Park Hill, Sheffield: Difference between revisions
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{{Other uses|Park Hill (disambiguation)}} |
{{Other uses|Park Hill (disambiguation)}} |
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{{short description|Housing estate in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England}} |
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{{Refimprove|date=April 2009}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date= |
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} |
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{{Use British English|date=October 2014}} |
{{Use British English|date=October 2014}} |
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{{Infobox housing project |
{{Infobox housing project |
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|building name = Park Hill Flats |
| building name = Park Hill Flats |
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|image = |
| image = Park Hill Samarkanda.JPG |
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|caption = |
| caption = |
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|location = Sheffield |
| location = Sheffield |
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|coordinates = |
| coordinates = {{coord|53.380|N|1.458|W|type:landmark}} |
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|status = Under renovation |
| status = Under renovation |
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|constructed = |
| constructed = 1957–1961 |
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| area = {{convert|32|acre|ha}} |
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|famous residents = |
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| units = 995 |
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| density = People {{convert|192|/acre|/ha}} |
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|construction architect = [[Jack Lynn (architect)|Jack Lynn]] [[Ivor Smith (architect)|Ivor Smith]] under [[J. L. Womersley]] |
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| construction contractors = [[Direct service organisation]] |
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| construction authority = [[Sheffield City Council]] |
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| construction style = [[Brutalist architecture|Brutalism]] |
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| construction influence = [[Le Corbusier]]'s [[Unité d'Habitation]] and the [[Alison and Peter Smithson|Smithsons]] |
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| refurbishment image = Park Hill Renovation.JPG |
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| refurbished = 2006–present |
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| refurbishment method = Phase 1: Strip to H frame and rebuild, Phases 2–5: Light touch refurbishment |
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| refurbishment units = Phase 1: 260 flats, nursery school, commercial units, Phase 2: 195 flats and townhouses, commercial units, Phase 3: 356 student rooms, Phase 4: 125 flats and townhouses, 2 commercial units, Phase 5: 105 flats and townhouses, 1 commercial unit |
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| refurbishment architect = [[Studio Egret West]], [[Hawkins Brown and Grant Associates]], [[Mikhail Riches]], [[Whitham Cox]], [[Carmody Groarke]] |
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| refurbishment contractors = [[Urban Splash]], [[Alumno Group]] |
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| refurbishment authority = [[Sheffield City Council]] |
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| refurbishment style = |
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| uk-listing type = UK Grade II* |
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| uk-listing number = 1246881 |
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| uk-listing date = 1998 |
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| demolished = |
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| governing body = |
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| famous residents = |
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}} |
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'''Park Hill''' is a housing estate in [[Sheffield]], [[South Yorkshire]], England. It was built between 1957 and 1961, and in 1998 was given Grade II* [[listed building]] status.{{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010}} Following a period of decline, the estate is being renovated by developers [[Urban Splash]] into a mostly private mixed-tenure estate made up of homes for market rent, private sale, shared ownership, and student housing while around a quarter of the units in the development will be social housing.<ref>[http://www.lgyh.gov.uk/Our%20Work/Housing/Flagship%20Projects%20for%202008-2011/Park%20Hill/ Local Government Yorkshire and Humber "Park Hill"] Retrieved 10 March 2011</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2007/05/29/park_hill_future_feature.shtml|title=Park Hill's future|last=BBC|website=www.bbc.co.uk|access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/local-firm-cleared-for-park-hill-student-housing/5094865.article|title=Local firm cleared for Park Hill student housing|last=Hopkirk|first=Elizabeth|date=31 July 2018|website=Building|access-date=9 December 2019}}</ref> The renovation was shortlisted for both the 2013 and 2024 RIBA [[Stirling Prize]], for the first and second phases of the redevelopment respectively. The Estate falls within the Manor Castle ward of the City. Park Hill is also the name of the area in which the flats are sited. The name relates to the deer park attached to [[Sheffield Manor Lodge]], the remnant of which is now known as [[Arbourthorne|Norfolk Park]]. |
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==History== |
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'''Park Hill''' is a [[council housing estate]] in [[Sheffield]], [[South Yorkshire]], England. It was built between 1957 and 1961, and in 1998 was given Grade II* [[listed building]] status.<ref>[http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7460080/ M. Hollow, "Governmentality on the Park Hill estate: the rationality of public housing", Urban Studies (2010)] Retrieved 9 July 2012</ref> Following a period of decline, the estate is being renovated by developers [[Urban Splash]].<ref>[http://www.lgyh.gov.uk/Our%20Work/Housing/Flagship%20Projects%20for%202008-2011/Park%20Hill/ Local Government Yorkshire and Humber "Park Hill"] Retrieved 10 March 2011</ref> |
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Park Hill was previously the site of [[Back-to-back houses|back-to-back housing]], a mixture of 2–3-storey [[Tenement|tenement buildings]], open ground, quarries and steep [[Ginnel|gennels]] (alleyways) connecting the homes. {{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010|p=14}} The streets were arranged in a [[Grid plan|gridiron]] with terraces of back-to-back housing; a row facing the street, backed with a row facing inwards to a court-yard. There were [[Pail closet|shared privies unconnected to mains drainage]]. One [[Standpipe (street)|standpipe]] supported up to 100 people.{{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010|p=14}} It was colloquially known as "[[Crime in Chicago|Little Chicago]]" in the 1930s, due to the incidence of violent crime there.<ref name="Gangs">{{cite web|last1=Milner|first1=Will|title=Gangs: A history of violence|url=http://nowthenmagazine.com/sheffield/issue-34/gangs/|website=Now Then Magazine|publisher=Opus Independents|access-date=2 April 2016}}</ref> [[Slum clearance in the United Kingdom|Clearance of the area]] began during the 1930s. The first clearance was made for the Duke/Bard/Bernard Street scheme in 1933. The courts were replaced with four storey blocks of [[Apartment|maisonettes]]. In 1935 it was proposed to clear the central area which included streets to the south of Duke Street; South Street, Low Street, Hague Lane, Lord Street, Stafford Street, Long Henry Street, Colliers Row, Norwich Street, Gilbert Street and Anson Street. John Rennie, the city's Medical Officer of Health, concluded: |
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:''"...the dwelling houses in that area [of Duke Street, Duke Street Lane, South Street and Low Street] are by reason of disrepair or sanitary defects unfit for human habitation, or are by reason of their bad arrangement, or the narrowness or bad arrangement of the streets, dangerous or injurious to the health of the inhabitants of the area, and that the other buildings in the area are for a like reason dangerous or injurious to the health of the said inhabitants, and that the most satisfactory method of dealing with the conditions in the area is the demolition of all the buildings in the area."''<ref>Sheffield Archives: CA-MIN/74,p. 221</ref> |
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G. C. Craven, the city's planning officer, recommended wholesale demolition and possible replacement with multi-storey flats. The Second World War halted this.{{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010|p=9}} |
