Roman discoveries and the Home of Football: Sheffield Heritage Fair to be held this weekend

There are to be over 40 exhibitors, from key community groups, showcasing some of the works they are concentrating on to preserve this rich history.

Organisers, local historians and speakers Ron Clayton and David Templeman, said the fair with the Sheffield Museum Trust can draw as many as 2,000 guests over the course of tomorrow and Sunday (Jan 20 and 21).

"At grassroots level there's a tremendous variety of ordinary Sheffielders with an enthusiasm for heritage," said Mr Clayton, an author and provider of historical walks and talks.

"It's a lot of hard work but at the end of the day it's great to see it so popular.

"Sheffield sometimes hides its talents under a bushel," he added. "People still think of it as an industrial city. It's got other sides to it as well, you only need to look beneath the surface."

Over the weekend there are to be updates shared on local development projects, such as the site of Sheffield's lost castle and bringing it back to greater public attention.

Then there are Roman discoveries, the city's mediaeval heritage and its "fantastic" cathedral, surviving barracks and Bishops House which dates back to the 17th century.

Among the highlights is a history reel of Sheffield as ‘The Home of Football’, featuring stories of the country’s oldest football team, Sheffield FC, and Hallam FC and the "remarkable" legacy of the Sheffield Rules.

With 2024 also marking the 160th anniversary of the Great Sheffield Flood, there are initiatives underway to commemorate this significant event which happened when the Dale Dyke Dam, near Bradfield, broke, leading to a torrent sweeping down the Loxley Valley through Hillsborough and into the city.

Then churchyard renovations, the city's archives, and the story of cutler Stan Shaw as the last 'Little Mester', for a profession which was to help lend Sheffield its steel city reputation.

This is a city where Mary Queen of Scots was once held captive for the best part of 14 years, imprisoned at Manor Lodge and Sheffield Castle where her ghost is still said to haunt the Turret House. Yet Sheffield's role in her storyline is too often "sidelined" said Mr Clayton. Events such as the Sheffield Heritage Fair bring it all back together.

"We have got a tremendous heritage," he said. "Sheffield doesn't always seem to be aware of it.

"The city is regarded by a lot of people as a by-product of the industrial revolution - going back further than that Sheffield has a long and varied history."

The heritage fair, at the Millennium Gallery, is open to the public from 11am to 4pm tomorrow and Sunday.