Castle Square is the plaza at the intersection of High Street, Angel Street, and Arundel Gate in the City of Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. This name was given to the square in the 1960s to reflect the proximity of the square to the site of Sheffield Castle

Sheffield Castle

Sheffield Castle was a castle in Sheffield, England, constructed at the confluence of the River Sheaf and the River Don, possibly on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon long house, and dominating the early town. A motte and bailey castle had been constructed on the site at some time in the century...

, which was formerly located a short distance to the north-west.

The Market Place

Castle Square was originally known as the Market Place (or the Shambles), markets were held on this site from 1296. A market cross was erected here in 1568 but taken down in 1786 when the market moved into the new Fitzalan Market Hall that was built over part of the market square. A monument to the poet Ebenezer Elliott

Ebenezer Elliott

Ebenezer Elliott was an English poet, known as the Corn Law rhymer.-Early life:Elliott was born at the New Foundry, Masbrough, in the Parish of Rotherham, Yorkshire. His father, was an extreme Calvinist and a strong Radical, and was engaged in the iron trade...

 was erected on the same site in 1854 but was moved to Weston Park

Weston Park, Sheffield

Weston Park is a public park with an area of just over 5 hectares in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It lies immediately west of the City Centre. It is situated next to the University of Sheffield Library, Geography and Firth Court buildings, and across the road from Sheffield...

 in 1875 where it can still be seen. The Fitzalan Market Hall was demolished in 1930 ending nearly 700 years of market trading at this spot.

The Hole in the Road

Many buildings in the vicinity of the Market Place were damaged or destroyed on the night of 12 December 1940 when German aircraft bombed Sheffield. The bomb sites were cleared but most remained empty for many years. In 1968 many old streets were cleared to make way for the new Arundel Gate, a dual carriageway

Dual carriageway

A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...

 road that terminated at a large roundabout built on the former market place. Underneath the roundabout a network of underpasses and shops was built (with a central area open to the sky), this formed a complex that was officially designated Castle Square but became affectionately known locally as "Hole in t' Road" or Hole in the Road). Although considered by many to be a major city landmark, like many constructions of its time, it did not age well and was very dilapidated by the early 1990s. It lasted from 1967 until 1994, allegedly being filled in with the rubble from the recently demolished Hyde Park

Hyde Park, South Yorkshire

Hyde Park is a district in Sheffield, England. The area is named after fields that occupied the area in the early 19th century.The area was used for cricket matches between 1824 and 1856. It had space for up to 10 cricket matches at a time...

 Flats.

Supertram

In 1994, as part of the works for the construction of Sheffield's new Supertram

Sheffield Supertram

The Supertram, officially called the Stagecoach Supertram, is a light rail tram system in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England...

 network, the underground portion of the Hole in the Road was filled in. The roundabout was removed and the whole area landscaped. All three lines of the Supertram system cross the square and call at Castle Square tram stop, one of four tram stops in the city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

centre.

External links

• A history of Sheffield's Markets