Sign in with Facebook"Sheffield, It's not so grim Ooop North!" Top 5 Page for this destination Sheffield by suvanki
Sheffield Travel Guide: 475 reviews and 1,445 photos
Eyup! - (translates as Hi!)
Sheffield has been my home since 1978, It's a great place to live. I used to visit Sheffield regularly in the 1960's, as a child with my parents, for shopping-especially at Christmas, to see 'The Lights', then in the early 70's to watch Sheffield United's home matches, later for concerts, and then to start my Nurse training. Like many people who arrive in Sheffield to study at Sheffield or Hallam Universities, or the Teaching Hospitals etc, I stayed!
The 2 universities attract nearly 50, 000 students per year, from the UK and worldwide. This means that Sheffield has a young and Multi-cultural vibe, reflected in the many bars, clubs, shops and restaurants.
So, allow me to introduce you to some of the 'hidden attractions' of Sheffield and its surrounding areas. Hopefully I'll learn some new things too!
Sheffield is the 4th largest city in England with a population of just over 1/2 million. It is situated in the centre of England, with easy links by rail, and road to most major cities. 2.30 hours from London by rail, 1 hour from Manchester.
Its small airport closed a few years ago, so the nearest airports are Doncaster, East Midlands or Manchester.
Sheffield is famous worldwide for its Steel industry, both heavy engineering and cutlery. Although these industries met a decline, they still continue.
The award winning Magna (just outside Sheffield), is worth visiting for a 'hands on' way of learning about steel.
Often when I travel, I'm asked where I'm from, my reply of "Sheffield" is usually met with a blank look (sometimes someone will say Sheffield United? (or the other team ;-) ) . "It's near Manchester" usually gets some recognition! Now I follow up with mentioning 'The Full Monty', which most people seem to have seen, or at least heard of. For those of you who haven't Here is a website about this 1997 film
Sheffield does tend to shun any promotion of itself, often to its detriment.
There are many 'World Events' held here, that receive very little advertising.
Even our local news programmes ( Calender and Look North) are notorious for their bias towards our 'neighbour' Leeds
When Sheffield does hit the headlines, it's often for the wrong reasons- Orgreave , the Hillsborough disaster, The Yorkshire Ripper, the 2007 Sheffield floods etc.
With the closure of the steel foundries in the East end of the city, a huge project was undertaken to revive the area. Steelworks were demolished, and in their place sprung up......
- Meadowhall Shopping Centre, which at the time was one of the largest in the country,
- Don Valley Stadium- the main venue for the 1991 World Student Games, and subsequent International athletic Championships,
- The Sheffield Arena (Later Hallam FM Arena, and now the Motorpoint Arena) where National and International artistes appear on stage,
- Centretainment - a restaurant/cinema/ten pin bowling complex. Also a smattering of budget hotels, restaurants and pubs/bars/clubs that have had mixed fortunes.
So, it was no surprise, that Sheffielders and out of towners flocked here Meadowhall, with its free car parking, and over 250 shops, restaurants, a pub, cinema and creche, all under one roof. The new tram system also led shoppers directly to the bright lights of 'MerryHell ' and these other 'East End' venues
The city centre shops struggled to keep open, with many well known names closing, and being replaced by short term 'bargain shops'.
Over the past ten years, Sheffield has transformed itself. The train station and outside plazza offer an attractive welcoming sight for arrivals, with its special water features and lighting-although the steel 'wall' is still often referred to as resembling a urinal, while the Peace Gardens, Millenium Galleries, Winter Garden, Tudor and Leopold Squares etc, are proving popular places to relax.
The City centre is a pleasant place to shop now (well if you ignore Castle Market and its environ!)
Sheffield also has a vast number of restaurants and bars, catering for all tastes and budgets. www.eatsheffield.com lists restaurants around the city and borders.
Although the main breweries such as Wards no longer exist in Sheffield, smaller independent breweries such as the award winning Kelham Island are becoming increasingly popular. Since the 'No Smoking' ban came in (along with competition from supermarkets and cut price off-licences), many of Sheffields pubs have had to close. However some of the Traditional pubs are thriving, particularly those around Kelham Island, and some in the back streets of the city centre.
Night life is a big attraction, with many bars and clubs offering different styles of entertainment - There's something to suit everyones tastes and budget!
Tudor Square, with the Crucible, Lyceum and Library Theatres is the largest Theatre Complex outside London.
Other things to see and do include the many Museums and Art Galleries, The independent Showroom Cinema, and guided walks such as The Ghost Walks, and Sheffield Historical Crimes and Murders.
Sheffield has a long Sporting history - The first football club-Sheffield FC was formed here. Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, have a rivalry across the city. The annual World Snooker Championships are held here, along with international swimming and diving competitions at Ponds Forge. the Don Valley stadium has held world class athletics events. Rugby, cricket, boxing are also well represented.
On the pavement outside the Town Hall Entrance is a 'Hall of Fame' where plaques commemorate legendary Sheffielders, who have been nominated for bringing National or International recognition for Sheffield. These include-
Gordon Banks, Sean Bean, Joe Cocker, Sebastian Coe, Derek Dooley, Prof. Barry Hancock, Brendan Ingle, Def Leppard, David Mellor, Michael Palin, Helen Sharman, Joe Simpson, Michael Vaughan, Clinton Woods
Other famous (and not so) Sheffielders - Jarvis Cocker/Pulp, Human League, Jessica Ennis, Peter Stringfellow, Heaven 17, Prince Naseem, Joe Scarborough, Herrol 'Bomber' Graham, Bobby Knutt, Donna Hartley, Babybird, Arctic Monkeys, Andy Cave.
