Sheffield Peace Gardens
Key Principles
- Creating a successful civic space
Details
Civic gardens located in the right place at the heart of Sheffield City Centre provide a successful green haven for city dwellers. Designed on the original site of the now demolished St Paul’s churchyard the Peace Gardens were opened in 1998 and have since developed into a popular and thriving destination.
Its location at heart of the city, surrounded by a mix of uses has given it the groundings for success. In 2005 the space was extended into Millennium Square, designed by architects Allies and Morrison. The Millennium Square provides a link between the Peace Garden and The Winter Gardens, which, together with the adjacent Town Hall and the nearby Millennium Galleries, provides the Peace Gardens with much life and activity.
Based on a comprehensive public consultation exercise the gardens incorporate fountains, seating, lawns and planting all set around 1.5m below street level providing containment and thus adding to the space’s haven like nature. This change in level also aids both acoustic and visual separation from the surrounding roads.
Artists were commissioned to produce works that would form an integral part of the gardens and echo Sheffield’s cultural heritage of industry and craft. These pieces from stone, metal and ceramic, along with commissioned street furniture, provide people of all ages and abilities with places for congregation or quiet reflection.
The Peace Gardens are part of Sheffield’s Heart of the City Project that comprises new urban spaces and new high quality architecture and have brought about a transformational change in the development of the city centre. The excellence of the maintenance and management regime by the City Centre Management Team has ensured the Peace Gardens continued success and has been recognised with a Green Flag Award.
Other Information
- Location: Sheffield
- Project Team: Sheffield City Council. Developer - Tilbury Douglas Construction Ltd - Management. Masterplanner - Sheffield City Council. Architect - Sheffield city Council, City Development Division in collaboration with Sheffield design and project management
- Contact: www.sheffield.gov.uk
