Sheffield

In 1913, a metallurgist in Sheffield melted an alloy that simply refused to rust – Harry Brearley had invented stainless steel. A city break in Sheffield takes you to the city of steel, into pubs in old factory districts, to the theater of the World Snooker Championship, and out onto the moors of the Peak District, which begin right on the city's doorstep.

The Steel City

Sheffield was known for its knives as early as the Middle Ages; in the 14th century, Chaucer mentioned a knife from the city. In the 18th century, Benjamin Huntsman invented crucible steel here, and silver-plated Sheffield Plate and stainless steel followed later. The rivers Don and Sheaf powered grinding mills, and in the 19th century huge steelworks shaped the valley. With the decline of industry in the 1980s, the city lost tens of thousands of jobs, a period told with dark humor in the film "The Full Monty." Today Sheffield is a university city with plenty of greenery that likes to call itself the greenest large city in England.

Sights in Sheffield

In the center stands the Winter Garden, one of the largest urban glasshouses in Europe, with plants from around the world under a timber vault. Next door, the Millennium Gallery shows art and a collection of metalwork, from cutlery to crafts. The Peace Gardens, with their fountains, are a popular meeting spot. The Kelham Island Museum tells the story of the city's industrial history and fires up the mighty River Don Engine once a day, the most powerful surviving steam engine in Europe. To the south, the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet shows an 18th-century scythe works. Overlooking the city is the Park Hill estate, a brutalist housing block that is now a listed building and has been renovated.

Kelham Island and Nightlife

The Kelham Island district, an artificial island in the Don, was once full of factories and is now the city's most popular nightlife area. Breweries, pubs serving real ale, restaurants, and the Cutlery Works street food market have set up shop in old brick buildings. Sheffield has one of the densest brewery scenes in England. Musically, the city produced bands such as Pulp, Def Leppard, and the Arctic Monkeys. A local food essential is Henderson's Relish, a spicy sauce made in Sheffield since the 19th century that no pie should be without.

Sports and Culture

Every year in April and May, the Crucible Theatre hosts the World Snooker Championship, which the whole country follows on TV. Sheffield FC, founded in 1857, is considered the oldest football club in the world, and the city has two traditional clubs in Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. The theater district around Tudor Square is one of the largest outside London. In the Botanical Gardens, plants grow in Victorian glasshouses.

Peak District, Getting There, and Best Time to Visit

Part of the city lies within Peak District National Park, and buses will take you in a short time to hikes across moors, rocky edges like Stanage Edge, or the stately home of Chatsworth. The Supertram tram line connects the center with the suburbs, and London is about two hours away by train. The best time to visit is from May to September.