Sheffield

dark sunset over sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. It is so named because of its origins in a field on the River Sheaf that runs through the city. It is the greenest city in England, with 150 woodlands and 50 public parks and is the 4th Largest city in England.

The city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass a wide economic base. The population of the City of Sheffield is estimated at 520,700 people (2005), and it is one of the eight largest English cities outside London, which form the English Core Cities Group. The wider Sheffield Urban Area, which extends beyond the city proper, has a population of 640,720.

History

A recession in the 1930s was only halted by the increasing international tension as World War II loomed. The steel factories of Sheffield were set to work making weapons and ammunition for the war. As a result, once war was declared, the city became a target for bombing raids, the heaviest of which occurred over the nights of 12 December and 15 December 1940 (now known as the Sheffield Blitz). More than 660 lives were lost and numerous buildings were destroyed.

In the 1950s and 1960s, many of the slums were demolished and replaced with housing schemes such as the Park Hill flats. Large parts of the city centre were also cleared to make way for a new system of roads. Other large complexes of flats built then include Broomhall flats, Hyde Park flats, and Kelvin flats, along with new tower blocks and modern housing estates

In the 1970s and 80s the City suffered from recession and decline of manufacturing, especially in its principle industry, steel making, the decline of the city centre continued following the opening of the Meadowhall Shopping Centre, on the site of a former steel works adjacent to the M1 motorway.

In the late 1980s as part of the regeneration of the city it was decided to host the World Student Games in 1991, with large amounts of money to be spent on new facilities. These included the Sheffield Arena, Don Valley Stadium for athletics, Ponds Forge International Pool for the swimming and diving events, with a second pool at Hillsborough for other aquatic events. The cost of these facilities was mainly financed by the city council borrowing the money, which they hoped to receive back in part from central government, who refused. The debt burden has therefore fallen on Sheffield taxpayers, starving the city of money for redevelopment in other areas, as budgets were reduced to balance the books.

Recently the city has Invested large sums on regeneration projects, the most prominent of which is the Heart of the City project to rebuild the Peace Gardens and replace the 1970s Town Hall Extension, known locally as the Egg Box, with the Winter Gardens, Millennium Galleries, a new 4* Hotel and modern offices. This development, called St Pauls Place, includes three new office blocks incorporating retail and restaurant units at piazza level and City Lofts, a residential tower which will be 101m tall. The development also includes a 520 space MSCP with a casino in the basement. This is part funded by EU Regeneration funding.

The city has two Major Universities with over 40,000 students. The University of Sheffield, and Sheffield Hallam University (SHU), both of which are building new additions to their campuses. Along with new University buildings a lot of new halls of residence are being built. A lot of the new student residential blocks are in the St Vincents Quarter and the Cultural Industries Quarter (CIQ).

Three high rise towers are under construction, the 32 storey City Lofts, the 16 storey IQuarter building in the Riverside-Northbank area, and the 22 storey Velocity tower located at junction of the inner ring road and Ecclesall Road. Other new projects include a number of private developer built flats for young professionals and students, as part of the trend for City living. These are mainly in blocks up to 10 storeys high, with retail or commercial space below on the ground floor.

Some of the city's council housing estates have now received funding for large scale upgrades as part of the Decent Homes Program, which has been partially government funded. The management of the estates has passed to Sheffield Homes, with some estates taken over by Housing Associations. The Council's direct works department for housing has been privatised and taken over by Kier. The programme involves new kitchens, bathrooms, and central heating to bring them up to standard.

Transport

Sheffield is located within one hours' travel by road of Leeds, Manchester, Derby, Doncaster, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Nottingham. The M1 motorway is about three miles from the city centre and the Midland Mainline railway from London to Leeds passes through Sheffield Midland Station which is on the edge of the city centre. Recent works have created a public square outside the station by demolishing two 1960s office blocks.

The city has one of the few modern tram networks in the UK. The Sheffield Super Tram network has three main routes from the city centre, Hillsborough and Middlewood in the North West, Meadowhall in the North East, and Halfway via Crystal Peaks in the south, via the new townships created around Crystal Peaks district centre in the 1980s. This has replaced the earlier tram system that was scrapped in the 1960s.

The inner ring road has just been completed after being built in stages over 40 years. The final section was in construction for over four years, with a new bridge over the River Don forming a large part of the works.

