Essential Hotels > England > South Yorkshire > Sheffield

One of Britain’s largest cities, Sheffield is situated on the River Don and its four tributaries, surrounded by seven hills rich in iron ore. The name Sheffield is synonymous with iron and steel as for centuries the city has been at the very heart of the steelmaking industry and was once the biggest producer of steel in the world. Although the city is largely a product of the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian age, the Don Valley was an important ancient site; the remains of several Celtic forts have been found in the area. In the Anglo-Saxon era the area was absorbed into the Kingdom of Northumbria and Sheffield was the site of a medieval castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned for fourteen years. The castle was destroyed at the end of the Civil War and today there are few surviving medieval buildings in Sheffield. Since at least the 14th century, Sheffield’s reputation was built on its quality, innovation and sheer scale in the field of cutlery and the manufacture of nails, knives, scissors, scythes, razors, axes and other metal products. Geoffrey Chaucer described the Miller of Trumpington as carrying a Sheffield thwitel (a general purpose knife) in his Canterbury Tales. The proximity and abundance of iron ore, coal, streams for power and sandstone for grinding stones made Sheffield a natural centre for steel making.

In the 16th century, Sheffield began increasingly to specialise in making cutlery and dominates the industry to this day. Sheffield Plate, a technique by which silver-plated tableware could be produced at a fraction of the cost of silver cutlery, was developed in 1742. The 1740s saw another important development that was to contribute to Sheffield's prosperity with Benjamin Huntsman’s process of producing good quality crucible steel with less expenditure of labour and fuel. From here on the Sheffield steel industry boomed. Steel making improvements continued in Victorian times particularly with the development of the Bessemer process of making still larger volumes of cheap steel in the 1850s and into the 20th century with the pioneering of stainless steel.

Despite the demise of much of Sheffield’s once proud industries, the city has re-invented itself as a modern day cultural icon with a feast of traditional and contemporary experiences. It is rich in art, entertainment and architecture, and is among the greenest cities in England, with more woodland than any other. In addition, Sheffield boasts two leading universities, vibrant nightlife, a celebrated music scene, great shops, bars and restaurants and a proud sporting tradition. Sheffield is also just five miles from the glorious scenery of the Peak District National Park and the renowned stately homes of Chatsworth House and Hardwick Hall sit on its doorstep.