Sheaf Square is a municipal square lying immediately east of the

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The sides of the square are lined with major buildings:

Sheffield railway station Sheffield station, formerly ''Pond Street'' and later ''Sheffield Midland'', is a combined railway station and tram stop in Sheffield, England; it is the busiest station in South Yorkshire. Adjacent is Sheffield station/Sheffield Hallam Unive ...

, the

Showroom Cinema The Showroom Cinema is an independent cinema, café bar and creative workspace contributing to the culture in Sheffield, England. In 2002, the cinema was voted the favourite independent cinema of '' Guardian'' readers. In November 2007, Showro ...

, 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 railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

Students' Union A students' union, also known by many other names, 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, ...

, demolished to make way for a proposed

mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

, by CTP St. James, incorporating office and hotel space.

Sheaf House Sheaf House was a nine-storey tower building by Sheaf Square, next to Sheffield railway station, in the centre of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. The building was formerly the Sheffield area headquarters of British Rail. History The bui ...

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 The Porter Brook is a river which flows through the City of Sheffield, England, descending over from its source on Burbage Moor to the west of the city to its mouth where it joins the River Sheaf in a culvert beneath Sheffield railway statio ...

and

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 ...

. 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 th ...

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 ...

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, 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 ...

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 is a type 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 junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

which was named Sheaf Square after the now subterranean river. Work began in 2006 to simplify the road system and create a primarily

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 ...

space with a water cascade and a

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

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 ''The Cutting Edge'' is a 1992 American sports-romantic comedy film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and written by Tony Gilroy. The plot is about a wealthy, spoiled figure skater (played by Moira Kelly) who is paired with an injury-sidelined i ...

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

References

External links

Sheffield City Council Live Traffic Cameras

{{SheffieldCityCentre Squares in Sheffield

See also

References

External links