New chapter for novelist as she returns to home city to claim place among stars

Dame Margaret, who was born in Sheffield in June 1939, lived in the city for much of her childhood before attending the Mount School, a Quaker boarding school in York, and Newnham College, Cambridge.

Before unveiling her plaque, which has been positioned in the pavement along with those of Joe Cocker, Michael Palin, Sebastian Coe and others, Dame Margaret said she felt honoured.

She added: “I can’t tell you how happy and pleased I am to be here today. When I got the message tears of joy leapt into my eyes because it was one of those days when I was feeling old, tired, unloved and out of print.

“Sheffield has appeared throughout my fiction, although it has often been under a different name because I didn’t want to be sued for libel by anyone here.

“I lived here for a decade or so but even now the very name of Sheffield and its places are music to my ears.”

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield Coun John Campbell said Dame Margaret was a “wonderful addition” to the legends list and added: “She is one of the finest novelists of her generation.”