The city has become world famous for its production of Steel . Many innovations in the industry have been developed locally, including Crucible and Stainless Steel . This fuelled an almost tenfold increase in the population since the start of Industrial Revolution . It gained its City Charter in 1893 and became officially titled the City of Sheffield. International competition caused a decline in local industry during the 1970s and 1980s, affecting Sheffield's population. In recent years the city has attempted to reinvent itself as a sporting and technology city; there are signs that this is reversing its fortunes. The present city boundaries were set in 1974, when the former 2005 ). GEOGRAPHY See Also: Geography of Sheffield Sheffield is located at . It lies directly beside 2005 ) Directly to the west of the city is the Peak District National Park and the Pennine hill range. Sheffield is the most geographically diverse city in England." Case Study—Sheffield, UK ". ''Greenstructures and Urban Planning.'' (Accessed , Sheaf , Rivelin , Loxley and Porter . As such, much of the city is built on hillsides with views into the city centre or out to the countryside. The city's lowest point is just 10 m above sea level, while some parts of the city are at over 500 metres (1,640 Ft ). However, 89% of the housing in the city is between 100 and 200 metres (330 & 660 ft) above sea level. With an estimated total of over two million trees, Sheffield has more trees per person than any other city in Europe. It has over 170 woodlands (covering 28.27 km&2 / 10.9 mi&2), 78 public parks (covering 18.30 km&2 / 7.1 mi&2) and 10 public gardens. Added to the 134.66 km&2 (52 Mi&2 ) of national park and 10.87 km&2 (4.2 mi&2) of water this means that 61% of the city is Greenspace . Sheffield also has more types of including several urban areas. People See also: List Of Famous Residents Of Sheffield People from Sheffield are called Sheffielders. They are also colloquially known to people in Barnsley, Rotherham and Chesterfield as "Dee-dars" (which derives from their pronunciation of the "th" in the dialectal words "thee" and "thou"),Alexander, Don (2001). ''Orreight Mi Ol': observations on dialect, humour and local lore of Sheffield & District''. Sheffield: ALD Design and Print. ISBN 1901587185 although the term is in decline and is not nearly as prevalent as "Scouse" is for "Liverpudlian" or "Geordie" is for "Novocastrian". Many Yorkshire dialect words and aspects of 2005 ) due to the Viking influence in this region. At the time of the 2005 ) Districts Main article: Districts Of Sheffield Sheffield is made up of numerous districts that vary widely in size and history. Many of these districts developed from villages or Hamlets that have become absorbed into Sheffield as the city has grown. For this reason, whilst the centre of most districts is easy to define, the boundaries of many of the districts are ambiguous. Some of the more famous districts sometimes are used to describe the surrounding area as well. One such district is Hillsborough , which has the Stadium named after it despite being located in Owlerton. The districts are largely ignored by the administrative and political divisions of the city; instead it is divided into 28 electoral 2005 ) with each ward generally covering 4–6 districts. The electoral wards are grouped into six Parliamentary Constituencies , although because of a different review cycle, the ward and constituency boundaries are currently not all conterminous. Sheffield is largely Unparished , but Bradfield and Ecclesfield have parish councils, and Stocksbridge has a town council. HISTORY Main article: History Of Sheffield The area that is now the City of Sheffield has been occupied since at least the last , Sheffield Castle was built to control the local settlements, and a small town developed that is the nucleus of the modern city. By 1296 a market had been established at what is now known as . From 1570 to 1584 Mary, Queen Of Scots was held as a prisoner in Sheffield Castle and Sheffield Manor . In the 1740s a form of the 2005 ) The influx of people also led to demand for better water supplies, and a number of new reservoirs were constructed on the outskirts of the town. The collapse of the dam wall of one of these reservoirs in 1864 resulted in The Great Sheffield Flood , a flood that killed 270 people and devastated large parts of the town. The growing population also led to the construction of a large number of back-to-back slums, which, along with severe pollution from the factories, inspired George Orwell , writing in 1937, to declare, "Sheffield, I suppose, could justly claim to be called the ugliest town in the Old World". George Orwell (1937). '' The Road To Wigan Pier '', chapter 7. A recession in the 1930s was only halted by the increasing tension as 2005 ) Following the war, in the 1950s and 1960s, many of the slums were demolished and replaced with housing schemes such as the were renovated in 1998, the Millennium Galleries opened in April 2001, and the Winter Gardens were opened on 22 May 2003 . A number of other projects grouped under the title Sheffield One aim to regenerate the whole of the city centre. INDUSTRY AND ECONOMY See Also: Economy of Sheffield List of hi-tech companies in Sheffield Sheffield has an international reputation for metallurgy and , ISBN 0198289979) states "It (Sheffield) was known for its cutlery wares long before the incorporation of the Cutlers' Company in 1624, and long before it acquired an international reputation as the steel capital of the world." Many innovations in these fields have been made in