I met Calvin Payne of Hidden Sheffield Walks to learn more in a guided city centre history walk

Sheffield is a city that is rich in history and heritage both good and bad, but for many of the city dwellers a lot of this history is either unknown or simply forgotten.

I met Calvin Payne of Hidden Sheffield Walks around the back of Sheffield Town Hall outside the Register Office entrance. The impressive Grade I listed Victorian building was constructed back in 1894, according to a date stone.

Date stones at the rear marked when the building was finished back in 1894, however it wasn’t officially opened by Queen Victoria until 1897.

This was one of a number of interesting facts that Calvin pointed out to me, along with other notable elements from the rear of the building. Some genuinely interesting and some rather macabre, something that was a continuing theme throughout this walk.

These walks are a unique tour guiding experience looking at the hidden aspects of the city’s history and heritage, giving you an insight into aspects of the city that you would be otherwise oblivious to.

During the course of our two-hour-walk around various parts of the city centre, I learnt some really interesting things and Calvin pointed out a number of historic places that I have been unaware of for much of my life in the city, which tots up to around 20 years of living in Sheffield.

Now known as 'Peace Gardens', this was the site where St Paul's Church (built back in 1721), until its demolition in 1937 | Iconic Media

placeholder image — Now known as 'Peace Gardens', this was the site where St Paul's Church (built back in 1721), until its demolition in 1937 | Iconic Media

From the Town Hall to what we now know as the Peace Gardens, from Barkers Pool to Sheffield Water Works Company’s headquarters (built in perhaps a tone deaf manner in 1867, just three years after the catastrophic Great Sheffield Flood of 1864). It’s a journey of uncovering the hidden or overlooked city history – and this was just the beginning of our walk.

Built by Emerson Bainbridge in memory of his wife, the Jeffie Bainbridge Children’s Shelter served over a thousand meals every month to children in need until at least 1907. Later a Halifax bank for many years, now it is home to Miller & Carter, Sheffield. | Iconic Media

What makes this city-wide stomp quite the experience is the enriching and insightful historical explanations given at numerous points. I did not know that the city centre’s Miller & Carter building (formerly a Halifax bank during my childhood) dates back to 1893, and its original purpose was that of a children’s home to those living in poverty.

Built by Emerson Bainbridge in memory of his wife, the Jeffie Bainbridge Children’s Shelter served over a thousand meals every month to children in need until at least 1907. It was one of many philanthropic, noble and kind-hearted acts from a man that many Sheffielders may be unaware of.

Victoria Chambers, on Figtree Lane in Sheffield, is the historic site of the original Sheffield Hospital for Women – Later locating to Leavygreave Road in 1878 to become Jessop Hospital for Women. | Iconic Media

Some of the notable sites we visited during the walk included the site where St Paul’s Church was situated (now known as the ‘Peace Gardens’), Sheffield Hospital for Women (later known as Jessop Hospital for Women), the old Carver Street National School (now The Viper Rooms which dates back to 1812), and even down to Paradise Square, the closest thing the city has to an old town square. And those were just some of the sites we stopped at to learn a little more of the city’s history.

It’s often said that home is where the heart is, but often we take our home on its surface level without delving deeper into the history that surrounds it. Whether it enriched a location or left a particularly negative taint it is all part of the stories that provide the bedrock for the city centre as it is today.

The National School in Carver Street, Sheffield, was built by subscription in 1812 to provide Church of England-based elementary education for poor children. Today, it is known as The Viper Rooms. | Iconic Media

If you’d like to learn more about Sheffield, I’d highly recommend that you contact Calvin or one of the many history guides around Sheffield. It’s a great way to gain more insight into the stories behind many heritage buildings and oft-overlooked bits of history dotted around a city that is rapidly changing in many ways.

The walks are both friendly, incredibly informative and you will find yourself not only a little more knowledgeable at the end of it but also much more likely to ask questions about certain city landmarks you may not have noticed before.

Find out more about Hidden Sheffield Walks on its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/hiddensheffieldwalks/

Read the ‘Hidden in Open Sight’ blog on Substack: https://hiddensheffield.substack.com/

The Hidden Sheffield Walks guided tours can be booked for £10 per person for each two-hour session.

Take a tour of Sheffield’s historic buildings for free this month as part of the Heritage Open Days 2026. Sheffield will be hosting over a hundred free events, making the city one of the largest Heritage Open Days centres in the country. Find out more about Heritage Open Days 2026 – Check out our round-up of nine historic sites for you and your family to visit.