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==Background== |
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[[File:Park Hill deck.JPG|thumb|left|A typical deck at Park Hill.]] |
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Park Hill was previously the site of [[Back-to-back houses|back-to-back housing]], a mixture of 2–3-storey tenement buildings, waste ground, quarries and steep alleyways.<ref name="sheffieldhistory"/> Facilities were poor, with one [[Standpipe (street)|standpipe]] supporting up to 100 people.<ref name="sheffieldhistory"/> It was colloquially known as "Little Chicago" in the 1930s, due to the incidence of violent crime there. Clearance of the area began during the 1930s but was halted due to [[World War II]].<ref name="sheffieldhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--about/parks-woodlands--countryside/parks/a-z-city-district--local--parks/cholera-monument-grounds--clay-wood/norfolk-heritage-trail/history-of-park-hill-flats|title=Sheffield City Council - History of Park Hill Flats|publisher=Sheffield.gov.uk|accessdate=1 September 2009}}</ref> |
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Following the war it was decided that a radical scheme needed to be introduced to deal with rehousing the Park Hill community. To that end architects [[Jack Lynn]] and [[Ivor Smith]] began work in |
Following the war it was decided that a radical scheme needed to be introduced to deal with rehousing the Park Hill community. To that end, architects [[Jack Lynn (architect)|Jack Lynn]] and [[Ivor Smith (architect)|Ivor Smith]] under the supervision of [[J. L. Womersley]], Sheffield Council's City Architect, began work in 1953 designing the Park Hill Flats. Inspired by [[Le Corbusier]]'s [[Unité d'Habitation]] and the [[Alison and Peter Smithson|Smithsons']] unbuilt schemes, most notably for [[Golden Lane Estate|Golden Lane]] in London, the [[deck access]] design was viewed as 'revolutionary'; in reality the fantastical schemes were often less practical for the families actually living in them. {{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010|p=16}} The style is known as [[Brutalist architecture|brutalism]].<ref name="A-Z">{{cite web|last1=Meades|first1=Jonathan|title=The incredible hulks: Jonathan Meades' A-Z of brutalism|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/feb/13/jonathan-meades-brutalism-a-z|website=Guardian|publisher=Guardian Newspapers|access-date=2 April 2016|date=13 February 2014}}</ref> |
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===Construction=== |
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The concept of the [[apartment|flat]]s was described as [[streets in the sky]]. Broad decks, wide enough for [[milk float]]s, had large numbers of front [[door]]s opening onto them. Each deck of the structure, except the top one, has direct access to ground level at some point on the sloping site. The site also allows the roofline to remain level despite the building varying between four and thirteen stories in height. The scheme also incorporates a shopping precinct and a primary school. |
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[[File:Park Hill deck.JPG|thumb|left|A typical deck at Park Hill]] |
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Construction began in 1957. Park Hill (Part One) was officially opened by [[Hugh Gaitskell]], MP and Leader of the Opposition, on 16 June 1961.{{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010|p=22}} The City Council published a brochure on the scheme which was in several languages, including Russian.[[File:Planta Park Hill.jpg|thumb|The footprint of the four blocks, with the paths and low-lying structures beneath]] |
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To maintain a strong sense of community, neighbours were re-homed next door to each other and old street names from the area were re-used (e.g. Gilbert Row, Long Henry Row).<ref name="bbc"/> Cobbles from the terraced streets surrounded the flats and paved the pathways down the hill to Sheffield station and tramlines.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2007/03/07/park_hill_feature.shtml|title=Park Hill's History|publisher=BBC|access-date=1 September 2009}}</ref> |
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The second phase consisted of four high rise blocks, containing 1,160 dwellings, on the hill behind, joined to the main scheme by two three-storey terraces to the east of Bernard Street that contained 153 dwellings. This was renamed in May 1961, becoming the [[Hyde Park, Sheffield|Hyde Park]] flats. The terraces became Hyde Park Walk and Hyde Park Terrace. The Hyde Park tower blocks were between five and 19 storeys high. This was opened on 23 June 1966 by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.{{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010|p=20}} |
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==History== |
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Construction began in 1957. Park Hill (Part One) was officially opened by [[Hugh Gaitskell]], MP and Leader of the Opposition, on 16 June 1961.<ref name="sheffieldlibrary">[http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/libraries/archives-and-local-studies/publications/park-hill-flats Sources for the study of the history of Park Hill flats] Produced by Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives. Retrieved 18 June 2011.</ref> The City Council published a brochure on the scheme which was in several languages, including Russian. [[File:Park Hill sign.JPG|thumb|right|Welcome sign and plan at the main entrance.]] To maintain a strong sense of community, neighbours were re-homed next door to each other and old street names from the area were re-used (e.g. Gilbert Row, Long Henry Row).<ref name="bbc"/> Cobbles from the terraced streets surrounded the flats and paved the pathways down the hill to Sheffield station and tramlines.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2007/03/07/park_hill_feature.shtml|title=Park Hill's History|publisher=BBC|accessdate=1 September 2009}}</ref> |
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Further housing schemes were completed to similar designs, including the Broomhall and Kelvin developments in Sheffield. At first these '[[Streets in the sky]]' enjoyed some popularity and success; for the first time in their lives, the working-poor tenants had the luxury of private bathrooms and efficient heating, but problems soon began to surface; Parents felt unable to keep an eye on their children in the playgrounds so many floors below, some older people felt isolated – if the access lifts were out of order it meant many stairs to climb, and even when they were working, lifts could be unpleasant due to being used as 'toilets' especially at weekends, requiring a caretaker to swill them with strong smelling disinfectant. Secluded walkways and stairwells provided opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/topic/6021-hyde-park-flats/|title=Hyde Park Flats|date=16 March 2009|website=Sheffield History – Sheffield Memories|accessdate=10 November 2023}}</ref> while high balconies invited some to throw refuse and other more dangerous items over them; in the late 1970s a child was killed by a TV set thrown from Hyde Park flats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/arts-and-culture/citys-san-quentin-1793964|title = City's '˜San Quentin'}}</ref> The high platforms also attracted suicidal jumpers. Government restrictions on how potential tenants were allocated to flats, the decay of the building's fabric when not maintained, poor noise insulation and issues with resident security caused their popularity to wane.<ref name="BBC:SSY">{{cite web|title=Places: Park Hill|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2007/03/07/park_hill_feature.shtml|website=Sheffield and South Yorkshire|publisher=BBC|access-date=2 April 2016|date=24 September 2014}}</ref> For many years, the council found it difficult to find tenants for the flats. |
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Further housing schemes were completed to similar designs, including Hyde Park and Kelvin in Sheffield. Although initially popular and successful, over time the fabric of the building has decayed somewhat and some other disadvantages of the estate, such as poor noise insulation and resident security, became apparent.{{Citation needed|date=November 2007}} For many years, the council found it difficult to find tenants for the flats. The estate was nicknamed "[[San Quentin]]" by some residents after the notorious American jail.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0,,547763,00.html|title=Listed buildings|publisher=Guardian|accessdate=1 September 2009 | location=London}}</ref> |
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==Listing and renovation== |
===Listing and renovation=== |
