Devonshire Green is a small public open space at within

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 ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

, England. It covers an area of approximately 9000 square metres and is designated as a district park by

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 ...

. It stands in the

Devonshire Quarter The Devonshire Quarter is an area in the centre of Sheffield, England. Its heart is the Division Street and Devonshire Street shopping areas, known for their small independent shops and variety of pubs and bars. The district also has ''The Forum ...

of the city centre, bordered on its four sides by Devonshire Street, Fitzwilliam Street, Eldon Street and Wellington Street. It is the only large green space in the city centre.

History

Prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the area which is now Devonshire Green was a neighbourhood of housing and small firms. This area had originally been built in the first half of the 19th century on land belonging to William FitzWilliam, the 4th

Earl FitzWilliam Earl Fitzwilliam (or FitzWilliam) was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family (later Wentworth-Fitzwilliam). History The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in the ...

Wentworth Woodhouse Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I listed country house in the village of Wentworth, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is currently owned by the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. The building has m ...

who was the local lord of the manor.''"A History of Sheffield"'',

David Hey David G. Hey (18 July 1938 – 14 February 2016) was an English historian, and was an authority on surnames and the local history of Yorkshire. Hey was the president of the British Association for Local History, and was a published author of seve ...

, Page 116 Gives early history of Devonshire Green area.''"Old Ordnance Survey Maps : Sheffield (West)"'', Gives history and pre war street names. The Devonshire Green area of Sheffield was heavily bombed in the

Sheffield Blitz The Sheffield Blitz is the name given to the worst nights of German ''Luftwaffe'' bombing in Sheffield, England, during the Second World War. It took place over the nights of 12 December and 15 December 1940. In 1940, Sheffield was a city o ...

of December 1940 with the thoroughfares of Chester Street, Devonshire Lane and the upper part of Broomhall Street being badly damaged and left as a bomb site.''"Pevsner Architectural Guides – Sheffield"'', Ruth Harman & John Minnis, Page 128 States that Devonshire Green was a bomb site after the war. After the war the site was cleared and remained as an undeveloped area, eventually serving as a temporary car parking area for the city centre. In 1981 Devonshire Green was created as a public green area with seating and pedestrian footpaths crossing it, it was officially dedicated to those who died in the Blitz of 1940. In the 1990s a floodlit

skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, q ...

was built on the southern part of the Green for

skateboard A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks. The skateboarde ...

ers and

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the earl ...

bikers. By the early part of the 21st century the Green was looking rundown and needed a facelift with large flocks of

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

s gathering in the area. The building of much new property around the Green prompted the creation of the Devonshire Quarter Action Plan which urged investment for the benefit of new residents.Sheffield Council leaflet.
Gives history and some details of Action Plan.

Modern renovation

On 29 January 2007, Sheffield City Council announced plans to upgrade Devonshire Green. The £1.6 million project was designed by the City Council's Regeneration Projects Design Team and funded by building developers who had built housing developments in the West Street area such as

West One :''West One is also the name of a retail park in Salford.'' West One is a mixed-use development at the centre of the Devonshire Quarter in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England England is a country that is part of t ...

which faces onto Devonshire Green. The redevelopment included the complete relaying of all the turfed areas and the planting of 340 square metres of high-quality flower beds which contain more than 23,000 bulbs and 22 semi-mature trees. Sculptured "sitting walls" were created to provide 184 metres of seating and enclosure for the planting beds which line the boulevards which have improved lighting. A terraced grass amphitheatre space was also created which can be used for events and festivals. The skatepark remained open during the redevelopment which was carried out by the contractors

Wrekin Construction The Wrekin is a hill in east Shropshire, England. It is located some five miles (8 km) west of Telford, on the border between the unitary authorities of Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. Rising above the Shropshire Plain to a height of 4 ...

and the revamped park was reopened in Spring 2008.Sheffield Star Newspaper.
Gives details of renovation.Sheffield City Council.
Gives details of renovation.

References

{{coord, 53.3789, N, 1.4783, W, scale:5000_region:GB, display=title Parks in Sheffield