Castlegate
Located on the fringes of the city centre, Sheffield's Castlegate Quarter is a bit of an enigma with a pretty prolific past...
In fact, if you ask a lot of people in Sheffield where the rivers Sheaf and Don meet they won't know it's here, nor will they know that there was once a medieval castle that stood here for several centuries and was even home to an imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots.
The confluence of the rivers and the castle combined, meant for a long time Castlegate was the original epicentre and likely the origin of Sheffield's 'making' heritage as a city too.
Following the relocation of the city market to The Moor in 2013, the site was left empty for a while, but work has now begun on the transformation of this site into the city's newest inner-city greenspace, while several other major developments have already started breathing life back into the quarter.
The award-winning Grey to Green has played a major part, filling liberated spaces with colourful urban planting to create the UK’s longest ‘green street’ corridor and largest retrofit urban sustainable drainage scheme.
This has been a catalyst for other inventive uses of meanwhile spaces in the quarter too, such as the monthly flower market Pollen and the UK's only purpose-built city centre skateboarding space on Exchange Street.
Sheffield Castle site – the transformation has begun!
A major transformation is now underway, set to breathe new life into the Castlegate district and by 2026, it will be home to Sheffield city centre’s newest public park.
This new green space will feature newly exposed castle remains, uncover the River Sheaf for the first time since 1912, and host an outdoor events space for 500+ people, while heritage interpretation boards and public art will invite visitors to celebrate the site’s long history.
Pollen Market
Pollen is a monthly inner-city flower market. Held on the third Sunday of every month, it's been a vibrant addition to the area and provides a great place to hang out, feel the diversity of Sheffield coming together and peruse an array of stalls from local traders, all with a botanical vibe.
It's also offers an opportunity to marvel at the beautiful Grey to Green corridor it sits along, which masks a whole load of technical innovations in combatting climate change and flood prevention.
Castle House
Another landmark in the quarter, that has undergone significant transformation, Castle House was originally the Sheffield Co-op's flagship department store and head office.
Nowadays, it houses food hall Kommune and The National Videogame Museum.
The National Videogame Museum
The UK's national cultural centre for videogames, The National Videogame Museum is on a mission to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret videogames for everyone. With over 100 playable exhibits, it's also a lot of fun for gamers old and young!
Kommune
Bringing together some of the most exciting independent kitchens and traders from across the country, Kommune is a social all-day dining and retail experience, situated in a unique Grade II listed building at the very heart of Sheffield.
Exchange Street blocks
A series of concrete blocks and round metal railings were installed on Exchange Street in 2020 to create the only inner-city skateable public space in England.
It now goes by a few names, with some locals calling it Marioland while others call it Parallol, as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the famous Parallel spot in Barcelona.
It's not quite got that level of skate fame (yet), but it does draw quite a crowd with hundreds of local skaters enjoying the features every week and some visitors from beyond Sheffield too, especially when hosting events like Skate Jam (part of the Festival of the Outdoors).
Greenspace exploration...
Grey to Green
Grey to Green is an award-winning scheme bringing colour and sustainability to inner-city Sheffield.
The UK’s longest ‘green street’ and largest retrofit sustainable urban drainage scheme, it offers a calming refuge in an urban environment and encourages cycling & walking too.
Victoria Quays
A large canal basin, that heads up the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal and the perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. It's also home to two vibrant bars, a café and hosts Quayside Market once a month.
Five Weirs Walk
An fascinating accessible walk that starts from Lady's Bridge in Castlegate. Stretching for 7.5km along the River Don to Meadowhall, it passes the five historic weirs from which it takes its name and takes in various waterside green spaces, intermingled with some historic industrial parts of the city.
Food, drink & music
Tenpin Sheffield
An enhanced bowling experience with 21 lanes, complete with fully immersive sound and lighting. The venue also features a pitch and putt, four escape rooms, a futuristic laser tag arena, three karaoke rooms, and a large arcade space boasting the latest video games.
Albie's
Albies is an independent coffee company built from their neighbourhood shop. They pride themselves on a friendly welcome and quality brews.
True Loves
True Loves is a wonderful refurb of the old canal arches. Honest, humble and independent, they are a staple with local communities, but love promoting the fantastic produce of Sheffield and broader Yorkshire.
Delicious Clam
Operating as a label, practice room and small gig space from their Castle Market headquarters, they fuel the fire of Sheffield’s alternative scene, and also explore new territories, from stand-up to brilliantly daft club nights.
Plot 22
Plot 22 is a grassroots music venue and studio space situated in the heart of the Castlegate district of Sheffield in the old Castle Market.
Castlegate's heritage
Sheffield's Castlegate area is so named because of a thriving cultural and political centre that established the city in the 12th century, with a historically significant castle at its centre.
It is only now that we are starting to uncover more about this incredible site, and discover that Sheffield's making heritage dates back much further than we thought...
Park Hill
Europe's largest Grade II listed building, a brutalist architecture masterpiece, and a community centre in its own right. Technically it's not quite Castlegate, but give us a bit of artistic licence - it's a just short stroll over the tram bridge and up the hill to the walkways in the sky, which have featured in so many films and TV shows.
Here you'll find cafes, art centres, events and green spaces to explore.