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{{Multiple image|direction=vertical|align=left|header= Park Hill renovation| header_align=center|caption_align=center|image1= Park Hill Flats in March 2008 - Geograph-3663164-by-Martin-Speck.jpg|image2= Sheffield - renovated Park Hill flats.jpg|width=200|caption1= Park Hill in 2008|caption2= Park Hill in 2011}} |
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Despite the problems, the complex remains structurally sound,{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} unlike many of the [[system built]] blocks of the era, and controversially was Grade II* listed in 1998 making it the largest [[listed building]] in Europe.<ref name="sheffieldhistory"/> [[Sheffield City Council]] hoped this would attract investment to renovate the building, but this was not initially forthcoming. The decision to list the estate was controversial at the time and it continues to attract criticism.<ref name="bayley">{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/18/english-heritage-park-hill-sheffield|title=The absurd listing of a block of flats in Sheffield is richly comic|publisher=Guardian|authorlink=Stephen Bayley|accessdate=1 September 2009 | location=London | date=19 April 2009}}</ref> |
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Despite the problems, the complex remained structurally sound,<ref name="BBC-Stirling">{{cite news|last1=Townsend|first1=Lucy|date=16 September 2013|title=Stirling Prize:Park Hill Phase 1|work=BBC News Magazine|publisher=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24054185|access-date=2 April 2016}}</ref> unlike many [[System building|system-built]] blocks of the era, and controversially was Grade II* listed in 1998 making it the largest [[listed building]] in Europe.{{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010}} [[Sheffield City Council]] hoped this would attract investment to renovate the building, but this was not initially forthcoming. The decision to list the estate was controversial at the time and it continues to attract criticism.<ref name="bayley">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/apr/18/english-heritage-park-hill-sheffield|title=The absurd listing of a block of flats in Sheffield is richly comic|work=Guardian|access-date=1 September 2009 |location=London |date=19 April 2009}}</ref> |
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A part-[[privatisation]] scheme by the developer [[Urban Splash]] in partnership with [[English Heritage]] to turn the flats into upmarket [[apartment]]s, [[business]] units and [[social housing]] is now underway.<ref name="bayley"/> Two blocks (including the North Block, the tallest part of the buildings) have been cleared, leaving only their concrete shell. The renovation was one of the six shortlisted projects for the 2013 RIBA [[Stirling Prize]]. |
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A part-[[privatisation]] scheme by the developer [[Urban Splash]] in partnership with [[English Heritage]] to turn the flats into upmarket [[apartment]]s, [[business]] units and [[social housing]] is now underway.<ref name="bayley"/><ref name=moore>{{cite news|last1=Moore|first1=Rowan|title=Park Hill estate, Sheffield – review|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/aug/21/park-hill-sheffield-renovation|access-date=1 April 2016|work=Observer|publisher=Guardian Newspapers|date=21 August 2011}}</ref> |
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Even now, inhabitants of Sheffield are split on the matter of Park Hill; many believe it to be a part of Sheffield's heritage, while others consider it nothing more than an eyesore and blot on the landscape.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haines|first1=Samantha|title=Sheffield's Park Hill flats: Design icon or concrete eyesore?|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-23358401|accessdate=1 November 2014|work=BBC News|date=19 July 2013}}</ref> Public nominations led it to the top 12 of [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[Demolition (television)|Demolition]]'' programme. Other television appearances for the flats include ''[[Police 2020]]'' and in an [[Arctic Monkeys]] video. A BBC programme called ''[[Saving Britain's Past]]'' sheds light on the building site's past and discusses the listing from several viewpoints in its second episode, called "Streets in the Sky". The 2014 film [['71]] used the buildings to recreate Belfast's notorious Divis Flats during [[The Troubles]]. |
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Sheffield City Council have created a new public park, South Street Open Space, between the railway station and Park Hill. This includes a series of seating terraces and new planting areas. |
Sheffield City Council have created a new public park, South Street Open Space, between the railway station and Park Hill. This includes a series of seating terraces and new planting areas. |
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==== Phase 1 ==== |
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A piece of graffiti, "Clare Middleton I love you will u marry me", which is written on one of the "bridges" linking two of the blocks, was the subject of a documentary broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] in 2011. The presenter went in search of the story behind the graffiti,<ref>{{cite news |title=Radio review: The I Love You Bridge |author=Elisabeth Mahoney |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/aug/07/radio-review-love-you-bridge |newspaper=The Guardian |date=7 August 2011 |accessdate=13 August 2011}}</ref> eventually finding that Clare did not marry the author of the graffiti, a man named Jason. She died of cancer in 2007. As part of the refurbishment of the estate the developers have chosen to illuminate the portion of the graffiti reading "I love you will u marry me" in neon. Clare Middleton's name has not been illuminated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-14444608 |title=Truth of Sheffield's 'I Love You Will U Marry Me' graffiti |author= |date=8 August 2011 |work= |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=13 August 2011}}</ref> |
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Flanks A, B and C (the tallest sections of the buildings) were initially cleared, leaving only their concrete shell. The renovation was one of the six shortlisted projects for the 2013 RIBA [[Stirling Prize]].<ref name="BBC-Stirling" /> The renovation was due to start in around 2007 but was put on hold due to the recession. Work started in 2009 with the first phase open to residents in 2010/11. |
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==== Phase 2 ==== |
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In comparison to the boldness of the Phase 1 renovation, Phase 2 instead implemented a 'light touch' approach<ref>{{cite web|title=Park Hill Phase 2|url=http://www.mikhailriches.com/project/park-hill-phase-2/|access-date=12 December 2020|website=Mikhail Riches}}</ref> which retains the original brick infill and full width of the streets. 195 new flats and townhouses will be developed in flanks D, E, F, G and H around a central residents garden as well as {{convert|2500|m2|order=flip}} of commercial space. This phase also included the restoration of the link bridge to Phase 1. |
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Planning approval was granted in December 2017 and work began on site in January 2019. Homes went on sale in February 2020 and residents moved in from January 2022. |
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A pub opened in September 2023, the first pub at Park Hill since the original development.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/the-pearl-at-park-hill-opening-sheffield-4277508|title=The Pearl pub set to open at Park Hill flats in Sheffield|accessdate=10 November 2023}}</ref> Its name, The Pearl, is an amalgamation of the names of 2 of those earlier establishments – The Parkway Tavern and The Earl George.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pearlatparkhill.co.uk/why-the-friendly-ghoul-1|title=Why the friendly ghoul?|website=Pearl at Park Hill|accessdate=10 November 2023}}</ref> |
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Phase 2 of the Park Hill redevelopment was shortlisted for the 2024 RIBA [[Stirling Prize]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-31 |title=Sheffield's Park Hill flats shortlisted for Stirling Prize |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ngk49zlv4o |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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==== Phase 3 ==== |
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Phase 3 has been developed as student accommodation, consisting of 356 rooms in 74 townhouse style units as well as communal spaces and a convenience shop. Flanks M, N, O, P and Q were developed as part of this phase which has been named '''Béton House'''. |
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Planning approval was granted in July 2018 and work began on site in May 2019. Work completed in autumn 2020 with the first students moving in during September 2020. |
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The convenience store, Park Hill Provisions, opened in October 2021. |
