Sheffield is well deserving of its title as the ‘Outdoor City’. A third of its area famously sits within the Peak District National Park and there are roughly four trees to every one resident. There is a wealth of avenues to explore on this subject, from the Mass Trespass of Kinder Scout in 1932 to the founding of the city’s Botanical Gardens, or one of the idyllic riversides that are riddled with industrial relics. It’s Norfolk Park and the Cholera Monument Grounds that I’ve chosen as the subject for this month’s article, two public parks with a rich heritage and stunning panoramic views to boot!
Photography: @tazstreetmoments
Norfolk Park sits to the southeast of the city centre and a popular jaunt for dog walkers, runners and cyclists alike.
Historically, the land that it now occupies was part of the former Sheffield Park, a vast medieval deer park totalling 2,462 acres and belonging to Sheffield Manor. Sheffield Park passed to the Howard family, the Dukes of Norfolk, in the mid-18th Century through marriage, having previously been owned by the Earls of Shrewsbury. The park was split into farms and remained predominantly agricultural until the rapid expansion of the city in the early 1800s. Houses started to permeate the area, creeping up the Sheaf Valley and Duke Street, and ironstone mining was carried out beneath today’s park. In order to preserve a slice of this once grand expanse, in 1841, the Duke commenced with the layout of Norfolk Park. It partially opened to the public seven years later but was granted to the City Council in 1909 and has remained an asset of the city ever since.
The vision of the duke was to create a recreational area that gave the illusion of rurality whilst maintaining its proximity to Sheffield. It was formed to cater for walkers and carriage rides – a romantic concept to the 21st Century Sheffielder – and planted with shrubs and trees surrounding a central open space. It was the favoured location to invite Queen Victoria after she opened the Town Hall in 1897. On that occasion, 200,000 people turned up to see Her Majesty, well over half the city’s population at the time.
Norfolk Park still retains much of its Victorian charm and there’s plenty to look out for on your rambles. Two Grade II listed Tudor Revival lodges survive from 1841 at the main entrances along Norfolk Park Road and Granville Road, as do the gateways. At the opposite side of the grounds are a collection of quaint cottages that date back to the park’s creation. Framing the greenery is a memorial arch to the 15th Duke, creator of Norfolk Park. The iconic stone arch is the sole survivor of a half-timbered pavilion from 1912 that was destroyed by fire. Norfolk Park has since received grade II* listed status given its importance as a green heritage site in our city.
To the northwest of Norfolk Park is another of Sheffield’s historic green spaces that, given the last two years, may feel all too relatable. The Monument Grounds provide a serene setting, just a stone’s throw from Sheffield Station and offering possibly the best views over the city centre. Although it’s enjoyed today as an escape from the urban world, the grounds relay a story of the Cholera Pandemic of 1832, an episode that claimed 402 lives in Sheffield, including that of the sitting Master Cutler, John Blake.
The disease had landed on British shores the previous year and swept across the land. Squalid conditions in Sheffield’s crofts and among the densely packed workshops saw cholera ravage the poorer population. Public anxiety increased hand in hand with the death rate, so a more appropriate burial ground was sought away from the churchyards that sat in the heart of the communities. The 12th Duke of Norfolk, the largest landowner in Sheffield, provided a plot of unconsecrated land overlooking the township for this purpose in August 1832. Such was the hysteria surrounding the pandemic that many of the burials were in unmarked graves on what became known as the Cholera Burial Grounds. Fortunately, the disease was under control by the end of the year and the grounds were shortly closed to burials. Similar to Norfolk Park, the grounds were given as a gift to the city by the Duke in 1930.
Also like Norfolk Park, there are several attractions in the grounds to transport the visitor back to yesteryear. The focal point is the impressive Cholera Monument, a needle-like structure that can be seen from many streets in the city centre. Erected in 1835 as a memorial to those who tragically died during the pandemic, it is the work of Matthew Ellison Hadfield, one of Sheffield’s chief architects who would go on to design St. Marie’s Catholic Cathedral and St. Vincent’s Church in the city. To the northeast of the Monument Grounds, across Norfolk Road, are the former Shrewsbury Hospital almshouses, chapel, chaplain’s house and infirmary from 1825. Connecting the Cholera Monument to Norfolk Park is a lovely walk through Clay Wood, a green oasis amongst Victorian villas.
Sheffield has many historic parks and green spaces, all with their own tale to tell. There’s plenty out there to explore, so make the most of it and enjoy our wonderful outdoor spots!
For more nuggets of Sheffield history from Heritage Sheffield‘s Richard Phipps, head over to @heritagesheffield on Insta.
