Working-class culture in the urban landscape of twentieth-century Sheffield

Summary

This paper will examine the legacy of early twentieth-century working-class cultural practice encoded within the archaeology of the post-industrial landscape of Sheffield, in the United Kingdom. Sheffield was a booming industrial city, specialising in the metal trades, which underwent a considerable building boom towards the end of the nineteenth century. The north-city suburb of Firth Park saw the rapid expansion of domestic housing stock and the opening of Sheffield’s first public park in this period. This paper will discuss the results of a community-focused archaeology project in the park, which examined the early-twentieth century bandstand, its built history, degeneration, and destruction. The role of the bandstand as a focal point for community celebration and musical expression, and the position the bandstand occupies in local nostalgia and identity will be examined, alongside the growing importance of these understated structures in the urban landscape. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeology And The Urban Landscape   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 795