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==== Phase 4 ==== |
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Planning approval was granted in August 2019 for the redevelopment of flanks R, S and T into 95 residential units, artist accommodation, heritage flats, artist studios, and contemporary art gallery. An updated planning application was submitted in June 2023 in which the art gallery (and associated studios and accommodation) were removed due to a lack of funding. It also included controversial plans to replace some of the existing green space with car parks. A further amended planning application was approved in November 2023.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 November 2023 |title=New Sheffield Park Hill flats refurb approved despite objections |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-67361364 |access-date=10 November 2023}}</ref> |
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==== Phase 5 ==== |
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A planning application for the fifth and final phase of the redevelopment was submitted in June 2024.<ref>{{cite news |date=12 June 2024 |title=Final plan for Sheffield's brutalist Park Hill flats revealed |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3gg1rrg0vro |access-date=14 June 2024 |website=BBC News }}</ref> Plans for flanks I, J, K and L included 105 residential units, a flexible commercial space and a residents allotment. Planning approval was granted in September 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-11 |title=Sheffield's Park Hill flats regeneration to be completed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce319nx0rx9o |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> |
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==Description== |
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===Background=== |
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The Park Hill area of Sheffield contained and had a population density in the range of {{convert|100|to|400|/acre|/ha}}. It was identified as a slum where, according to [[Patrick Abercrombie|Patrick Abercrombie's]] Sheffield Civic Survey and Development Plan (1924), there were death rates in the lower Park district of 20–26 per 1,000 inhabitants, and infant (under one year) mortality rate of 153–179 per 1,000 births. The central area amounted to {{convert|710| acre|ha}}, and contained 140 designated clearance areas.{{sfn|Sheffield Sources|2010}} |
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===Design=== |
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[[File:Célula básica de vivienda.jpg|thumb|Basic three-level, three-bay module]] |
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[[File:Tres niveles.jpg|thumb|The horizontal design repeated itself every three bays: each of these units contained a one bedroom flat (yellow), a two bedroom flat (blue), a two bedroom maisonette (black) and a three bedroom maisonette (red). The levels are connected by the H-frame containing the stair columns.]] |
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The 995 Park Hill flats and maisonettes, three pubs and 31 shops were built in four ranges linked by bridges across the upper decks. The ranges were canted at obtuse angles to maximise the panoramic views across the city and the southern Pennines. The stair columns and lifts were placed at each turn. There were two service lifts capable of elevating maintenance vehicles.{{sfn|Listing|1246881|ignore-err=yes}} |
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The site is steeply sloping (gradient 1 in 10), enabling the designers to maintain a constant roof level though the buildings ranged from four to 13 storeys. There were access roadways {{convert|10|ft|m}} on every third storey; these serviced a one-storey flat beneath and a two-storey maisonette on that level and on the level above. The horizontal design repeated itself every three bays, centred on a H-frame that carried the services and stair columns. Each of these units contained a one-bedroom flat, a two-bedroom flat, a two-bedroom maisonette and a three-bedroom maisonette, and stair columns. The kitchens and bathrooms were vertically aligned, allowing simple ducting for services and the [[Garchey|Garchey waste disposal system]].{{sfn|Listing|1246881|ignore-err=yes}} |
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Construction is of an exposed [[concrete]] frame with a progression of purple, terracotta, light red and cream [[brick]] [[curtain wall (architecture)|curtain wall]]ing.{{sfn|Listing|1246881|ignore-err=yes}} However, as a result of weathering and soot-staining from passing trains, few people realise this and assume the building to be constructed entirely from concrete. |
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The concept of the [[apartment|flat]]s was described as [[streets in the sky]]. There were four street decks, wide enough for [[milk float]]s, with large numbers of front [[door]]s opening onto them. This was a key concept of the design. Each deck of the structure, except the top one, has direct access to ground level at some point on the sloping site.{{sfn|Listing|1246881|ignore-err=yes}} |
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The shopping facilities, known as The Pavement, were provided on the lowest part of the site. There were four pubs: The Earl George on The Pavement, The Link and the Scottish Queen on Gilbert Row, and the Parkway on Hague Row.{{sfn|Listing|1246881|ignore-err=yes}} |
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==Location== |
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Park Hill is one of the seven hills on which [[Sheffield]] is built. It is south of the [[River Don, South Yorkshire|River Don]], and to the east of the [[River Sheaf]]. The estate is on steeply rising land the lower slopes, it is upwind of the former heavily polluting industrial areas of the Don Valley. The estate is bounded by Park Square roundabout on the [[A61 road|A61]], the B6070 Duke Street, B6071 Talbot Street and South Street. |
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Immediately to the west is [[Sheffield railway station]] that in 2010–11, was the 35th-busiest in the UK, and the 11th-busiest outside London.<ref>{{cite web|title=Station Usage 2010–2011|url=http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0008/5984/station_usage_0910.xls|website=Rail statistics|publisher=Office of Road and Rail |access-date=9 May 2016|ref={{sfnref|Rail figures|2011}}}}</ref>{{needs update|date=September 2020}} |
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==Arts== |
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{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2020}} |
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A piece of graffiti, [[I Love You Will U Marry Me|"Clare Middleton I love you will u marry me"]], written on one of the "bridges" linking two of the blocks, was the subject of a documentary broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4]] in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |title=Radio review: The I Love You Bridge |first=Elisabeth |last=Mahoney |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/aug/07/radio-review-love-you-bridge |newspaper=The Guardian |date=7 August 2011 |access-date=13 August 2011}}</ref> Jason Lowe spray-painted the graffiti proposal in 2001; Middleton did not marry him, and died of cancer in 2007.<ref name=removed>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-55998485 |title=Sheffield 'I Love You' graffiti removed from Park Hill flats |work=BBC News |date=9 February 2021 |accessdate=9 February 2021 }}</ref> The graffiti was mentioned by [[Yungblud]] in his song "I Love You, Will You Marry Me", and [[Alex Turner]] of the [[Arctic Monkeys]] wore a T-shirt with a reproduction of the "I love you will u marry me" at a gig.<ref name=removed/> As part of the renovation, Urban Splash overlaid that part of the graffiti in neon in 2008,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-14444608 |title=Truth of Sheffield's 'I Love You Will U Marry Me' graffiti |date=8 August 2011 |work=BBC News |access-date=13 August 2011}}</ref> but in early 2021 removed it while renovating the bridge.<ref name=removed/> |
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Even now, inhabitants of Sheffield are split on the matter of Park Hill; many believe it to be a part of Sheffield's heritage, while others consider it an eyesore and blot on the landscape.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haines|first1=Samantha|title=Sheffield's Park Hill flats: Design icon or concrete eyesore?|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-23358401|access-date=1 November 2014|work=BBC News|date=19 July 2013}}</ref> Public nominations led it to the top 12 of [[Channel 4]]'s ''[[Demolition (television)|Demolition]]'' programme. Other television appearances for the flats include ''[[Police 2020]]'' and in an Arctic Monkeys video. A BBC programme called ''[[Saving Britain's Past]]'' sheds light on the building site's past and discusses the listing from several viewpoints in its second episode, called "Streets in the Sky". The 2014 film ''[['71 (film)|'71]]'' used the buildings to recreate Belfast's notorious [[Divis Tower|Divis Flats]] during [[The Troubles]]. |
