Sheffield

Sheffield, city, in the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, north central England, at the junction of the Don River and four of its tributaries, at the southern foot of the Pennines. Sheffield is a major steel-manufacturing center, known especially for its stainless steel products, notably cutlery. The city is located in an important coal-mining region and has iron and brass foundries and manufactures that include steel tools and other metal products, processed foods, and glass. Among the outstanding structures in the city are the former parish church (largely 15th century), which since 1913 has been the Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and the 15th-century Bishops House, now housing a museum. Sheffield has a municipal museum and the noteworthy collections of the Mappin and Graves art galleries. Also here are the University of Sheffield (1905) and Sheffield Hallam University (1992, formerly a polytechnic college). Sheffield was already known by the 14th century for the production of cutlery. Waterpower, furnished by the area's rivers, and the local availability of iron ore and coal were the primary reasons for the community's industrial growth. A silver-plating technique was invented here in 1742, and in the 1850s the inventor, Henry Bessemer, developed a process for the inexpensive manufacture of steel. Such developments contributed to the city's prominence in the British steel trade. Sheffield suffered damage from German bombing during World War II and has since undergone extensive rebuilding. Population (2001 estimate) 513,100.