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Historic Environment Characterisation Project
Historic Characterisation is not just about the obvious places and buildings traditionally seen as ‘heritage’ but places each housing estate, industrial area, village or farm within its own historic context. Wherever you live or work in South Yorkshire your home or workplace will have a ‘Historic Character’ that will be described by the project.
So far the project, which is being carried out thanks to funding from English Heritage, has completed an initial data collection exercise within the Sheffield city area (work in Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham will be added as the project progresses). Once we have collected data for the whole of South Yorkshire, we will then review the information gathered – eventually aiming to produce a report on the historic character of each local authority area and (further funding permitting) enhancing this website, to give everyone the opportunity to discover the historic character of their area.
In the meantime this page provides an overview of the work to date and shows how particular themes in the development of the county will be illustrated.
Time depth in the modern landscape: As each area is characterised, colour coded maps are produced that show different land uses. Because we record what date that use developed, we can show how an area developed over time. The map reproduced above, available for download at the bottom of the page, shows the Manor area of Sheffield according to the age of the buildings and landscapes there. The Manor Lodge is the earliest surviving element, dating back to the medieval period. The farms and farmland to its north represent the next phase of development, when the manor’s deer park was broken up and land leased to tenant farmers. Evidence for mineral extraction in this area, which started at about the same time, is no longer visible – except as place names such as Deep Pit. In the Victorian period, City Road cemetery and some housing and schools were built; indicating the growth in population as Sheffield developed into an industrial city. This growth continued, with the route of City Road acting as a focus for new build and development. Large areas of land were acquired by the City Council to build new housing estates (Arbourthorne, Manor and Wybourn) in the early 20th century, as poor housing conditions within the city centre were addressed. Social housing schemes continued after World War II, with the construction of further estates (Manor Park & Park Hill). Recent years have seen redevelopment as housing stock has become dated and industrial premises have closed down.
Downloads
A map showing the ages of the Historic Character areas in the vicinity of the Manor, Sheffield. (992 KB)
A map showing the ages of the Historic Character areas in the vicinity of the Manor, Sheffield. (2.92 MB)
A map showing the ages of the Historic Character areas in the vicinity of the Manor, Sheffield. (3.36 MB)
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