The Castlegate Quarter is one of the eleven quarters of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. It is named after Castlegate, the quarter's main thoroughfare. The boundaries of the Castlegate Quarter are formed by Castlegate and the River Don to the north, Exchange Place to the east, Commercial Street and part of the

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

to the south, and Angel Street and Snig Hill to the west. For the latter part of the 20th century, the Castlegate Quarter was dominated by

Castle Market Castle Market was an indoor market in Sheffield city centre, England. The building lay in the north east of the present city centre, by the River Don, and was built on top of the remains of Sheffield Castle, which could still be seen via guided ...

, a large indoor market building. Following the demolition of Castle Market in 2015, the quarter is now undergoing regeneration as of 2020. The quarter's eponymous road, Castlegate, was originally part of the main thoroughfare from the city centre to the north of the city, linking Park Square to

The Wicker The Wicker is an arterial street in Sheffield, England noted for its history and viaduct that crosses it, the Grade II* listed ''Wicker Arches''. It runs in a north-east to south-westerly direction between Lady's Bridge and the Wicker Arches. ...

; however, the completion of the Sheffield Northern Relief Road dual-carriageway in 2007 redirected traffic away from the Castlegate area, and the road was downgraded. Castlegate was built along the southern bank of the River Don along the north side of what was once

Sheffield Castle Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been ...

, and was originally the location of several slaughterhouses. It has also subsequently served as a back entrance to the Alexandra Opera House and then the Castle Market, which was constructed in the 1960s to provide permanent accommodation to tradesmen. Castle Market closed in November 2013 with the opening of the Moor Markets across the city centre, and demolition of Castle Market commenced in 2015. The foundations of the old Sheffield Castle, from which the area takes its name, were rediscovered following the demolition of the market building. In August 2018, archaeologists began excavations of the castle foundations in order to return them to public view for the first time in hundreds of years.

Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Contr ...

subsequently invested £5 million as part of ''Grey to Green Phase Two'', a regeneration plan for the Castlegate Quarter following the closure of the market, which includes removing the

River Sheaf The River Sheaf in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, flows northwards, past Dore, through Abbeydale and north of Heeley. It then passes into a culvert, through which it flows under the centre of Sheffield before joining the River Don. T ...

from its culvert close to its confluence with the River Don and creating a new riverside park incorporating the castle ruins. As part of the scheme, Castlegate was

pedestrianised Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

and its bus stops were relocated onto surrounding roads. In October 2021, Sheffield City Council was awarded 'levelling up' funding for the deculverting of the River Sheaf and the restoration of the former Castle site into a city centre park.

Castlegate

Alongside the Castlegate Quarter is Castlegate the street. This was subject to a scheme called 'Grey to Green' which restored the road from an urban dual carriageway to a linear urban park.

References

Sheffield City Centre (quarters) {{SouthYorkshire-geo-stub