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Park Hill has featured as a major source of inspiration for British artist [[Mandy Payne]], with her paintings of the estate winning several awards. |
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Park Hill is referenced in the lyrics of [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]]'s song "Sheffield Sex City". |
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Park Hill appears on the cover of [[Eagulls]]' self-titled debut album. |
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The building was used as the location for Harvey and Gadget's flat in ''[[This Is England '90]]'' and also features in ''[[This Is England '86]]'' during the fight scene. |
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The area and above-mentioned graffiti are the subject of the song "I Love You, Will You Marry Me" by South Yorkshire-born musician [[Yungblud]]. |
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Park Hill is featured in the [[Doctor Who (series 11)|eleventh series]] and [[Doctor Who (series 12)|twelfth series]] of ''[[Doctor Who]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-south-yorkshire-45589723|title=Doctor Who premiere: How Sheffield red carpet happened|work=BBC News|access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref> as the family home of companion [[Yaz Khan (Doctor Who)|Yaz Khan]]. |
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The musical [[Standing at the Sky's Edge (musical)|''Standing at the Sky's Edge'']], featuring songs by [[Richard Hawley]], is set in Park Hill and tells the story of three families over sixty years beginning in 1961. The musical premiered at the [[Crucible Theatre|Crucible Theatre, Sheffield]] in 2019 and transferred to the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]] in London in 2023. That same year, it won Best New Musical at the [[Laurence Olivier Awards]]. After the run at the National Theatre, it was announced that the musical would open in the West End in February 2024 at the [[Gillian Lynne Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news |date=4 April 2023 |title=Standing at the Sky's Edge musical moves to London's West End |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-65165566 |access-date=10 November 2023}}</ref> |
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Park Hill is featured in the 2017 science fiction romantic comedy film ''[[How to Talk to Girls at Parties (film)|How to Talk to Girls at Parties]]'', based on the [[How to Talk to Girls at Parties|short story of the same name]] by [[Neil Gaiman]]. Park Hill serves as the setting for a part of the main character's love story, as well as the climax of the film. |
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In July 2022, Park Hill was used as a filming location for [[The Full Monty (TV series)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-the-full-monty-filmed/|title=Where is The Full Monty Filmed?|first=Naman|last=Shrestha|date=13 June 2023|website=The Cinemaholic|accessdate=10 November 2023}}</ref> |
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Scenes for [[Bodies (2023 TV series)]] were filmed at Park Hill during September 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/people/bodies-2023-rumours-latest-netflix-series-featuring-stephen-graham-is-being-filmed-in-sheffield-3843929|title=Bodies 2023: Rumours latest Netflix series featuring Stephen Graham is being filmed in Sheffield|accessdate=10 November 2023}}</ref> |
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Park Hill is also the name of the area in which the flats are sited. The name relates to the deer park attached to [[Sheffield Manor]], the remnant of which is now known as [[Norfolk Park]]. |
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==Photo gallery== |
==Photo gallery== |
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<gallery> |
<gallery> |
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File:Park Hill sign.JPG|Welcome sign and plan at the main entrance. |
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File:Parkhill1.jpg|Entrance of Park Hill |
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File:Park Hill housing estate, Sheffield.jpg|Entrance of Park Hill |
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File:Park Hill, half-abandoned council housing estate, Sheffield, England.jpg|Panorama of Park Hill |
File:Park Hill, half-abandoned council housing estate, Sheffield, England.jpg|Panorama of Park Hill |
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File:Park Hill facade.jpg| |
File:Park Hill facade.jpg|One of the Park Hill facades |
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File:Park Hill close-up.JPG|Close-up of the exterior |
File:Park Hill close-up.JPG|Close-up of the exterior |
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</gallery> |
</gallery> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
||
*[[List of brutalist apartment blocks in Sheffield]] |
* [[List of brutalist apartment blocks in Sheffield]] |
||
*[[Cables Wynd House |
* [[Cables Wynd House]], Edinburgh, Scotland |
||
*[[Byker Wall]], Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
* [[Byker Wall]], Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
||
*[[Prora]], Rügen, Germany |
* [[Prora]], Rügen, Germany |
||
*[[Falowiec]], Gdansk, Poland |
* [[Falowiec]], Gdansk, Poland |
||
*[[Karl-Marx-Hof]], Vienna, Austria |
* [[Karl-Marx-Hof]], Vienna, Austria |
||
*[[Spinaceto]], Rome, Italy |
* [[Spinaceto]], Rome, Italy |
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*[[Ballymun Flats]], Dublin, Ireland |
* [[Ballymun Flats]], Dublin, Ireland |
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*[[ |
* [[Golden Lane Estate#Golden Lane Competition|Golden Lane Estate]] competition entry by [[Alison and Peter Smithson]], London |
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*[[Robin Hood Gardens]], London |
* [[Robin Hood Gardens]], London |
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*[[Habitat 67]], Canada |
* [[Habitat 67]], Canada |
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* [[Hunslet Grange Flats]], Leeds |
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==References== |
==References== |
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;Notes |
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{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
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;Bibliography |
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*{{cite web| url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7460080|title= 'Governmentality on the Park Hill Estate: The rationality of public housing', Urban Studies 37 (2010)}} |
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* {{cite book|title=Sources for the study of the history of Park Hill flats|date=2010|publisher=Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives|location=Sheffield|url=https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/dms/scc/management/corporate-communications/documents/leisure-culture/libraries-copyright/archives/research-guides/parkhill-flats/Park-Hill-and-Hyde-Park-Study-Guide--PDF--1-63-MB-.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919045025/https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/dms/scc/management/corporate-communications/documents/leisure-culture/libraries-copyright/archives/research-guides/parkhill-flats/Park-Hill-and-Hyde-Park-Study-Guide--PDF--1-63-MB-.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 September 2015|access-date=2 April 2016|ref={{sfnref|Sheffield Sources|2010}}}} |
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*{{cite web| url=http://www.open2.net/modernity/html/park_hill_estate.html|title=Open 2 - From Here to Modernity - Park Hill}} |
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* {{NHLE|desc=Park Hill|num=1246881|access-date=6 April 2016|ref={{sfnref|Listing|1246881}}}} |
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== |
==External links== |
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{{commons category|Park Hill}} |
{{commons category|Park Hill}} |
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* [https://www.parkhill.estate/ Park Hill website] Information for residents, businesses and visitors. Developed and maintained by the Park Hill Residents' Association |
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{{coord|53.380|N|1.458|W|type:landmark|display=title}} |
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*[http://www.urbansplash.co.uk/residential/park-hill Exploring Park Hill Flats] |
* [http://www.urbansplash.co.uk/residential/park-hill Exploring Park Hill Flats] Collection of sources and essays collected by [[Urban Splash]]. |
