Fargate sheffield 2.png
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Fargate is a pedestrian precinct and shopping area in Sheffield, England. It runs between Barker's Pool and High Street opposite the cathedral. It was pedestrianised in 1973. Fargate also holds a Continental Market approximately 4 times a year, which includes European stalls selling cheeses, confectionery, clothing, plants and crafts including jewellery and ornaments.


History

Joseph Woolhouse, in his
A Description of the Town of Sheffield
, written in 1832 while the
cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
was raging in Sheffield: More recently, the street was home to Sheffield Assay Office.


Coles Corner

The corner at bottom end of Fargate (opposite the cathedral) is known locally as
Coles Corner Coles Corner is the name given to the corner of Fargate and Church Street in Sheffield, England in sight of the cathedral. It was the site of the old Cole Brothers department store until it moved to Barker's Pool in 1963. The modern building wa ...
. It was a famous meeting point in the city named after the
Cole Brothers Cole Brothers was a department store located in Sheffield in South Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Early history The Cole brothers John and Thomas opened a silk mercer and hosier at 4 Fargate, Sheffield in 1847. Their brother Skelton almost immediat ...
department store that occupied the building before it moved in 1963 to Barker's Pool. Originally the Albert Hall cinema, which burnt down in 1937, it is now home to a modern building, which currently houses Pret a Manger, Starbucks Coffee, Vodafone and The Carphone Warehouse. A plaque has been erected in memory of the old Cole Brothers store. The location was immortalised by Richard Hawley's album and song.


Carmel House

In November 2005, the University of Sheffield´s archaeological consultancy, ARCUS, unearthed a medieval well of over three metres in depth in the sandstone bedrock beneath Carmel House on Fargate. The Sheffield city centre site was being excavated as part of a redevelopment project. Pottery found in the well suggested that it was in use by 1300 AD, and had been filled in around the time of the English Civil War. Medieval pots included jugs made in the Hallgate area of nearby Doncaster and other items from the
Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the ...
. This discovery was said to offer significant evidence relating to the medieval town of Sheffield, still a small market town, before its growth during the subsequent Industrial Revolution. Dating of the well indicates that it was probably dug around the time of the rebuilding of Sheffield Castle in stone, in 1270, and the granting of Sheffield's Market Charter by
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
in 1296. Due to the conditions in the well, animal bones and plant remains (possibly including microscopic pollen grains) were preserved and analysed by the University's Department of Archaeology laboratories. In February 2005, Sheffield City Council's Executive Director of Development and Leisure had commented, "Carmel House, at the junction of Fargate and Norfolk Row is an imposing Victorian stone fronted Grade II listed building which, together with the adjoining terrace of attractive Georgian brick properties, is almost completely empty and is in need of refurbishment. Full planning permission was granted in January 2004 for a comprehensive scheme which will involve creating four new modern retail units by demolishing the existing buildings behind the retained façade." The Council's Conservation Advisory Group "regretted that its advice regarding the development of Carmel House had not been taken into account and it wondered whether Carmel House would be liable to be removed from the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, in view of the extent of demolition which had taken place."


Goodwin Fountain

The Goodwin Fountain stood on Fargate from 1961 to 1998. It was paid for by a donation by industrialist Sir
Stuart Goodwin Sir Stuart Coldwell Goodwin (19 April 1886 – 6 June 1969) was a Sheffield steel industrialist and philanthropist who gave away over £500,000 to charities, particularly in south Yorkshire and north Nottinghamshire. He was head of the Neepsend St ...
and his wife, and was originally dedicated to Alderman James Sterling, but the informal name stuck and was eventually made official. It was replaced by a new fountain, bearing the same name, in the nearby
Peace Gardens The Peace Gardens are an inner city square in Sheffield, England. The Gardens themselves front onto Sheffield's gothic town hall, not to be confused with Sheffield City Hall (a concert venue), or the Sheffield Old Town Hall at Castle Market ...
.


Ferris wheel

The Wheel of Sheffield was a tall Ferris wheel assembled on Fargate in mid-July 2009 in ten days and remained at the top of the pedestrian street until January 2010. It had 42 gondolas, each capable of carrying up to eight people.


References

{{SheffieldCityCentre Sheffield City Centre Streets in Sheffield Tourist attractions in Sheffield