Tower Blocks 1960s

Areas where blocks located (No of blocks) Name | Date built | Size (misc info)

• Broomhall (1) Hannover | 1966 | 16 stories+ Broomhall flats complex
• Chapeltown (?)
• Gleadless (6) 1963 | 14 / 16 stories
• Hemsworth (2)Queen Elizabeth court, Queen Ann court (previously called Leighton and Morland) |1959| 13 stories (relad in 1998) A third block Raeburn was demolished
• High Green (1) The Fosters | 1966 | 10 stories | Future under review, as very run down.
• Jordanthorpe Estate (1) Chantry | 1967 | 15 stories (2) Demolished (called Ramsey and Rhodes)
• Low Edges (3) Demolished
• Netherthorpe (4) Adamfield, Cornhill, Robertshaw, Crowshaw |1962 | 14/15 stories |(Reclad in 1998)
• Norfolk Park Estate (15) All Demolished, Grange being the last.
• Park Hill complex (4)| 1961 | upto 13 stories inc shops and pubs in the bottom.
• Sharrow (Landsdowne rd) (3) Keating, Wiggin, Greggory | 1964 | 16 stories
• Shrewsbury Road (2) Demolished
• Stannington (3) Cliffe, Parkside, Woodland(s) | 1965 | 15 stories (reclad in 1990's)
• Upperthorpe (4+3) Oxford, Albion, Bond, Burlington / Martin, Adelphi, Wentworth | 1959 / 1961 | 13 stories |Reclad in the 1994 /1996's

Some info from "Sheffield Tower Blocks and High rise Apartments of the 20th Century" link below:

Complexes of Flats Built in the 1960s

These were large complexes and not tower blocks as such. They had 'streets in the sky', and were effectively complete estates in large blocks complete with shops, pubs and in some cases schools. Only Park Hill survives complete and is a grade listed building.

• Broomhall flats
• Hyde Park flats
• Kelvin flats
• Park Hill flats

Modern Tower Blocks (Apartments)

A new wave of towers have started to be constructed as part of the modern city centre:

• City Lofts
• IQuarter
• Velocity Tower

with several more planned

• Block 5R (part of the Sevenstone NRQ development, is a 90m (est) 27 storey residential tower over shops.
• Chesham house, part of the Moor has 3 towers of x y & z stories.

Modern Apartments and Student Flats Areas

• St Vincents Quarter :Mixed older housing estates and former industrial areas.
• Kelham Island Quarter :- Converted factories, and new apartments, in former industrial area.
• Riverside :- Converted factories and former industrial sites along side the River Don.
• Cultural Industries Quarter "CIQ" :- converted factories and former industrial sites.
• Devonshire Quarter "DQ" :- Mixed use area surrounding Devonshire Green, converted industrial and former industrial sites.
• Victoria Quays :- 1st Loft Living conversions, in former dock side buildings.
• Ecclesall Road :- Converted brewery, new build blocks on site of previous commercial premises.
• City Center :- Converted offices; re-conversions over shops, old school building and new build towers

Housing Estates

The city has expanded at various periods in its history, resulting in waves of new developments, based around existing settlements, and at several times boundary changes have added sections of what was formerly Derbyshire and South Yorkshire to the city's area. The main housing areas (districts) include: (working from north to south the City is defined by the hills and valleys around the river Don and its tributaries)

North

Estates marked AP are in the North Sheffield Area Development Framework plan (NSADF)

• Brightside (AP)
• Ecclesfield
• Firth Park (AP)
• Fox Hill (AP) :- 215 new units, including a mixture of 25 bungalows and apartments for older people for social rent and equity share
• Grenoside
• Longley estate (AP)
• Parkground springs (AP)
  • Adlington Rd :- 150 new sustainable homes for social landlords and shared equity
  • Flowers estate :- 10 acre site to be redeveloped for new family housing + 2 acres for Extra Care development
  • Linsay :- 34 new terrace properties on former Deerland school site
  • The Malthouses :- Demolish system built 1950s properties
• Parson Cross (AP)
• Shiregreen )AP)
• Shirecliffe (AP)
• Southey Green (AP)
• Wincobank (AP)

East

• Burngreave & Firvale :-Regeneration action plan in place
  • Spital Hill & Elsmere
  • Catherine St
  • Woodside
  • Skinnerthorpe Road
  • Earl Marshall
  • Page Hall :- various design competitions for 50K house
  • Upwell Street
• Darnall, Attercliffe And Tinsley NDF :-Victorian terraces
• Greenland
• Handsworth
• The Manor Estate :- Inter war & Post war (At One time had a reputation as the worst estate in the country)
• Manor Park Estate :- Inter war housing estate built around the site of Manor Lodge, a historic monument were Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner.
• Richmond
• Wybourn Estate :- 1930 estate with regeneration plan

