Sheffield's significance as the steel manufacturing centre of the UK declined dramatically over the decades leading up to the 80s, but the city has been rejuvenated and now stands as the fourth largest in the country, with a bustling creative industry and affectionately dubbed as 'the biggest village in the country'.

The city centre is separated into four sections: Cultural Quarter, the Shopping Quarter, the Business Quarter and the Devonshire Quarter. Each of the city's sections offers a different slice of city life, and comes equipped with shops, caf's, restaurants and bars that befit the quarter's unique atmosphere.

Home to the World Student Games of 1991, and officially named the National City of Sport, Sheffield has all the sporting facilities one could wish for! And with 150 woodland areas, 50 public parks, and the Peak District minutes away, Sheffield has much to offer for a weekend break.

History

A market town has existed in the area now Sheffield since the ninth century. In the seven centuries that followed, the area pioneered developments in the steel industry and Sheffield became known as the UK centre of steel production.

The collapse of the British mining and manufacturing industries had a devastating effect on the city, but the area has recovered well and been officially named the National City of Sport.

Weston Park Museum features exhibits and displays documenting Sheffield's long and significant history and is located across the road from the Sheffield Children's Hospital. Important historical buildings include Bishops' House, boasting many of its original fifteenth and sixteenth century fixtures, and The Old Queen's Head, a fifteenth century pub in the city centre.

Art Galleries

There are two art galleries in Sheffield city centre: The Graves Art Gallery and the Millenium Galleries.

The Graves Art Gallery is based inside the 1930s central library, and houses an extensive collection of nineteenth and twentieth century art from around Britain and Europe. The permanent displays include works by Picasso and Pierre Bonnard, and attempt to document the significant art movements of the period.

The Millenium Galleries is a complex comprising four separate galleries: The Special Exhibition Gallery, home to temporary exhibitions; the Metalwork Gallery, displaying Sheffield's historical steel products; the Craft and Design Gallery, home to craft and design works; and the Ruskin Gallery, a donation of art from the nineteenth century artist and writer John Ruskin.

Theatres

The Sheffield Theatres complex is the largest of its kind outside of the capital, and comprises three separate theatres: the Crucible, the Lyceum and the Studio Theatre.

The Crucible is the main producing theatre in the complex, and plays host to the annual World Snooker Championships. The auditorium is large, seating just less than a thousand people, and stages an impressive variety of drama, musicals and amateur theatre.

The Lyceum is the main receiving venue for large-scale touring productions in Sheffield, and seats more than eleven hundred people. Located in a listed building, the theatre hosts a range of productions, including opera, ballet and dance.

The Studio Theatre is the newest and smallest of the Sheffield Theatres venues, and tends to stage critically acclaimed, small-scale performances by touring companies and local groups.

Restaurants

Restaurants in Sheffield are plentiful, and the majority of these restaurants and caf's can be found located around the west of the city, in West:One and on West Street, and further out in the south, on London Road.

West:One is a complex in the city centre, comprising a number of stylish and modern restaurants. Las Iguanas is one of these; serving authentic Latin American cuisine and a range of cocktails.

Alaturka, regarded as Sheffield's finest Turkish restaurant, is based on London Road. Further along is Vietnamese Noodle Bar, a cheap and high quality establishment with an incredibly varied clientele.

For fine dining, Thyme has two restaurants in the city and Nether Green is home to a Rafters restaurant.

Pubs/Bars

Pubs popular with the large student population in Sheffield include The Cavendish on West Street, a 'Scream' pub, and Walkabout, an Australian-themed bar just around the corner. The Sheffield University union pub, Bar One, is one of the most successful union bars in the country and is only open to students and their friends in the evenings. Hubs in the Sheffield Hallam University bar and located in the building that was once the National Centre for Popular Music.

Sheffield has plenty to offer real ale drinkers, and the largest range can be found in The Devonshire Cat in the city centre. The Sheaf View Inn in Heeley is incredibly popular with real ale connoisseurs, and is listed in The Good Beer Guide.

The Showroom is based in the Cultural Quarter, and is frequented by many of the media professionals who work in the area.

Nightclubs

Corporation nightclub is a rock club, rated highly by Kerrang!. The club is open four nights a week and offers a variety of ska-punk, metal, indie, hardcore, punk and emo sounds.

The Leadmill has been open since the 80s, and functions as a nightclub and live music venue. There are gigs most evenings, and those attending the gigs are usually admitted to the club free of charge.

Gatecrasher One is one of the north's most popular clubs, and is open five nights a week, offering house, hip-hop, r'n'b, classic pop, and more.

Kingdom nightclub comprises four rooms, including a private members' bar, and plays pop, disco anthems and r'n'b. The Plug, also in the city centre, presents live music, rave and techno; and is located around the corner from Niche, a speed garage and funky house venue.

Shopping

Sheffield City Centre is separated into four clearly labelled zones, and is gradually being pedestrianised, making city centre shopping a more enjoyable and rewarding experience.

The Devonshire Quarter, in the west, is home to a range of designer boutiques and unusual or bohemian retailers, and a small shopping centre known as The Forum. Budget stores and supermarkets are located on the Moor, in the south, along with fresh fruit and vegetable outdoor markets. The city's indoor market is based in the north of the city centre, Castle Market, and comprises hundreds of units.

Meadowhall Shopping Centre is located a short drive from the city centre, and is home to nearly three hundred retailers. Unlike many shopping centres, Meadowhall is home to both major chain stores and independent retailers, offering a range to suit everybody. There is a large multi-kiosk food court, a cr?che and twelve thousand free parking spaces.

Sports

Sheffield hosted the World Student Games in 1991 and has been officially named as the National City of Sport.

The primary leisure centre, of the thirteen in the city, is Ponds Forge International Sports Centre. Ponds Forge comprises a regional size leisure pool, the Great Britain Diving Squad's diving pool and the Olympic swimming pool. There are also three fully equipped gyms, a large sports hall and numerous sports coaching facilities.

Don Valley Stadium, the largest athletics stadium in the UK, boasts an eight-lane all-weather track, six long-jump pits, an eighty-five-metre indoor track, and much more.

Ice Sheffield is an Olympic-sized ice rink, with lessons and development sessions for skaters of all abilities. Climbing facilities are available at The Edge, in the city centre; and there are numerous golf courses located around the city.

Author: Leisha Greenfield

Having spent 10 years working as a visitor guide at various top London

tourist attractions, Leisha Greenfield has now writes articles on UK tourism. http://www.ukcityguide.info.