City context

Sheffield is located in the South Yorkshire conurbation (see Figures 7.1 and 7.2). In 2001, the city had an estimated resident population of 513,234, with a population density of 1,395 people per km. Sheffield is England's fourth largest local authority in terms of population.

The nearby towns of Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley surround the core city of Sheffield and contain the coalfields which fuelled Sheffield's steel industry (Figure 7.3). The wider city-region comprises 11 local authorities, and in 2005 had an estimated population of 1,736,600.

History

Sheffield nestles in a natural basin surrounded by seven hills, at the confluence of two major rivers, the Don and the Sheaf, from which Sheffield gets its name. The Peak District National Park, which borders the city along its western periphery, constitutes roughly one third of the city's land.

The first settlement in the area dates back to the 7th century. Local production of metal began in the early Middle Ages and was sustained by a coincidence of natural resources, namely iron ore for smelting, oak woods for charcoal and fast-flowing streams for water power. Sheffield expanded as a result of the production of its famous knives and the associated trade activities.

Industrial revolution, pioneering industrialists and large-scale production

During the 18th century the concentration of steel-making entrepreneurs and activity in the city sparked several pioneering innovations that won the city an international reputation. The crucible process produced a better quality of steel and the ‘Sheffield plate’ technique for fusing silver onto cheaper copper products proved highly popular. With its concentration of industries, new technologies and inventive spirit, Sheffield became a leading city of the industrial revolution in late 18th-century Britain, with a dramatic expansion of its metal-working industry.

By the late 19th century, powerful local steel-making companies drove the city's economy. A local engineer, Henry Bessemer, invented the Bessemer converter to enable the mass production of steel (Figure 7.4). The invention of stainless steel in Sheffield in 1913 also broke new ground, producing a cheaper and more durable material that proved internationally popular.

At the turn of the century, the light metal goods and heavy steel production and engineering industries were flourishing, employing around 75,000 people by 1911. The nearby pits in Barnsley and Doncaster underpinned Sheffield's industrial success, providing cheap local energy.