North west

• Birley Edge & Carr
• Crooks & Crookes Moor
• Hillsborough :- Regent Court
• Langsett
• Loxley
• Malinbridge
• Middlewood :- Winn Gardens Estate
• Netherthorpe
• Owlerton
• Stannington  :- Tower blocks; Cliffe, Parkside, Woodland(s)
• Upperthorpe
• Wadsley Bridge
• Walkley  :- Tower blocks; Kelvin flats

West

• Brincliffe
• Ecclesall
• Fulwood :
• Greystones
• Lodge moor : Large detached and semi-detatched, built between 1970s-90s
• Millhouses
• Nether Edge :-Large Victorian houses (mixed area), modern flats (1970s-90s)
• Parkhead : Victorian villas,
• Ranmoor
• Sandygate
• Wirlow :- Mansions

Central

• Burngreave and Spital
• Broomhall :- Tower blocks; Broomhall flats
• City centre
• Cultural Industries Quarter
• Grimesthorpe
• Heeley
• Highfield and Lowfield
• Norfolk Park :- Tower blocks (?) all now demolished.
• Park Hill Estate :- Tower blocks; Park Hill Flats, Hyde Park flats
• Pittsmoor
• Sharrow :- Tower blocks (3)? To be refurbished (this year 2008)
• St Vincent's Quarter :- Edward Street Flats | 1920s complex. Modern apartments and student flats, as part of major regeneration of area (see Modern Flats section above).
• Woodside

South

• Arbourthorne Estate
• Beighton
• Birley Moor:- 1960s Newstead Estate added see - Scowerdons, Weakland and Newstead Estates.
• Charnock
• Frecheville :- Inter-war mainly semi-detatched.
• Gleadless and Gleadless Valley :- 1960s estate laid out with green space.
• Hemsworth
• Herdings :- Tower blocks (2) Queen Elizabeth court, Queen Ann court + (1) Demolished Raeburn
• Intake and Hollins End
• Meersbrook and Meersbrook Park
• Mosborough (Townships) :- New districts created in the late 1970s and early 1980s around existing village, with new district shopping centre Crystal Peaks.
  • Drakehouse :- New township
  • Waterthorpe :- New township
  • Sothall :- New township
  • Westfield :- New township: Challoner Way monopitch roof houses - 1976.
  • Hackenthorpe :- Old village extended by 1960s non-traditional housing, Scowerdons, Weakland and Newstead Estates
  • Halfway
  • Oxclose :- New township
  • Owlthorpe :- New township

South / West

Predominantly private housing, apart from three new estates built in the 1960s to rehouse people from slum clearances in other areas, and the growing population from the post-war baby boom. Most of the new estates were on land formerly in Derbyshire obtained following boundary changes, as part of the city's expansion plans.

• Abbeydale
• Batemoor :- 1960s maisonettes.
• Beauchief
• Bradway
• Dore & Totley :- Some 1930 council housing Between main road and Totley brook.
• Greenhill :- Part council estate (off Greenhill Avenue).
• Jordanthorpe :- 1960s maisonettes and flats. Tower blocks (3) one still standing, but two demolished.
• Lowedges :- 1950s maisonettes and flats up to four stories, tower blocks (3) demolished.
• Meadowhead :- mainly pre-war and inter-war private housing.
• Norton :- 1930s semi and detached large houses, some art deco modern and 1970s infill.
• Norton Woodseats :-Pre-war and inter-war, mainly semi-detached.

(these areas need the age (period of principle housing stock adding) Please fill in details if you know any of these estates

Various areas in the city had tower blocks built in the 1960s a but large number have since been demolished.

Regeneration (current schemes)

Several Council housing estates are undergoing regeneration projects. The city has been divided into three main areas with separate teams tasked to deliver the regeneration to the estates within them:

• South Sheffield Regeneration:-
  • Arbourthorne Estate
  • The Manor Estate and City Road Area
  • Manor Park Estate
  • Norfolk Park estate
  • Park Hill Estate
  • Wybourn Estate
• (SWaN) Regeneration; Scowerdons, Weakland and Newstead Estates

• East Sheffield Regeneration:-
  • Burngreave and Firvale,
  • Darnall Attercliffe and Tinsley.

• North Sheffield regneration

Links

Sheffield City Council web :City Living http://www.sheffieldcitycentre.com/index.php?category=0df902ca-6709-37a4-0d20-fbd6eb0eff5f

Sheffield Tower Blocks and High rise Apartments of the 20th Century : http://www.thewookie.co.uk/skyscrapers/index1.html

See also remaing 1960 tower blocks Thread on Skyscrapercity.com http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=515001