Peace Gardens

The Peace Gardens are an inner city square in Sheffield, England. It was created as part of the Heart of the City project by Sheffield City Council.

The Gardens themselves front onto Sheffield's gothic town hall (not to be confused with the Sheffield City Hall, a popular concert venue), creating a spectacular view as shoppers and visitors sit in the gardens.

It has won many awards, and was one of the major sites responsible for Sheffield's first place in the Entente Florale 2005.

The Gardens were first laid out in 1938, following the demolition of St Paul's Church. Originally named St Paul's Gardens, they were immediately nicknamed the "Peace Gardens", marking the contemporary signing of the Munich Agreement. The Gardens were originally intended to be replaced by an extension to the Town Hall, but due to World War II, this was never built. In 1985, the space was formally renamed the "Peace Gardens". The Sheffield gardens are a fine example of the network of similar gardens created between the two world wars and presage later gardens and community spaces in London and other urban centres.

Public Consultation showed strong support for a garden rather than the multi purpose open square which had been earlier advised by architectural consultants. It has fountains at the centre, and cascades around the outside. These are to represent the flowing molten steel, which made Sheffield famous, and also the water of Sheffield's rivers, the Sheaf, River Don, River Rivelin, River Loxley and Porter Brook, which were used to power the mills which drove Sheffield's industry.

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