Christine Handley – författare

Sheffield is the fourth largest city in England and was where the Industrial Revolution began in earnest. It is renowned for its high-quality steel and fine cutlery, for its two large universities and for having the biggest shopping centre in Europe, yet there is so much more to know about this proud South Yorkshire city. In Secret Sheffield, the authors pull back the carpet of history to reveal what lurks beneath. They delve into Sheffield’s murky and mysterious past, its dark secrets and forgotten tales, introducing us to some interesting characters along the way.

The county of South Yorkshire covers Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield districts. Although each are major urban centres with their own range of civic buildings, museums and galleries, the county also ranges from low-lying farmlands in the east to high moorlands on the edge of the Peak District National Park. It has a rich and diverse landscape including ancient woodlands, rivers and wetlands alongside the legacy of its history as an industrial powerhouse built on coal, steel and heavy engineering, including Kelham Island in Sheffield, Wortley Top Forge and Silkstone Tramway in Barnsley, and Clifton Museum in Rotherham. Away from the urban centres there are picturesque market towns and villages, such as Penistone, Tickhill, Bawtry, Bradfield, Thorpe Salvin and Tankersley which still serve rural farming communities, and stunning stately homes and parkland, for example at Wentworth Woodhouse, Canon Hall and Brodsworth Hall. Earlier medieval remains survive at Roche Abbey and Monk Bretton Priory, the castle keep at Conisbrough, the Lady Chapel on the bridge in central Rotherham and Ecclesfield Church, ‘the Minster of the Moors’. There are also examples of the earliest human settlement and activity at Wharncliffe Crags and Wincobank Hill in Sheffield. Other places have associations with historical figures such as the sculptor Francis Chantrey and William Bradford, one of the Pilgrim Fathers.In 50 Gems of South Yorkshire authors Christine Handley and Ian Rotherham explore the many places and their history that make this part of northern England so special, including many lesser known gems.

One of the early centres at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, Sheffield has grown from a small town nestled by the walls of Sheffield Castle to become one of the largest cities in the UK, absorbing villages and countryside from the 19th century and stretching out into adjacent counties. Sheffield may best be known for its Steel industry, World Championship Snooker and home to modern celebrities such as Michael Palin, Seb Coe, Jessica Ennis-Hill and the Human League but there is much more to celebrate, from its landscape at the edge of the Pennines and the home of some of earliest guardians of British countryside to its industrial past based around its mining and steel industries. It is a city of scientific innovation, sport, food and drink and the arts. Mary Rawson and the Sheffield anti-slavery group were instrumental in the abolition of slavery in the 19th century and in 1857 the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, was founded. The city is famous for the production of cutlery, as well as Bassett’s Licorice Allsorts, Thornton’s chocolates and Henderson’s Relish and the emerging new city today boasts of a growing tourism and a ‘European-style’ street culture.Celebrating Sheffield chronicles the proud history of Sheffield. Illustrated throughout, its positive insight into Sheffield’s rich heritage, its special events and important moments will be a valuable contribution to the history of the city and provide a source of many memories to those who have known it well over the years.