Sheffield Central Technical School
Coordinates: 53°22′54″N 1°28′19″W / 53.38167°N 1.47194°W The former Sheffield Central Technical School (CTS) was housed in the collection of buildings now called Leopold Square in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The complex of buildings home to the school is bounded by Leopold Street, West Street, Orchard Lane, and Holly Street.
During the late 19th century Sheffield city centre underwent a significant redevelopment. Along with concepts of mass production the industrial revolution encouraged the development of mass education. This collection of education buildings was the synthesis of this concept in Sheffield. The Schools were established to provide a technical knowledge base to support the emerging manufacturing industries of the age and no doubt have contributed to Sheffield’s position as the most significant steel manufacturing city in the world.
The key buildings on the site were built between 1874 and 1894. The buildings are robust ornate stone structures typical of the civic architecture of the time generally described as English Renaissance Revivalist in style.
Initial drawings for the Central Schools development were produced following the Education Act of 1870, the buildings were also to house the Sheffield Schools Board formed out of the Act. The construction was to commence in 1876 following acquisition of the land which was formerly home to workshops, and terrace housing.
The first buildings on the site were designed by Local Architect T R Flockton in collaboration with E R Robson and were technically advanced for their time incorporating heating and ventilation techniques that were rarely seen, not only distributing warm/cool air but also purifying the incoming air from the many external pollutants. The Houses of Parliament in London was the only other building of the time to utilise such technology.
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