Sheffield

The city is located in the eastern foothills of the Pennines, in the valley of the River Don and its tributaries the Loxley, Porter Brook, Rivelin and Sheaf. There are more than 250 parks, woodlands and gardens in the city, which are estimated to contain around 4.5 million trees.

Sheffield played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution, developing many significant technologies. In the 19th century the city saw a huge expansion of its traditional cutlery trade, when processes for high-quality stainless steel and crucible steel were invented. This fuelled an almost tenfold increase in the population. Sheffield received its municipal charter in 1843 and was granted city status by in 1893. International competition in iron and steel caused a decline in these industries in the 1970s and 1980s, coinciding with the collapse of coal mining in the area. The 21st century has seen extensive redevelopment in Sheffield and its gross value added (GVA) increased by 60% between 1997 and 2015.