Recently Sheffield was the runner up (to Londonderry) for the chance to be the first UK City of Culture in 2013. The failure of England to host the 2018 World Cup meant that again, we missed out on the chance to showcase the city- Hillsborough was to be one of the stadiums.
Sheffield, contrary to popular belief, is not all grey and grime! In fact it is the greenest city in the UK, with three quarters of the city covered by natural vegetation and waterways.
With 13 City parks, 20 district parks, 50 public parks and 150 areas of woodland (more than any other UK city), over 40% of Sheffield residents are within a 5 minute walk to woodland and 50% of its residents are within 15 minutes of open countryside.
It is the only city to have a National Park within its boundary - Over a third of Sheffield is in the Peak District National Park
Surrounded by hill country in the north, south and west, this 'Golden Frame' offers some pleasant walks.
The Sheffield Round Walk (16km) passes through valleys, woodland and parks.
Glimpses of Sheffields early development in metal, can be spotted on the Rivelin and Loxley Round Walk (15km) .
The Five Weirs Walk (8km) from the city centre to Meadowhall Shopping centre along the banks of the River Don offers an urban walk.
www.sheffield.gov.uk has lots of ideas for places to walk, with leaflets you can download.
Health Walks are organised around the cities parks for people new to walking or are who want to get fit, or for those who can't walk far due to medical reasons -Tel 0114-203 9335/7 or e-mail parksandcountryside@sheffield.gov.uk
Some of the best parks and Woodlands are Endcliffe Park, Weston Park, Graves Park, the Botanical Gardens, Millhouses Park, Whitely Woods, and the Rivelin Valley.
Personally my favourites is Bowden Housesteads - one of the many medieval woods remaining in Sheffield
Sheffield is often described as being a group of villages (or one large Village) rather than a city, and it is true that there are some quite diverse areas.
We always say 'We're going down town' (or dahn town), or ask for 'town' on the bus etc when we 're going to the City centre.
Sometimes the Sheffield accent/dialect/colloquialisms can be quite difficult to understand at first - I had a few times when I thought I was in a foreign country rather than 25 miles from home (I soon considered Sheffield my home though)
I've read that people from the neighbouring towns of Rotherham, Chesterfield and Barnsley call Sheffielders Dee-Dars due to their use of these words - although I've never heard this personally.
I also hear the softer thee/ tha/thou and t' used here more frequently.
Although I came across this recently- a test to see if you are truly from Sheffield...
Der nice Dem
RD
RDR
RDL
DR
They are nice
Are They?
Yes They Are
Are they hell
They are
Eye Up! see thee sen reight and gerron ovver t' Sheffield !
OR....
Hi!, treat yourself, and come to Sheffield!
- Pros:Friendly, multi cultural, something for everyone.
- Cons:Expensive to park in City Centre. Some run down areas, as in any city.
- In a nutshell:Come and see for yourself!
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Comments (39)
Great write-up on Tramlines Sue - unfortunately it happens in the middle of my "season" :-(
You two ladies behave yourself today! Hope it stays dry and you have a fun time. Make sure Hayley comes home with a bottle of Hendo's!!! Gillybob greetings
Bravo, Sue!!! A truly wonderful page that reflects your pride in your home town!
I confess that my only memory of Sheffield was the view of a particularly grim industrial suburb (the misleadingly named Brightside, if I recall?) from the Intercity 125 en route to see my boyfriend in Bradford in the early 80s, which didn't exactly make a persuasive case for me to return!
But now I shall reconsider ... but I shall probably pass on a stroll through Cholera Gardens ...
I am also hugely envious that you got to see Roger Black in the flesh - he has always been close to the top of my list of gorgeous men, and that was even before I learned that he could cook like a dream!
Have a good weekend.
Regards
Cathy
Hi Sue! It certainly is a nailbiting finish to the season! There's never been a season like this during my lifetime. I'll be a nervous wreck on Saturday! I'll be celebrating/drowning my sorrows at the Barnsley CAMRA Real Ale Festival over the Bank Holiday weekend; it's being held at Elsecar Heritage Centre...a convenient 5 minute walk away! :-) Sorry to hear about your experience at Silversmiths - I don't think we'll rush to go there now! Bar and Grill sounds very nice though! I don't get into Sheffield as much since we moved out here; my last couple of visits have involved eating at two of my favourite restaurants: Zing Vaa and Pho 68...yum!!
Loved your off the beaten track reviews. Also found your page very helpful for our short visit to Sheffield last summer. Keep up the good work.
Irene
I'll miss the Tinsley Towers! They shouldn't have been pulled down! Will be back to Sheffield soon!x PS Love the mini VT meet accountx
Hello, Sue! Thanks for your superb virtual tour! ><><><
Yes, I very much enjoyed meeting you in Bruchsal. Thanks for the lovely Christmas card. As you noticed when we met, I am one of those who know little about Sheffield, so I have been remedying that by re-reading your highly informative Things to Do tips.
Hi Sue, I’m glad to see you have added numerous updates and new tips to your Sheffield page since I last looked in 2010. Great that you are keeping the page up to date and also discovering things that you had never noticed before.
Hi Don! Hope that You are keeping well.
Thanks for visiting my Sheffield pages (and for the ratings)? Much appreciated!
Yes, I keep trying to update my Sheffield page weekly - I'm enjoying seeing 'My City' as a tourist as well as finding lots of off the beaten tracks places.
Happy to co-host. Lets set a date and just do it. Works for Nike. Just finished (just!) a steak with some Hendersons relish, yunny!
I visiyed your city just for a few hours, the main reason for the visit was to attend a concert by Van Morrison, I was in Leeds at that moment and many years ago