
Sheaf Square is a municipal square lying immediately east of the
city centre
A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...
of
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
The sides of the square are lined with major buildings:
Sheffield railway station, the
Showroom Cinema, Sheffield Science Park, the early nineteenth century Howard Hotel, in addition to the site of the old Nelson Mandela Building, the former
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...
Students' Union
A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizat ...
, demolished to make way for a proposed
mixed-use development
Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...
, by CTP St. James, incorporating office and hotel space.
Sheaf House and
Dyson House, demolished in 2005 and 2006 respectively, completed the square, which now has its southern edge much further back, lined by the station's car-park. Plans include further development of the Sheffield Digital Campus, and an addition to the Transport Interchange on the site of Sheaf House.
The square lies near the confluence of the
Porter Brook and
River Sheaf. Pond Tilt
Forge
A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to the ...
and its
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
were constructed on the site in 1732, with Bamforth Dam following about 1780. The two were filled in 1856 to accommodate the proposed railway station. The square was built as part of the Corporation's post-
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
traffic plan for Sheffield. The site became a major intersection on Sheffield's new
inner ring road with Sheaf Street, Pond Street, Howard Street and Paternoster Row meeting at a
roundabout
A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
which was named Sheaf Square after the now subterranean river.
Work began in 2006 to simplify the road system and create a primarily
pedestrianised space with a
water cascade and a
steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
sculpture, leading people from the station, up Howard Street and into the city centre to the side of the Square.
The gateway to
Sheffield city centre
Sheffield City Centre (referred to locally as simply Town) is a district of the Sheffield, City of Sheffield and is covered partly by the City ward, Sheffield, City ward of the City of Sheffield. It includes the area that is within a radius of ...
situated to the side of Sheaf Square opened on 22 December 2006 with street performances and a fireworks display. The gateway contains seating, trees, effective lighting and two large water features, one of which includes
The Cutting Edge steel sculpture. The new construction now acts as a 21st-century gateway to the city and aims to give a good first impression of Sheffield to those arriving by train.
The maps below show the difference in the road layout of Sheaf Square before and after the remodelling:
File:Sheaf Square - plan - 2002.png, Sheaf Square in 2002
File:Sheaf Square - plan - 2006.png, Sheaf Square in 2006
Image:Sheaf Square OSM.png, OSM rendition of Sheaf Square 2012
See also
*
Heart of the City - City centre regeneration scheme
References
External links
Sheffield City Council Live Traffic Cameras
{{SheffieldCityCentre
Squares in Sheffield