Why is Sheffield Disproportionately Insignificant?

[thecliffe 10]

It always enters threads on a daily basis, so I thought I would give it its own.

 

We're the 6th biggest city in the UK (or 5th depending on which list you read) yet to people outside of the city walls seem to consider us rather insignificant. Aside from the snooker, we very rarely seem to get a mention in the national media for anything of note and even our own local newspaper struggles to find anything beyond someone painting their car to write about.

 

Why do you think this is?

Well Barry its very simple. The good people of Sheffield keep voting labour. The labour council in my opinion are not up to the job of promoting Sheffield in a proper professional manner. Just look at Leeds and also Bradford.... We need the people to question why they keep putting labour into power in Sheffield.......I think they vote labour out of habit instead of questioning just what happens in Sheffield. But there is an old saying....The people get the council they deserve.....Think about it.

[Ridgewalk 99]

Sheffield's profile in the UK is not very positive. I work all over the country and as soon as you say you're from Sheffield the response is somewhere between pity and sympathy. It could be worse.

 

We have produced some good music, a couple of underperforming football teams and the odd sportsperson. But what people remember Sheffield for is the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, the miners strike, Orgreave and The Full Monty. More recently it's Four Lions. It's a very negative image for anyone who has never been here.

 

I heard it reinforced last week on Radio 4 by an alleged comedian who played the "I'm from Sheffield therefore I must be fighting the class war" card. I think his name is Tom Wrigglesworth. I find it all very tiresome and backward. But, I do think Sheffield's deserved reputation as a hard core socialist stronghold does hold us back and deters investment.

 

 

You should have more self confidence Jim and stop believing all the Daily Mail stories that you read.

 

---------- Post added 01-04-2017 at 13:50 ----------

 

I divide my time between South Yorkshire and the South of France, I was talking to an American, who lives here in France, yesterday, and guess where he's going for his 65 birthday ?

 

You should get out more Jim and appreciate what Sheffield has to offer, theatres, music venues, night life, best real ale pubs in the country, live music, thriving arts scene, two Art House cinemas, on and on

[Guest sibon]

You know you just replied to a nearly 5 year old post?

 

Written by a nearly five year old:)

 

Jim, not Ridgey, just to be clear

[dutch 68]

Interesting topic, lots has changed since this was started.

[Anna B 1,414]

I think we stayed stuck in the start of the 1980s. Other city's embraced how the world and changed and until recently Sheffield didn't, it still kept it's chip on it's shoulder. It's now playing catchup. Although I have to admit that I feel the way the mining and steel industries were dealt with by the governments at the time was appalling!

It's a crying shame, the city has so much to offer. It's the greenest in the country in terms of parks, has a 3rd of a national park within it's district boundaries and gorgeous suburbs, plus lots more. It's a tragedy that the image the city has tends to be the exact opposite.

 

With two big successful universities, quite a skilled workforce and in terms of environment and the out doors it's second to none. Companies should be flocking to the city and the area, to say they're not suggests there's something badly wrong somewhere

 

Re: The chip on Sheffield's shoulder, and its reputation as a Socialist stronghold.

 

Is it because Sheffield in the 80s had it worse than any other place in the country?

 

Genuine question. Just asking because Sheffield seems to have hit the jackpot with having a city built on two mega industries, mining and steel, both of which bit the dust at the same time.

And Sheffield was also a strong Union city with the Union of mineworkers based here, and the battle of Orgreave (which still divides opinion) etc giving us publicity we perhaps could have done without.

 

---------- Post added 01-04-2017 at 19:22 ----------

 

Didn't it all start with us not with us not wanting the railways!?

 

It was the Duke of Norfolk that didn't want the railways going across his land. Thus the main line went through Doncaster, sidelining Sheffield.

[SkylinePhoto 10]

Having no team in the Premier League makes a huge difference to acity

[silentP 10]

You know you just replied to a nearly 5 year old post?

 

It makes for interesting reading though if you've not done so before. I wonder how views have changed with regard to 'out of towners' in those five years. In a city that boasts friendliness as an attribute there's an underlying current of resentment for many other people and places.

 

This is a very popular forum for people across the UK and from across the pond it would seem and for some, all that's required is a feel of bigotry to turn them away. It isn't nice to feel unwelcome.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

 

It was the Duke of Norfolk that didn't want the railways going across his land. Thus the main line went through Doncaster, sidelining Sheffield.

 

There are so many inaccuracies in this statement.

 

Doncaster station was built years after stations in Sheffield or Rotherham.

George Stephenson was the engineer for the North Midland Railway. Stephenson built his railways along valleys- he built canals and also did not expect steam engines to cope with slopes.

NMR wanted to connect towns along the eastern side of the Pennines for goods and passengers.

The concept of "main lines" was yet to be conceived as the pattern was to connect towns or factories with other towns or ports by a plethora of small railway companies. As demand exploded new lines were built avoiding blockages. As speed became a bigger influence on profit even more lines were built and later connected to form "main lines".

 

Sheffield was already connected to Peterborough and London at Retford in 1849 and it would not be until 1860 that through traffic went north south via Doncaster.

 

The line was to be built north from Derby to Leeds via Rotherham and Normanton and would meet the already existing Sheffield to Rotherham(1848) railway at Masborough.

 

On hearing this plan Sheffield employed a much more modern engineer in Locke, but as a hilly route was always going to be more expensive and the shareholders of the Derby based NMR chose Stephensons plan.

 

 

 

The railway from Sheffield to Rotherham was the original planned route of the canal, the Duke of Norfolk influenced a change in route of the canal to be nearer his coal south of the Don. There was already a railway straight through his land- MSLR from Victoria to Retford and he owned shares in this and the canal.

[Nijinsky 10]

Sheffield has fallen by the way side somewhat, there for all to see. A large part of this could well be not being a regional centre and as a result not being promoted as such. The council have been backward and lacked vision. Almost like working with a nail in your boot.

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

Sheffield has fallen by the way side somewhat, there for all to see. A large part of this could well be not being a regional centre and as a result not being promoted as such. The council have been backward and lacked vision.

A circular argument? It's not promoted because it's not a regional centre because it's not promoted.

But, yes, re the Council's shortcomings!

[Nijinsky 10]

As a City, being defined within City boundaries, it`s as populous as any outside London which dwarfs the other UK cities by a country mile. Leeds for example counts it`s population from far and wide outside the City boundaries, even Wetherby`s population is counted as Leeds and many more examples. Manchester as a City and County (Greater Manchester) are completely different.

 

Investment has been crucial, well lack of.

 

---------- Post added 02-04-2017 at 20:48 ----------

 

You only have one regional centre though.

 

---------- Post added 02-04-2017 at 20:49 ----------

 

The boat has long sailed as to the regions regional centre.

 

---------- Post added 02-04-2017 at 20:50 ----------

 

As to why it wasn`t the regional centre (media) maybe because of location, I don`t know nor know when decided.

[Guest makapaka]

Here's another question - why are people constantly comparing Sheffield to other cities?

 

We've got a lot of good things going for us - let's celebrate what we have got rather than constantly worrying we're "falling behind "