Sheffield. Benjamin Huntsman discovered the Crucible Technique in the 1740s at his workshop in Handsworth . This process was made obsolete in 1856 by Henry Bessemer 's invention of the Bessemer Converter . Thomas Boulsover invented Sheffield Plate (silver-plated copper) in the early 18th century. Stainless Steel was invented by Harry Brearley in 1912, and the work of F. B. Pickering and T. Gladman throughout the 1960s, '70s, and '80s was fundamental to the development of modern high-strength low-alloy steels. While iron and steel have long been the main industries of Sheffield, 2005 ) However, the industry is now less noticeable as it has become highly automated and employs far fewer staff than in the past. Sheffield is also a major retail centre, although it compares unfavourably with other major cities, it is home to many High Street and Department Store s as well as designer boutiques. The main city centre shopping areas are on The Moor precinct, Fargate , Orchard Square and the Devonshire Quarter . Department Store s in Sheffield City centre include John Lewis , Marks And Spencer , Atkinsons , Castle House Co-op and Debenhams . Sheffield's main Market is the Castle Market , built above the remains of the castle. Shopping areas outside the city centre include the Meadowhall Shopping Centre and retail park, Ecclesall Road , London Road , Hillsborough and the Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre . There are also several retail parks around Crystal Peaks. In a 2005 survey on spending potential, Meadowhall came 16th (second in out-of-town shopping centres behind 2005 ) After many years of decline, there are now signs that the Sheffield economy is seeing a revival. The 2004 2005 ) GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS Sheffield is governed by the elected Sheffield City Council . For most of the council's history it has been controlled by the Labour Party . There was, however, a brief period of Liberal Democrat control at the turn of the century. There are 84 councillors; the current council leader is Jan Wilson . The city also has a Lord Mayor . In the past the Office of Mayor had considerable authority, and carried with it executive powers over the finances and affairs of the city council. Today it is simply a ceremonial role. The current Lord Mayor is Roger Davison . The majority of council-owned facilities are now operated by independent charitable trusts. Sheffield International Venues runs many of the cities sporting and leisure facilities, including Sheffield Arena and Don Valley Stadium . Sheffield Galleries And Museums Trust and the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust take care of galleries and museums owned by the council. These include the Millennium Galleries , Lyceum Theatre and the Crucible Theatre . In 2004/5 the Gross Revenue Expenditure of £1,229 million was distributed as follows: Sheffield City Council Statement of Accounts 2004/2005 (Accessed 26 December 2005 )
The city currently returns six MPs to the House Of Commons , but this will be reduced to five at the next election as one constituency is shared with Barnsley. International links Sheffield is formally twinned with: There are more informal links with: SPORT See Also: Sport in Sheffield Sheffield has a long sporting heritage. In 1857 a collective of and Hallam F.C. (the two oldest club sides in the world). Sheffield also has close ties with Snooker , due to the fact that the city's Crucible Theatre is the venue for the World Snooker Championships . The English Squash open is also held there every year. The city also boasts the Sheffield Eagles Rugby League , Sheffield Sharks Basketball and Sheffield Steelers Ice Hockey teams. Sheffield is home to 2004 World Superbike champion James Toseland and of climber Joe Simpson . Former athlete and world record holder, Sebastian Coe grew up in the city and began his career as a member of the Hallamshire Harriers . Many of Sheffield's extensive sporting facilities were built for the World Student Games , which the city hosted in 1991. They include the Don Valley International Athletics Stadium , Sheffield Arena , and Ponds Forge international diving and swimming complex, where Olympic medallist Leon Taylor trains. There are also facilities for golf, climbing and bowling, as well as a newly inaugurated (2003) national ice-skating arena ( IceSheffield ). The Sheffield Ski Village is the largest artificial Ski resort in Europe.The city also has two indoor Climbing centres. Sheffield was the UK's first National City of Sport and is now home to the English Institute Of Sport (EIS). Sheffield has taken a bid to either host the 2014 Commonwealth Games or the 2018 Commonwealth Games CULTURE AND ATTRACTIONS See Also: Culture of Sheffield 7.2% of Sheffield's working population are employed in the creative industries, well above the national average of 4%. Open Up Sheffield is an annual event over the first two weekends in May where local Visual Art ists and fine Craft workers invite the public to their studios and other venues. Music Sheffield has been the home of several well-known bands and musicians, with an unusually large number of label Warp Records was a central pillar of the Yorkshire Bleeps And Bass scene of the early 1990s, and has gone on to become one of Britain's oldest and best-loved dance music labels. Moloko and Autechre , one of the leading lights of so-called Intelligent Dance Music , are also based in Sheffield. The city is also home to a number of nightclubs including Gatecrasher One , one of the most popular Nightclub s in the north of England and Corporation, a more rock and metal nightclub popular with many students. Sheffield has also seen the birth of 2005 ), Milburn , the Math Rock band 65daysofstatic , classic rockers Firegarden and 21st century blues merchants Outroads are four of the most recent additions to the list. The city's ties with music were acknowledged in 1999, when the National Centre For Popular Music , a Museum dedicated to the subject of Popular Music , was opened. 