Click here to see how the property market in Sheffield is doing
HOW IT RATES Think of Sheffield, and steel and snooker come to mind. However, the city dates to pre-Roman times - and, like Rome, is built on seven hills. The recent decline of the steel and coal industries hit the city hard but it has worked hard to redevelop its identity since the mid-1990s, with new museums, some paying homage to its strong industrial history, and art galleries.
ARCHITECTURAL GEMS Visit the cathedral on Church Street with its impressive stained glass, or the award-winning Winter Garden, one of the UK’s biggest temperate glasshouses, which contrasts with the Victorian town hall next door.
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WHAT’S NEW The Butcher Works is a much sought-after apartment development in a set of converted red-brick industrial buildings - including a listed cutlery factory - around a quiet courtyard. Prices start at £167,500 for a two-bed flat. Contact Knight Frank: 0113 2972442.
QUALITY OF LIFE Pretty impressive. The “gateway to the Peak District” has clean air and is one of the greenest cities in Europe with many woodlands, parks, formal gardens and nature trails.
POPULATION The population of Sheffield was 520,700 in 2005, according to the Office for National Statistics, an increase of 4,600 people over the previous year - largely owing to an increased number of students.
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TRAVEL Sheffield is linked into the motorway network via the M1 and M18. There are good train links to London, Nottingham and Leicester. The main bus and railway stations are hidden behind an unwelcoming wall of high-rise buildings.
SMARTEST STREETS The suburbs to the west are the most desirable: Dore, Whirlow, Fulwood and Ecclesall all have a mix of Edwardian and modern detached properties costing between £650,000 and £1 million. The cream of the
property crop is southwest of the city in Bakewell and Hathersage, deep in the Peak District National Park.
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BEST RESTAURANTS The leafy western suburb of Crosspool has a restaurant with a split personality: upstairs is Catch, a lively seafood caf?, while downstairs is the more classic, rustic menu of Artisan. More central, and a local favourite, is The Blue Room Brasserie, which serves European food with a hint of the Orient.
TOP NIGHTLIFE The Crucible and Lyceum are among the top regional theatres in the country. The Crucible is closed for refurbishment. The student population dictates the nightlife, with plenty of bars, pubs and even the odd superclub such as Gatecrasher. For a slower pace and real ale, try the award-winning Fat Cat or the Rutland Arms.
EDUCATION The city is home to two universities, the University of Sheffield, west of the centre, and Sheffield Hallam University, with campuses in the city centre and in the suburbs. Primary and secondary education includes two prestigious private schools: Birkdale School for boys (co-ed in the sixth form) and the GDST-run Sheffield High School for girls.
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WORKING LIFE After suffering enormous job losses in the 1980s and early 1990s, Sheffield has seen considerable increases in employment, 20 per cent over the past ten years. Plus, 7.2 per cent of Sheffield’s working population are employed in the creative industries, well above the national average of 4 per cent.
UPSIDE Sheffield is very much in the ascendant. Since the mid-1990s it has emerged both economically and culturally into one of the big cities of England. It also has a long history of sport and was the first UK National City of Sport in 1995.
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DOWNSIDE Last June’s floods are still having an effect in Sheffield: some victims have not yet returned home and there are limited funds available. And still it goes on: heavy rain caused a recent landslide, closing the A57 between Sheffield and Manchester at the Snake Pass.
THE NUMBERS:
£145: The average price per square foot of property in Sheffield. Source: Hometrack
3%: The increase in house prices in Sheffield over the past year. Source: Hometrack
45%:The increase in house prices in Sheffield over the past four years. Source: Hometrack
£200m: The cost of the Heart of the City plan for Sheffield city centre. Source: creativesheffield.co.uk