Sheaf House
Encyclopedia
Sheaf Square
Sheaf Square is a municipal square lying immediately east of the city centre of Sheffield, England. The sides of the square are lined with major buildings: Sheffield railway station, the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield Science Park, the early nineteenth century Howard Hotel, in addition to the site of...
, next to Sheffield railway station, in the centre 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...
, in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, 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...
. The building was formerly the Sheffield area headquarters of British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
.
History
The building was situated on the former Pond Street Goods station, closed on 7 October 1961. Land was cleared during 1963 to make way for the new offices. Sheaf House was built with a reinforced concrete frame, finished with modern (at the time) metal and glass cladding. The building was opened in 1965 and housed 500 staff who had been transferred from the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
old offices in Norfolk House, Line control offices at Rotherham Westgate and Victoria
Sheffield Victoria Station
Sheffield Victoria was the main railway station in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England on the Great Central Railway, between Chesterfield and Penistone.-Early history:...
were also closed and transferred to Sheaf House, becoming British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
's Sheffield Division headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
.
The building was demolished in late 2005 to make way for the redevelopment of Sheaf Square
Sheaf Square
Sheaf Square is a municipal square lying immediately east of the city centre of Sheffield, England. The sides of the square are lined with major buildings: Sheffield railway station, the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield Science Park, the early nineteenth century Howard Hotel, in addition to the site of...
. This action featured on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's Demolition television programme.
Proposed Schemes
There had previously been several proposals for refurbishing the building, including transforming it into a 180 bedroom hotel.The latest proposal along with the adjacent Dyson House
Dyson House
Dyson House was a building which was part of Sheffield Hallam University's city campus in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The building was on Sheaf Square, next to the Sheffield Midland Station...
site is for a futuristic mixed use scheme designed by Make Architects
MAKE Architects
Make Architects is an architectural practice based in the United Kingdom founded by Ken Shuttleworth after he left Foster and Partners in 2003. They have offices in London, Birmingham, Beijing, Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the practice is currently engaged in projects worldwide ranging from high rise...
(Ken Shuttleworth) designer of the Swiss Re (Gerkin) in London. The scheme is partial funded by EU regeneration grants and Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward
Yorkshire Forward is the regional development agency for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of the United Kingdom. It supports the development of business in the region by encouraging public and private investment in education, skills, environment and infrastructure...
as part of the Heart of the City
Heart of the City
For other uses, see Heart of the City.The Heart of the City is a major re-development site in Sheffield, England, and one of the 12 official quarters of Sheffield City Centre. As its name suggests the Heart of the City is located in the heart of Sheffield City Centre.Heart of the City was mainly...
projects masterplan to regenerate the area. The site forms part of the E-campus development currently underway on the site of the former Sheaf Baths site opposite the station and adjacent to the Pond Street bus station.