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 . Live music venues in the city include the Leadmill , Corporation , the Boardwalk , the City Hall , the University Of Sheffield and the Studio Theatre at the Crucible Theatre . Smaller venues supporting the local scene include The Grapes , D 'n' R Live (formerly Under The Boardwalk) and The Cricketers . Sheffield also has a number of local orchestras including the Sheffield Symphony Orchestra. Attractions Sheffield has two major theatres, the 2005 ) There are four major Art Galleries , including the modern Millennium Galleries and the Site Gallery , which specialises in multimedia. The city also has a number of other attractions such as the Sheffield Winter Gardens and the Peace Gardens . The Botanical Gardens are currently undergoing a £6.7-million-pound restoration. There is also a city farm at Heeley City Farm and a second animal collection in Graves Park that is open to the public. The city also has several Museum s, including the Sheffield City Museum , the Kelham Island Museum , the Sheffield Fire And Police Museum , Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet and Shepherd Wheel . Victoria Quays is also a popular canal-side leisure and office quarter.
Large parts of the city are designated as Sites Of Special Scientific Interest (areas of land which the British Government considers to be of special interest by virtue of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features) including several urban areas. Media and film , part of the University of Sheffield]] The films '' The Full Monty '', '' Threads '', '' When Saturday Comes '' and '' Whatever Happened To Harold Smith? '' were based in the city. '' F.I.S.T. '' also included several scenes filmed in Sheffield. Sheffield's daily Newspaper is the '' Sheffield Star '', complemented by the weekly '' Sheffield Telegraph ''. The BBC 's Radio Sheffield and the independent Hallam FM and sister station Magic AM broadcast to the city. The Sheffield International Documentary Festival , the UK's leading documentary festival, has been run annually since 1994 at the Showroom Cinema . A song by The Clash titled " This Is England " features the lyric: "This is England / This knife of Sheffield steel / This is England / This is how we feel." Education Sheffield has two Universities , the University Of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University . The two combined bring 45,000 students to the city every year, including many from the Far East . As a result of its large student population, Sheffield has many bars, cafes, clubs and shops as well as student housing to accommodate them. Sheffield College is the city's only College . It was created from the merger of six colleges around the city. These have been reduced to just three. Castle College in the city centre, Hillsborough College and Norton College. There are also 141 Primary Schools and 23 Secondary Schools , of which seven have Sixth Form s, most notably, Silverdale School , High Storrs School and King Edward School in the south of Sheffield. There are also seven private schools. TRANSPORT See Also: Transport in Sheffield National and international travel Sheffield is linked into the national motorway network via the M1 and M18 motorways. The M1 skirts the north-east of the city, linking Sheffield with London to the south and Leeds to the north; the M18 branches from the M1 close to Sheffield, linking the city with Doncaster , Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the Humber ports. The Sheffield Parkway connects the city centre with the motorways. The topography of Sheffield makes it unsuitable for a large rail system. The 2005 ) The closest international airport to Sheffield is Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield , which is located 18 miles from the city centre. The Airport opened on April 28 2005 and is served mainly by Budget Airlines . Sheffield also has a city airport, Sheffield City Airport , which opened in 1997 but no longer has scheduled flights. Manchester International Airport , Leeds Bradford International Airport and Nottingham East Midlands Airport all lie within a one hour's drive of the city. Local travel The A57 and A61 Road s are the major trunk roads through Sheffield. These run east-west and north-south, respectively, crossing in the city centre. Other major roads generally radiate spoke-like from the city centre. An inner Ring Road , mostly constructed in the 1970s and currently (2006) being extended to form a complete ring, allows traffic to avoid the city centre, and an outer "ring road" runs around the eastern edge of the city. at Castle Square.]] Public transportation is provided by , 31 January 2006 . For cycling, although hilly, Sheffield is compact and has few major trunk roads running through it. It is on the Trans-Pennine Trail , a National Cycle Network route running from Southport in the north-west to Hornsea in the East Riding , and has a developing Strategic Cycle Network within the city. Sheffield is close to the Peak District National Park , an area of outstanding natural beauty popular with both on- and off-road cyclists. SEE ALSO REFERENCES AND NOTES EXTERNAL LINKS
Guides |
|
|