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* [http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/sheffieldarchives/park%20hill%20flats/?start=all Several photos of Park Hill housing by Peter Jones] |
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*[http://www.open2.net/modernity/3_12.htm From Here To Modernity: Park Hill] |
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* [https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/sheffields-park-hill-estate-expectations-2297385.html Sheffield's Park Hill: Estate expectations], Stephen Kelly, The Independent, 2011 |
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*[http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b171/sheffieldarchives/park%20hill%20flats/?start=all Several photos of Park Hill housing by Peter Jones] |
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* [http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/park-hill-housing-project Park Hill Housing Project] (1962), Yorkshire Film Archive (film) |
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* [https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/libraries/archives-and-local-studies/research-guides/park-hill-flats.html Sources for the study of the history of Park Hill flats] Produced by Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives |
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* {{cite journal|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7460080|title=Governmentality on the Park Hill Estate: The rationality of public housing, Urban Studies 37 (2010)|journal=Urban History|date=May 2010|volume=37|issue=1|pages=117–135|doi=10.1017/S096392681000009X|last1=Hollow|first1=Matthew|s2cid=145716470}} (Pay wall) |
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* '[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/architecture/sheffields-park-hill-estate-expectations-2297385.html Sheffield's Park Hill: Estate expectations]', Stephen Kelly, The Independent, 2011 |
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* {{cite web|url=http://www.open2.net/modernity/html/park_hill_estate.html|title=Open 2 - From Here to Modernity - Park Hill}} (web site moving) |
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* '[http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/park-hill-housing-project Park Hill Housing Project]' (1962), Yorkshire Film Archive (film) |
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*{{cite news |last1=Pidd |first1=Helen |title=Streets in the sky … the Sheffield high-rises that were home sweet home |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jul/20/streets-in-the-sky-the-sheffield-high-rises-that-were-home-sweet-home-love-among-ruins |work=The Guardian |date=20 July 2018 }} Bill Stevensons photo exhibition |
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*[https://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue56/18/index.html Digital heritage at Park Hill] |
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{{Districts of Sheffield}} |
{{Districts of Sheffield}} |
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{{Listed buildings in Sheffield}} |
{{Listed buildings in Sheffield}} |
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{{SheffieldStructures}} |
{{SheffieldStructures}} |
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{{Public housing in the United Kingdom}} |
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[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Sheffield]] |
[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Sheffield]] |
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[[Category:Housing estates in Sheffield]] |
[[Category:Housing estates in Sheffield]] |
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[[Category:Brutalist architecture in |
[[Category:Brutalist architecture in England]] |
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[[Category:Residential buildings completed in 1961]] |
[[Category:Residential buildings completed in 1961]] |
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[[Category:1957 establishments in England]] |
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[[Category:Apartment buildings in England]] |
Latest revision as of 17:52, 30 September 2024
Park Hill Flats | |
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General information | |
Location | Sheffield |
Coordinates | 53°22′48″N 1°27′29″W / 53.380°N 1.458°W |
Status | Under renovation |
Area | 32 acres (13 ha) |
No. of units | 995 |
Density | People 192 per acre (470/ha) |
Construction | |
Constructed | 1957–1961 |
Architect | Jack Lynn Ivor Smith under J. L. Womersley |
Contractors | Direct service organisation |
Authority | Sheffield City Council |
Style | Brutalism |
Influence | Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation and the Smithsons |
Refurbishment | |
Proposed action | Phase 1: Strip to H frame and rebuild, Phases 2–5: Light touch refurbishment |
Units | Phase 1: 260 flats, nursery school, commercial units, Phase 2: 195 flats and townhouses, commercial units, Phase 3: 356 student rooms, Phase 4: 125 flats and townhouses, 2 commercial units, Phase 5: 105 flats and townhouses, 1 commercial unit |
Refurbished | 2006–present |
Architect | Studio Egret West, Hawkins Brown and Grant Associates, Mikhail Riches, Whitham Cox, Carmody Groarke |
Contractor | Urban Splash, Alumno Group |
Directing authority | Sheffield City Council |
Listing | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
Designated | 1998 |
Reference no. | 1246881 |
Park Hill is a housing estate in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It was built between 1957 and 1961, and in 1998 was given Grade II* listed building status.[1] Following a period of decline, the estate is being renovated by developers Urban Splash into a mostly private mixed-tenure estate made up of homes for market rent, private sale, shared ownership, and student housing while around a quarter of the units in the development will be social housing.[2][3][4] The renovation was shortlisted for both the 2013 and 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize, for the first and second phases of the redevelopment respectively. The Estate falls within the Manor Castle ward of the City. Park Hill is also the name of the area in which the flats are sited. The name relates to the deer park attached to Sheffield Manor Lodge, the remnant of which is now known as Norfolk Park.
History
[edit]Park Hill was previously the site of back-to-back housing, a mixture of 2–3-storey tenement buildings, open ground, quarries and steep gennels (alleyways) connecting the homes. [5] The streets were arranged in a gridiron with terraces of back-to-back housing; a row facing the street, backed with a row facing inwards to a court-yard. There were shared privies unconnected to mains drainage. One standpipe supported up to 100 people.[5] It was colloquially known as "Little Chicago" in the 1930s, due to the incidence of violent crime there.[6] Clearance of the area began during the 1930s. The first clearance was made for the Duke/Bard/Bernard Street scheme in 1933. The courts were replaced with four storey blocks of maisonettes. In 1935 it was proposed to clear the central area which included streets to the south of Duke Street; South Street, Low Street, Hague Lane, Lord Street, Stafford Street, Long Henry Street, Colliers Row, Norwich Street, Gilbert Street and Anson Street. John Rennie, the city's Medical Officer of Health, concluded:
- "...the dwelling houses in that area [of Duke Street, Duke Street Lane, South Street and Low Street] are by reason of disrepair or sanitary defects unfit for human habitation, or are by reason of their bad arrangement, or the narrowness or bad arrangement of the streets, dangerous or injurious to the health of the inhabitants of the area, and that the other buildings in the area are for a like reason dangerous or injurious to the health of the said inhabitants, and that the most satisfactory method of dealing with the conditions in the area is the demolition of all the buildings in the area."[7]
G. C. Craven, the city's planning officer, recommended wholesale demolition and possible replacement with multi-storey flats. The Second World War halted this.[8]
Following the war it was decided that a radical scheme needed to be introduced to deal with rehousing the Park Hill community. To that end, architects Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith under the supervision of J. L. Womersley, Sheffield Council's City Architect, began work in 1953 designing the Park Hill Flats. Inspired by Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation and the Smithsons' unbuilt schemes, most notably for Golden Lane in London, the deck access design was viewed as 'revolutionary'; in reality the fantastical schemes were often less practical for the families actually living in them. [9] The style is known as brutalism.[10]
Construction
[edit]Construction began in 1957. Park Hill (Part One) was officially opened by Hugh Gaitskell, MP and Leader of the Opposition, on 16 June 1961.[11] The City Council published a brochure on the scheme which was in several languages, including Russian.
