Park Hill Estate, Sheffield - 2024/2025
‘Park Hill is a Brutalist, concrete icon and the largest listed building in Europe. At the time of its opening, it was one of the largest council housing estates in the country and the most iconic building in Sheffield.
Built on a site cleared from previous back-to-back slum housing areas, Park Hill consisted of nearly 1,000 flats for 3,000 people, four pubs, a wide selection of shops, a nursery, school, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, dentists, garages and a community centre.
Designed by two young architects, Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, the architecture was inspired by Le Corbusier’s Unite D’Habitation, a large-scale residential housing project in Marseille built in 1952.
Park Hill was famous for its iconic ‘massing’ and for a unique design feature - ‘Streets in the Sky’. The wide semi-open corridors were aimed to promote a strong sense of community; old street names were used, past neighbours were re-homed next to each other and wide pathways – big enough to allow milk floats to deliver their rounds – were built to encourage social interaction on each floor.
In 1998, Park Hill was given Grade II* listed building status by English Heritage due to its innovative design. In 2004 Urban Splash purchased the estate and redevelopment plans began, aiming to give the spirit back to Park Hill.'
Visited one part with @GRONK and @Mr Budge and another part solo a couple of times. This former classic bit of Sheffield ‘bex turned into a chill place to kill some time after missing various trains back to Derby. Far from ‘epic’ but it offers a nice mix of climbing around, fawning over mid-century concrete and going 60s wallpaper spotting!
In the 60s (I can no longer remember where I borrowed these pictures from)
'Streets in the Sky'
And now
Not a milk float in sight!
This flat still had its original wallpaper
They really are fucking tiny inside
Four public houses were also built to service the estate - these being The Parkway, Scottish Queen, The Link and The Earl George.
An excellent collection of information and images can be seen here: Park Hill Pubs – Sheffield
The Link still survives although a bit of a ruin
Quite liked the zig-zag seating
OG Hooch
Think these mosaics are due to be kept!
Redevelopment phase 4 & 5 are approved and are due to start soon which will finally see Park Hill finished after around 20 years!
‘Park Hill is a Brutalist, concrete icon and the largest listed building in Europe. At the time of its opening, it was one of the largest council housing estates in the country and the most iconic building in Sheffield.
Built on a site cleared from previous back-to-back slum housing areas, Park Hill consisted of nearly 1,000 flats for 3,000 people, four pubs, a wide selection of shops, a nursery, school, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, dentists, garages and a community centre.
Designed by two young architects, Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, the architecture was inspired by Le Corbusier’s Unite D’Habitation, a large-scale residential housing project in Marseille built in 1952.
Park Hill was famous for its iconic ‘massing’ and for a unique design feature - ‘Streets in the Sky’. The wide semi-open corridors were aimed to promote a strong sense of community; old street names were used, past neighbours were re-homed next to each other and wide pathways – big enough to allow milk floats to deliver their rounds – were built to encourage social interaction on each floor.
In 1998, Park Hill was given Grade II* listed building status by English Heritage due to its innovative design. In 2004 Urban Splash purchased the estate and redevelopment plans began, aiming to give the spirit back to Park Hill.'
Visited one part with @GRONK and @Mr Budge and another part solo a couple of times. This former classic bit of Sheffield ‘bex turned into a chill place to kill some time after missing various trains back to Derby. Far from ‘epic’ but it offers a nice mix of climbing around, fawning over mid-century concrete and going 60s wallpaper spotting!
In the 60s (I can no longer remember where I borrowed these pictures from)
'Streets in the Sky'
And now
Not a milk float in sight!
This flat still had its original wallpaper
They really are fucking tiny inside
Four public houses were also built to service the estate - these being The Parkway, Scottish Queen, The Link and The Earl George.
An excellent collection of information and images can be seen here: Park Hill Pubs – Sheffield
The Link still survives although a bit of a ruin
Quite liked the zig-zag seating
OG Hooch
Think these mosaics are due to be kept!
Redevelopment phase 4 & 5 are approved and are due to start soon which will finally see Park Hill finished after around 20 years!
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