3.2 Urban Form and City Skyline

Sheffield Skyline

Up until the late 1970s the skyline of Sheffield was dominated by the substantial forms of the mills, warehouses and factory chimneys. The city’s many forges and foundries created a forest of chimneys which defined the skyline.

Today only a few historic structures are still evident on Sheffield’s skyline, most having been demolished or obscured by later development.

Church spires such as St. Marie’s, St. Mary’s and the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul are visible, as well as the town hall clock tower. However, these no longer frame or define the skyline.

In the 1950s and 1960s there was a conscious, and controversial, policy of locating tall building slabs and towers on the hilltops immediately around the city centre, such as Parkhill, Hyde Park and Claywood. Many of these compositions have now been partly or wholly demolished and in some instances replaced with low-rise development.

It is the postwar buildings in Sheffield which now create the city’s silhouette. Tall buildings are scattered throughout the city centre, for offices and some educational use. Housing estate tower blocks have been dotted on the hills around the city centre.

Panoramic View of Sheffield City Centre looking west from Shrewsbury Road (Elevation 75m)

Unfortunately many of the later developments, including the BT tower and Sheffield Hallam University, have undermined the prominence of the historic towers on the skyline and the legibility of the city.

The Sheffield skyline is now compromised by many different landmarks - there is no single structure, building or cluster of buildings which serve to distinguish the skyline as unique to Sheffield. This is typical of most British cities.

On the eastern edge of the city, the Park Hill flats form a strong image. A massive structure set on an elevated position, it is distinct for its sheer bulk and octagonal plan form.

The view to the west is marked by the Sheffield University arts tower, the highest building in the city centre.

The Hallamshire Hospital, as seen clearly in this study, sits on the highest elevation on the western edge of the city. With its height and bulk, it dominates this part of the skyline.

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