Tudor Square is a city square in the city of

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 ...

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 square is home to the largest concentration of

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

s in the UK outside London and has thus become known as Sheffield's ‘Theatre Land’. The Square lies at the heart of the city centre, only metres away from the town hall, major attractions such as the Winter Gardens and is only 5 minutes away from

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 ...

History

Despite being in existence for a long time, Tudor Square only became known as a public square in 1991 when the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

sought to improve the urban landscape in the city centre in preparation for the 1991 World Student Games, held in Sheffield. Before the redevelopment the square had served as part open space, part car park and was mostly unrecognised. The new square was opened by the Lord Mayor of Sheffield on 7 June 1991 and has since seen several further redevelopments.

"Theatreland"

Tudor Square has always been home to theatres. The

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Generally in that type of school the t ...

, Sheffield's second oldest theatre, sits on the east side of the square. On the north side of the square is the

Crucible A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. While crucibles were historically usually made from clay, they can be made from any material that withstands te ...

, the venue for the

World Snooker Championships The World Snooker Championship is the longest-running and most prestigious tournament in professional snooker. It is also the wealthiest, with total prize money in 2022 of £2,395,000, including £500,000 for the winner. First held in 1927, it ...

since 1977. Also within the square is the smaller Studio Theatre which, along with the two aforementioned theatres, is managed by

Sheffield Theatres Sheffield Theatres is a theatre complex in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It comprises three theatres: the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse. These theatres make up the largest regional theatre complex outside the ...

. To the immediate west on Surrey Street lies the Library Theatre, which, managed by Sheffield City Council, lies within the city's central library. Also on Surrey Street is the Montgomery Theatre, which is owned by Montgomery Arts & Christian Centre Sheffield Ltd, a cross-denominational Christian organisation. Sheffield city centre's other main venue, the City Hall, is located close by on

Barker's Pool Barker's Pool is a public city square and street in the centre of Sheffield, England. The focus of Barker's Pool is the Grade II* listed war memorial that was unveiled on 28 October 1925 to commemorate the First World War. The Grade II* listed ...

Tudor Square and Crucible redevelopment

In 2010 Tudor Square was modernised with funds provided by the

European Regional Development Fund The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural and Investment Funds allocated by the European Union. Its purpose is to transfer money from richer regions (not countries), and invest it in the infrastructure and s ...

via

Yorkshire Forward Yorkshire Forward was the regional development agency (RDA) for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supported the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, ...

. For the project £4 million was allocated to redevelop the square to coincide with the refurbished and redesigned Crucible theatre. The aim of the project was to provide Sheffield Theatres Trust with an open public space for cultural activity and create an impressive new gateway to the city. The refurbishment of the Crucible theatre was also partially funded by Yorkshire Forward and cost £15 million to complete. The aim of this particular project was to improve the night time economy of the city centre, something which the theatre has done so for its entire history. The redevelopment will, amongst other things, provide a much improved venue for the world snooker championships which are held there annually.

References

{{Coord, 53, 22, 50, N, 1, 28, 03, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Sheffield City Centre Squares in Sheffield