To maintain a strong sense of community, neighbours were re-homed next door to each other and old street names from the area were re-used (e.g. Gilbert Row, Long Henry Row).[12] Cobbles from the terraced streets surrounded the flats and paved the pathways down the hill to Sheffield station and tramlines.[12]
The second phase consisted of four high rise blocks, containing 1,160 dwellings, on the hill behind, joined to the main scheme by two three-storey terraces to the east of Bernard Street that contained 153 dwellings. This was renamed in May 1961, becoming the Hyde Park flats. The terraces became Hyde Park Walk and Hyde Park Terrace. The Hyde Park tower blocks were between five and 19 storeys high. This was opened on 23 June 1966 by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.[13]
Further housing schemes were completed to similar designs, including the Broomhall and Kelvin developments in Sheffield. At first these 'Streets in the sky' enjoyed some popularity and success; for the first time in their lives, the working-poor tenants had the luxury of private bathrooms and efficient heating, but problems soon began to surface; Parents felt unable to keep an eye on their children in the playgrounds so many floors below, some older people felt isolated – if the access lifts were out of order it meant many stairs to climb, and even when they were working, lifts could be unpleasant due to being used as 'toilets' especially at weekends, requiring a caretaker to swill them with strong smelling disinfectant. Secluded walkways and stairwells provided opportunity for crime and anti-social behaviour [14] while high balconies invited some to throw refuse and other more dangerous items over them; in the late 1970s a child was killed by a TV set thrown from Hyde Park flats.[15] The high platforms also attracted suicidal jumpers. Government restrictions on how potential tenants were allocated to flats, the decay of the building's fabric when not maintained, poor noise insulation and issues with resident security caused their popularity to wane.[16] For many years, the council found it difficult to find tenants for the flats.
Listing and renovation
[edit]Despite the problems, the complex remained structurally sound,[17] unlike many system-built blocks of the era, and controversially was Grade II* listed in 1998 making it the largest listed building in Europe.[1] Sheffield City Council hoped this would attract investment to renovate the building, but this was not initially forthcoming. The decision to list the estate was controversial at the time and it continues to attract criticism.[18] A part-privatisation scheme by the developer Urban Splash in partnership with English Heritage to turn the flats into upmarket apartments, business units and social housing is now underway.[18][19]
Sheffield City Council have created a new public park, South Street Open Space, between the railway station and Park Hill. This includes a series of seating terraces and new planting areas.
Phase 1
[edit]Flanks A, B and C (the tallest sections of the buildings) were initially cleared, leaving only their concrete shell. The renovation was one of the six shortlisted projects for the 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize.[17] The renovation was due to start in around 2007 but was put on hold due to the recession. Work started in 2009 with the first phase open to residents in 2010/11.
Phase 2
[edit]In comparison to the boldness of the Phase 1 renovation, Phase 2 instead implemented a 'light touch' approach[20] which retains the original brick infill and full width of the streets. 195 new flats and townhouses will be developed in flanks D, E, F, G and H around a central residents garden as well as 27,000 square feet (2,500 m2) of commercial space. This phase also included the restoration of the link bridge to Phase 1.
Planning approval was granted in December 2017 and work began on site in January 2019. Homes went on sale in February 2020 and residents moved in from January 2022.
A pub opened in September 2023, the first pub at Park Hill since the original development.[21] Its name, The Pearl, is an amalgamation of the names of 2 of those earlier establishments – The Parkway Tavern and The Earl George.[22]
Phase 2 of the Park Hill redevelopment was shortlisted for the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize.[23]
Phase 3
[edit]Phase 3 has been developed as student accommodation, consisting of 356 rooms in 74 townhouse style units as well as communal spaces and a convenience shop. Flanks M, N, O, P and Q were developed as part of this phase which has been named Béton House.
Planning approval was granted in July 2018 and work began on site in May 2019. Work completed in autumn 2020 with the first students moving in during September 2020.
The convenience store, Park Hill Provisions, opened in October 2021.
Phase 4
[edit]Planning approval was granted in August 2019 for the redevelopment of flanks R, S and T into 95 residential units, artist accommodation, heritage flats, artist studios, and contemporary art gallery. An updated planning application was submitted in June 2023 in which the art gallery (and associated studios and accommodation) were removed due to a lack of funding. It also included controversial plans to replace some of the existing green space with car parks. A further amended planning application was approved in November 2023.[24]
Phase 5
[edit]A planning application for the fifth and final phase of the redevelopment was submitted in June 2024.[25] Plans for flanks I, J, K and L included 105 residential units, a flexible commercial space and a residents allotment. Planning approval was granted in September 2024.[26]
Description
[edit]Background
[edit]The Park Hill area of Sheffield contained and had a population density in the range of 100 to 400 per acre (250 to 990/ha). It was identified as a slum where, according to Patrick Abercrombie's Sheffield Civic Survey and Development Plan (1924), there were death rates in the lower Park district of 20–26 per 1,000 inhabitants, and infant (under one year) mortality rate of 153–179 per 1,000 births. The central area amounted to 710 acres (290 ha), and contained 140 designated clearance areas.[1]
Design
[edit]The 995 Park Hill flats and maisonettes, three pubs and 31 shops were built in four ranges linked by bridges across the upper decks. The ranges were canted at obtuse angles to maximise the panoramic views across the city and the southern Pennines. The stair columns and lifts were placed at each turn. There were two service lifts capable of elevating maintenance vehicles.[27]
The site is steeply sloping (gradient 1 in 10), enabling the designers to maintain a constant roof level though the buildings ranged from four to 13 storeys. There were access roadways 10 feet (3.0 m) on every third storey; these serviced a one-storey flat beneath and a two-storey maisonette on that level and on the level above. The horizontal design repeated itself every three bays, centred on a H-frame that carried the services and stair columns. Each of these units contained a one-bedroom flat, a two-bedroom flat, a two-bedroom maisonette and a three-bedroom maisonette, and stair columns. The kitchens and bathrooms were vertically aligned, allowing simple ducting for services and the Garchey waste disposal system.[27]
Construction is of an exposed concrete frame with a progression of purple, terracotta, light red and cream brick curtain walling.[27] However, as a result of weathering and soot-staining from passing trains, few people realise this and assume the building to be constructed entirely from concrete.
The concept of the flats was described as streets in the sky. There were four street decks, wide enough for milk floats, with large numbers of front doors opening onto them. This was a key concept of the design. Each deck of the structure, except the top one, has direct access to ground level at some point on the sloping site.[27]
The shopping facilities, known as The Pavement, were provided on the lowest part of the site. There were four pubs: The Earl George on The Pavement, The Link and the Scottish Queen on Gilbert Row, and the Parkway on Hague Row.[27]
Location
[edit]Park Hill is one of the seven hills on which Sheffield is built. It is south of the River Don, and to the east of the River Sheaf. The estate is on steeply rising land the lower slopes, it is upwind of the former heavily polluting industrial areas of the Don Valley. The estate is bounded by Park Square roundabout on the A61, the B6070 Duke Street, B6071 Talbot Street and South Street.
