The typology of industrial buildings with reference to the steel trades in Sheffield, 1750-1900

In 1900 Sheffield was at its peak as the world's greatest steel-manufacturing city, yet only two centuries earlier It had been a small market town with a speciality in knife-making. This thesis aims to document this dramatic transformation by industry, focusing on the morphology and growth of the town, and the unique building types that emerged there. Case studies of individual sites are used to explore urban development, with particular attention to its spatial characteristics. Architectural prejudices of the past mean that In most cases little direct evidence survives, and many of the available sources are incomplete or fragmentary. Reconstruction of the working city is therefore a complex task, requiring the assimilation of data recovered from diverse sources. Following an overview of the growth of the town, considering particularly the effects of geography, communication and land ownership upon its form, the factors conducive to steelmaking are assessed. The opening case study is presented as a 'model' example, based on a complete recording and analysis of all available sources in order to present a comprehensive reconstruction of the progress of industrial sites overtime. Taking as its subject Benjamin Huntsman's invention of the crucible steel process, the study is centred on the outlying village of Attercliffe where the process was first put into commercial production in buildings purpose-designed by Huntsman. Methodologies to interpret the different types of available evidence (including archaeological, documentary, survey and ephemeral) are introduced. Finally, a framework applicable to future studies is established. Subsequent chapters build on the use of case studies to explore early steelmaking sites, the introduction of steam-power and the development of the heavy steel industries of the Don Valley.