4.5 Heart of the City Quarter

Character

The Heart of the City is the civic, cultural and retail focus of Sheffield.

With the Town Hall and the spectacular Peace Gardens at its core, this quarter contains Sheffield’s principal buildings and spaces.

The recent Heart of the City project has seen the transformation of the quarter with the realisation of the acclaimed Peace Gardens, Millennium Galleries and Winter Gardens, which have won a number of awards.

The quarter’s underlying street pattern is medieval in origin and this can be most clearly seen closer to the historic Cathedral Quarter, in the little laneways such as Chapel Walk or Black Swan Walk. The street pattern was formalised during the Victorian era with various schemes to widen the principal thoroughfares. With its collection of buildings bearing significance to all phases of Sheffield’s development, the majority of the Heart of the City is included within the City Centre Conservation Area.

The important civic role of the quarter was established with the construction of the Town Hall in the 1890s. Today the Town Hall clock tower remains a focal point throughout the quarter and, together with the recently completed Peace Gardens, they form the civic heart of Sheffield. The 1930s City Hall on Barkers Pool also plays an important part in the civic function of the quarter.

As the cultural centre of Sheffield, the Heart of the City contains the city’s principal art spaces - the Graves Art Gallery and the Millennium Galleries - both of which host permanent collections or temporary displays of regional and national significance. Set around Tudor Square are the Central Library and famous Crucible and Lyceum Theatres. Sheffield’s identity as the centre of the metal trades is represented by the Cutlers’ Hall on High Street, which is not only a building of architectural distinction, but also one that has had a great influence on this aspect of the city’s history.

The presence of the metal trades in this quarter is also represented by Leah’s Yard in Cambridge Street. Small workshops such as this, where lighter trade production was undertaken by little mesters, were at one time prevalent near the city centre.

Sheffield’s most prestigious retail areas are located within the Heart of the City, including the very popular pedestrianised spaces of Fargate, Barker’s Pool and Orchard Square. Within the quarter are also the retail anchors of the large department stores.

The Cathedral of St. Marie and its imposing spire are significant landmarks within the Heart of the City. The cathedral is the focus of a religious precinct centred around Norfolk Street and Norfolk Row which forms a distinct character area within the quarter.

The built form within the Heart of the City comprises an interesting mix of fine buildings, many of a grand civic scale. Generally building heights are 2-5 storeys with modern office or hotel blocks in the south of the quarter rising to 8-10 storeys. Architectural styles range from Victorian and Edwardian to the bold and innovative contemporary design of recent developments. A striking juxtaposition is created between the timber and glazed arches of the Winter Gardens located in the context of the classic architecture of the Town Hall and Surrey Street.

The range of building materials used within the quarter reflects this diversity of style. Materials include natural stone, brick or concrete block in a variety of shades, colour render and modern cladding such as glass, steel and laminated timber. Victorian and Edwardian roof lines finished in slate and enlivened with dormers, turrets, chimneys and occasional copper domes, form a contrast to the flat roofs of modern buildings.

The Heart of the City contains a great variety of streetscapes, many with a distinct character, design and finish. Within the core of this quarter, a higher quality of streetscape design and materials are evident, particularly around key buildings and public spaces.

A ‘Heart of the City palette’ has been developed, comprising a suite of natural materials: sawn Pennine sandstone footways; granite kerbs and channel blocks and granite setts for carriageways and shared surfaces. Where granite setts are not appropriate for carriageways, then hot rolled asphalt including green/grey aggregate with clear binder is used. In clearly defined areas of special focus, such as the Peace Gardens, other natural materials are introduced into paved surfaces, in disciplined and controlled patterns to denote the significance of the space.

Green spaces within the quarter correlate with the major landmarks of the City Hall, the Town Hall and the Cathedral of St. Marie. Tudor Square is an important space, with trees and a grassed area, and forms a visual link to the Winter Gardens opposite.

The distinct character areas in the Heart of the City Quarter are:

Heart of the City. The Town Hall and the adjoining Peace Gardens, the civic centre of the city, provide an important visual and mental point of reference. Adjacent to the Town Hall, Surrey Street possesses a very fine ensemble of Victorian buildings of great variety and interest. These buildings and the restored traditional paving complement the form, style and materials of the Town Hall.

Barkers’ Pool, City Hall, and John Lewis. Created in the 1930s with the building of the City Hall, this is now a busy shopping and leisure area. Barker’s Pool is an important civic space with its distinctive war memorial.

Tudor Square. This area comprises the city’s principal theatres, art galleries and library, as well as the recently completed Winter Gardens and Millennium Galleries.

Fargate. This is one of Sheffield’s most prestigious shopping streets and the busy thoroughfare at the top end is an important nodal point and a space with a civic quality. From Fargate there are important vistas to the landmark Telegraph and Star Building and St. Marie’s Church.

Leopold Street education complex. This impressive group of 19th century buildings is a distinct enclave within the quarter. It is subject to proposals for redevelopment.

Norfolk Street, Norfolk Row and George Street. This is a particularly important area, containing a number of significant listed buildings such as the Cathedral Church of St. Marie and Victoria Hall Methodist Church. The streets and spaces in this area have a more intimate scale.

Holly Street (Cambridge Street, Carver Street and Rockingham Street). This area continues the historic grid of the Devonshire Quarter and contains a range of significant historic buildings. The spire of St. Matthew’s Church on Carver Street is an important landmark and there are impressive southerly views toward the surrounding hillsides.

Significant buildings in the Heart of the City are:

• The Town Hall
  
• Cutler’s Hall (which forms part of the character area of the Cathedral Precinct)
  
• Leah’s Yard
  
• The Cathedral Church of St. Marie
  
• City Hall
  
• Lyceum Theatre

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