Leopold Square is a
mixed-use development in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a 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 historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
's
West End,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, located at the corner of Leopold Street and West Street. The development, by Ask Developments and Gleeson's in collaboration with local architects AXIS Architecture, comprises the refurbishment of the former
Central Technical School buildings, built between 1870 and 1894, into apartments, bars, restaurants and a hotel. The development also has a new angular building to house a bar and a restaurant, and the creation of a brand new public square. The redevelopment of the old buildings began in 2004, following years of use as council offices after the closure of the Schools.
Leopold Square is Sheffield's best new building, as voted for by people living and working in the city. At an awards ceremony held at the Showroom on 16 February 2011, the scheme won the People's Award as part of the Sheffield Design Awards 2010 - an event sponsored by Sheffield Civic Trust and RIBA Yorkshire every two years. 200 jobs were created through the project.
Leopold Street is named for
Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, youngest son of Queen Victoria, who officially opened
Firth College
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
there in 1879.
Public square
The public square is surrounded by the original Grade II listed buildings from the old technical school, which was home to
Peter Stringfellow
Peter James Stringfellow (17 October 1940 – 7 June 2018) was an English businessman who owned several nightclubs.
Early life
Stringfellow was born in the City General Hospital, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, on 17 October 1940, to Elsie Bowers a ...
, and a dynamic new building fronting onto West Street. These buildings house eight individual bars, restaurants, a four star hotel and frequently plays host to live music. The square is marked with an illuminated water feature and a tree lined square. Benches specially designed for the square have been cast by an artist out of bronze and will provide resting places under the trees around the central square. The new angular building is built from locally sourced stone and genuine bronze cladding.
Article on Leopold Square
accessed 11 February 2007
Residential courtyard
To the west of the site the smaller former school buildings have been converted to residential use and the new apartments surround a private courtyard. The apartments are unusual and often occupy double height spaces and contain retained existing features. The entrance to the Holly Building on Holly Street is particularly noteworthy for it ornate timber vestibule.
References
External links
Leopold Square
Axis Architecture
Sheffield Civic Trust
Sheffield City Centre
Squares in Sheffield
Tourist attractions in Sheffield
Buildings and structures in Sheffield
{{SouthYorkshire-geo-stub