Immediately to the west is Sheffield railway station that in 2010–11, was the 35th-busiest in the UK, and the 11th-busiest outside London.[28][needs update]
Arts
[edit]This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2020) |
A piece of graffiti, "Clare Middleton I love you will u marry me", written on one of the "bridges" linking two of the blocks, was the subject of a documentary broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2011.[29] Jason Lowe spray-painted the graffiti proposal in 2001; Middleton did not marry him, and died of cancer in 2007.[30] The graffiti was mentioned by Yungblud in his song "I Love You, Will You Marry Me", and Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys wore a T-shirt with a reproduction of the "I love you will u marry me" at a gig.[30] As part of the renovation, Urban Splash overlaid that part of the graffiti in neon in 2008,[31] but in early 2021 removed it while renovating the bridge.[30]
Even now, inhabitants of Sheffield are split on the matter of Park Hill; many believe it to be a part of Sheffield's heritage, while others consider it an eyesore and blot on the landscape.[32] Public nominations led it to the top 12 of Channel 4's Demolition programme. Other television appearances for the flats include Police 2020 and in an Arctic Monkeys video. A BBC programme called Saving Britain's Past sheds light on the building site's past and discusses the listing from several viewpoints in its second episode, called "Streets in the Sky". The 2014 film '71 used the buildings to recreate Belfast's notorious Divis Flats during The Troubles.
Park Hill has featured as a major source of inspiration for British artist Mandy Payne, with her paintings of the estate winning several awards.
Park Hill is referenced in the lyrics of Pulp's song "Sheffield Sex City".
Park Hill appears on the cover of Eagulls' self-titled debut album.
The building was used as the location for Harvey and Gadget's flat in This Is England '90 and also features in This Is England '86 during the fight scene.
The area and above-mentioned graffiti are the subject of the song "I Love You, Will You Marry Me" by South Yorkshire-born musician Yungblud.
Park Hill is featured in the eleventh series and twelfth series of Doctor Who,[33] as the family home of companion Yaz Khan.
The musical Standing at the Sky's Edge, featuring songs by Richard Hawley, is set in Park Hill and tells the story of three families over sixty years beginning in 1961. The musical premiered at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield in 2019 and transferred to the National Theatre in London in 2023. That same year, it won Best New Musical at the Laurence Olivier Awards. After the run at the National Theatre, it was announced that the musical would open in the West End in February 2024 at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.[34]
Park Hill is featured in the 2017 science fiction romantic comedy film How to Talk to Girls at Parties, based on the short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman. Park Hill serves as the setting for a part of the main character's love story, as well as the climax of the film.
In July 2022, Park Hill was used as a filming location for The Full Monty (TV series).[35]
Scenes for Bodies (2023 TV series) were filmed at Park Hill during September 2022.[36]
Photo gallery
[edit]-
Welcome sign and plan at the main entrance.
-
Entrance of Park Hill
-
Panorama of Park Hill
-
One of the Park Hill facades
-
Close-up of the exterior
See also
[edit]- List of brutalist apartment blocks in Sheffield
- Cables Wynd House, Edinburgh, Scotland
- Byker Wall, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
- Prora, Rügen, Germany
- Falowiec, Gdansk, Poland
- Karl-Marx-Hof, Vienna, Austria
- Spinaceto, Rome, Italy
- Ballymun Flats, Dublin, Ireland
- Golden Lane Estate competition entry by Alison and Peter Smithson, London
- Robin Hood Gardens, London
- Habitat 67, Canada
- Hunslet Grange Flats, Leeds
References
[edit]- Notes
- ^ a b c Sheffield Sources 2010.
- ^ Local Government Yorkshire and Humber "Park Hill" Retrieved 10 March 2011
- ^ BBC. "Park Hill's future". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ Hopkirk, Elizabeth (31 July 2018). "Local firm cleared for Park Hill student housing". Building. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ a b Sheffield Sources 2010, p. 14.
- ^ Milner, Will. "Gangs: A history of violence". Now Then Magazine. Opus Independents. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Sheffield Archives: CA-MIN/74,p. 221
- ^ Sheffield Sources 2010, p. 9.
- ^ Sheffield Sources 2010, p. 16.
- ^ Meades, Jonathan (13 February 2014). "The incredible hulks: Jonathan Meades' A-Z of brutalism". Guardian. Guardian Newspapers. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ Sheffield Sources 2010, p. 22.
- ^ a b "Park Hill's History". BBC. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ Sheffield Sources 2010, p. 20.
- ^ "Hyde Park Flats". Sheffield History – Sheffield Memories. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "City's '˜San Quentin'".
- ^ "Places: Park Hill". Sheffield and South Yorkshire. BBC. 24 September 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ a b Townsend, Lucy (16 September 2013). "Stirling Prize:Park Hill Phase 1". BBC News Magazine. BBC. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ a b "The absurd listing of a block of flats in Sheffield is richly comic". Guardian. London. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ^ Moore, Rowan (21 August 2011). "Park Hill estate, Sheffield – review". Observer. Guardian Newspapers. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ^ "Park Hill Phase 2". Mikhail Riches. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "The Pearl pub set to open at Park Hill flats in Sheffield". Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Why the friendly ghoul?". Pearl at Park Hill. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Sheffield's Park Hill flats shortlisted for Stirling Prize". BBC News. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "New Sheffield Park Hill flats refurb approved despite objections". BBC News. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ "Final plan for Sheffield's brutalist Park Hill flats revealed". BBC News. 12 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Sheffield's Park Hill flats regeneration to be completed". BBC News. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Listing & 1246881.
- ^ "Station Usage 2010–2011". Rail statistics. Office of Road and Rail. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Mahoney, Elisabeth (7 August 2011). "Radio review: The I Love You Bridge". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ a b c "Sheffield 'I Love You' graffiti removed from Park Hill flats". BBC News. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Truth of Sheffield's 'I Love You Will U Marry Me' graffiti". BBC News. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ Haines, Samantha (19 July 2013). "Sheffield's Park Hill flats: Design icon or concrete eyesore?". BBC News. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
- ^ "Doctor Who premiere: How Sheffield red carpet happened". BBC News. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- ^ "Standing at the Sky's Edge musical moves to London's West End". BBC News. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
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- ^ "Bodies 2023: Rumours latest Netflix series featuring Stephen Graham is being filmed in Sheffield". Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- Bibliography
- Sources for the study of the history of Park Hill flats (PDF). Sheffield: Sheffield City Council's Libraries and Archives. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- Historic England. "Park Hill (1246881)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
External links
[edit]- Park Hill website Information for residents, businesses and visitors. Developed and maintained by the Park Hill Residents' Association
- Exploring Park Hill Flats Collection of sources and essays collected by Urban Splash.
- Several photos of Park Hill housing by Peter Jones
- Sheffield's Park Hill: Estate expectations, Stephen Kelly, The Independent, 2011
- Park Hill Housing Project (1962), Yorkshire Film Archive (film)
- Hollow, Matthew (May 2010). "Governmentality on the Park Hill Estate: The rationality of public housing, Urban Studies 37 (2010)". Urban History. 37 (1): 117–135. doi:10.1017/S096392681000009X. S2CID 145716470. (Pay wall)
- "Open 2 - From Here to Modernity - Park Hill". (web site moving)
- Pidd, Helen (20 July 2018). "Streets in the sky … the Sheffield high-rises that were home sweet home". The Guardian. Bill Stevensons photo exhibition
- Digital heritage at Park Hill