Sheffield: a short guide

Sheffield’s wealth was built on two things, namely cutlery and Sheffield plate (a thin film of silver fixed to base metal), but its contemporary claims to fame are focussed on two very different attractions, these being the Meadowhall Shopping Centre and the World Snooker Championships held at the Crucible Theatre. However, Sheffield has more to offer than just its industrial background and modern commercial and sporting features.

Getting around Sheffield has become much easier in recent years thanks to the Supertram that runs through the city centre and extends to Meadowhall in the east and the northern and southern suburbs. Visitors will also benefit from the many pedestrianized streets in the city centre and the fact that many of the places of interest are in fairly close proximity.

The Town Hall was opened in 1897 and extended in 1923. The impressive clock tower is surmounted by a figure of Vulcan, the Roman god of metalworking, and the sculptured frieze above the main entrance features the industries that Sheffield is famous for, but are sadly little in evidence today.

The Town Hall is best viewed from the Peace Gardens, the main feature of which is the Goodwin Fountain with 89 separate water jets that children will delight in running through.

To the right of the Peace Gardens (if looking towards the Town Hall) is the modern Winter Garden (completed in 2003). This wood, steel and glass construction rises to 21 metres (69 feet) and contains more than 2,000 plants including exotic species from around the world.

The Winter Garden provides access to the Millennium Gallery which mounts temporary exhibitions and has two permanent displays, namely the Metalwork Collection and the Ruskin Gallery.

The Metalwork Collection features the industry from which Sheffield developed, displaying examples of wares from the 16^th century onwards. There are also exhibits from around the world and examples of contemporary metalwork art.

The Ruskin Gallery was originally created by John Ruskin, the Victorian writer and critic, to uplift the spirits of Sheffield’s industrial workers by introducing them to literature and the arts. The collection includes many fine watercolours, paintings and illuminated manuscripts.

Also close by is Graves Gallery (above the Central Library). This houses the city council’s visual arts collection that covers more than 300 years of British and European art, with regular temporary exhibits alongside the permanent collection. Artists represented in the latter include Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec.

Just round the corner is the famous Crucible Theatre, opened in 1971 to a design that means that no member of the audience is more than 22 metres (72 feet) from the stage. This makes it the venue ideal not just for snooker championships but for intimate drama productions in which the performers and audience feel a genuine connection with each other. There is a second theatre attached to the Crucible, namely the smaller Studio Theatre, and only a few yards away is the Edwardian Lyceum Theatre, which was built on more traditional lines.

A short walk takes the visitor to Sheffield Cathedral. As Sheffield did not have city status until 1914, this building was the parish church before that time and so was not built along the lines of cathedrals in older English cities such as Lincoln or Salisbury. That said, Sheffield Cathedral does have many features of architectural interest from the 15^th century to the 20^th. The building plays an important role in the secular life of the city, being the venue for many arts and music events.

Sheffield is a city that takes sport very seriously, boasting three Football League clubs (Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United and Rotherham United), a Rugby League club (Sheffield Eagles), a major ice hockey team (Sheffield Steelers) and a top flight basketball team (Sheffield Sharks). Sheffield plays host to the English Institute of Sport where many different sports events are held.

Close to the city centre is the magnificent Ponds Forge International Leisure Centre which offers a huge range of facilities of international quality, including the deepest diving pool in the UK. The Centre attracts more than 1.3 million visitors a year, either to participate or spectate.

Shoppers have plenty of choice in Sheffield, although many people get no further than the vast Meadowhall Centre with its 300 shops and easy access from the M1 motorway. City centre areas worth exploring are around Fargate (between the Town Hall and Cathedral) and Devonshire Street (a few streets further west of the centre but easily reached by tram). Castle Market (on the site of the old Sheffield Castle next to the River Don) has more than 200 stalls offering fresh produce and other goods.

Sheffield is an excellent centre for exploring the Peak District which is only a few miles from the city centre. A short bus ride will take you into wild and open countryside affording magnificent views over the city and beyond. Sheffield is not far from Chatsworth House, one of the best stately homes in England.

Needless to say, a short article cannot hope to do justice to everything that a major city such as Sheffield has to offer the visitor. The above must be regarded as a set of suggestions to whet the appetite rather than a comprehensive guide.

© John Welford