Industrial Revolution Heritage Walking Tour, Sheffield

Industrial Revolution Heritage Walking Tour (Self Guided), Sheffield

Steeped in history, the city of Sheffield is famed for its contribution to the Industrial Revolution, largely due to the development of stainless steel. Indeed, the “Steel City” of the United Kingdom, it was internationally renowned as a major hub of steel manufacturing during the 19th century. So much so, in fact, that George Orwell once famously referred to it as “the ugliest town in the Old World” – probably because of the smoking furnace chimneys dominating the skyline.

Nowadays, the country's fourth largest city may well no longer be the bustling picture of steel mills, forges and cutlery factories it once was, but it is packed with a lot of prominent landmarks that are calling visitors from all across the world with their unique, gritty charm that envelops local community today.

If you wish to find out what it was like to live and work in Sheffield during the Industrial Revolution, follow the growth of the city throughout the Victorian Era and explore the sights and sounds of industrial Sheffield, take this self-guided walking tour!

Image Courtesy of Flickr and José Luís Agapito.

How it works: Download the app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store to your mobile phone or tablet. The app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next. The app works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

Create Your Own Self-Guided Walks in Sheffield

Map Instructions: (1) Click the "Nearby Sights" button to view the nearby attractions; (2) click a map pin to see sight information.

Guide Name: Industrial Revolution Heritage Walking Tour
Guide Location: England » Sheffield (See other walking tours in Sheffield)
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Sightseeing)
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles

Sights Featured in This Walk

WalkBuilder (customize this walk or build your own)

Use the WalkBuilder tool below to customize this walk to suit your interests. Instructions: click

at the upper right corner in the map above to view other sights in the city. To learn more about a sight, click a map pin. Click the “+” or “–” to add or remove a sight from the walk. To reorder the selected sights, simply drag and move them up or down the list in the left column.

Click here to view route map

Enter a name for your custom walk, along with your email address, in the fields below. You will receive the instructions for retrieving your custom walk in the GPSmyCity app by email. The GPSmyCity app offers turn-by-turn travel directions to guide you from one attraction to the next.
Walk Name*:
Email*:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I access my walking tour in Sheffield?
Save your walking tour on the website. Then download the GPSmyCity app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign in to your GPSmyCity account. Next, download “Sheffield Map and Walking Tours” within the app. Your walk will appear on the Walks screen.

2. How do I view other attractions in Sheffield?
At the upper-right corner of the map above, click the “Nearby Sights” button to show or hide other sights in the city. Click a map pin to view details about a sight. To add a sight to your walk, find it in the right column of the WalkBuilder tool above and click the “+” button next to it.

3. How do I re-arrange the sight order?
In the left column of the WalkBuilder tool, drag a sight to move it up or down the list. Then click “Click here to view route map”. Repeat this process until the route meets your needs.

4. Can I add my hotel to a walking tour?
Yes. You can add your hotel as the starting point, the ending point, or both (creating a loop route). This feature is currently available only in the GPSmyCity app.

5. Can I add my own sights to a walking tour?
Yes. You can add sightss that are not in our database and include them in your walk. To do so, sign in to your GPSmyCity account on the website or use the GPSmyCity app.

6. How many sights can be included in a walking tour?
For technical reasons, the number of sights in a walking tour is currently capped at 20. This limit may be increased over time.

Walking Tours in Sheffield, England

Create Your Own Walk in Sheffield

Creating your own self-guided walk in Sheffield is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Sheffield's Historical Buildings

Part of Sheffield’s great heritage is manifested in buildings. The presence of historical sites, some rather imposing like the Sheffield Town Hall and City Hall, presiding over the area, and the others like the Church of St Marie, somewhat hidden from view in a built-up neighbourhood, provides a colourful illustration of the city's glorious past.

Constructed over a time-span ranging from... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles

Sheffield Introduction Walking Tour

Sheffield takes its name from the river Sheaf, which runs through the city. Field, of course, is an open space. The city sits at the confluence of the rivers Don and Sheaf. Don is the master stream. Its tributaries are the Loxely, Porter Brook, Rivelin, and Sheaf. There were settlements in this area as far back as 12,000 years ago.

After the Romans, settlements were Anglo-Saxon and Danish. With... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles