Who doesn’t love an urban legend? Whether it’s the myth that Wednesday are better than United or that a headmaster at your old school hung himself in the library a hundred years ago, there’s no doubt we’ve all been intrigued by them.
We’ve rounded up eight of the most well-known (or not so well-known) urban legends surrounding the streets of Sheffield to see what mystery lies behind them.
A Giant Underground Fish Tank Used to be in the Town Centre
This tale may have riddled its way into some conversations, and whether you believed it or not; here’s the story behind it.
Back in 1967, Sheffield housed the unmissable landmark ‘Hole in the Road’ or as locals would refer to it ‘ole in t’ road’. The landmark was the centrepiece of the underground network of pedestrian walkways built around Castle Square.
The structure of the hole came about as a result of the heavy bombings led by the Germans in World War Two which caused destruction in the city centre. The landmark was considered a step into the future giving the area a modern, even cool look.
Many parts of the underground network featured shops and stalls, but the unusual inclusion triggering most people’s memory was the large fish tank built into the wall.
The story is true but it didn’t last for long due to the site becoming renowned for criminal activity and various acts of vandalism. As a result, the pathways became increasingly unused and plans were made to fill the hole in to make way for the new tramlines.
By 1995 the hole had been filled and the exact spot it once stood now houses Castle Square tram stop.
A Rotting Corpse was Left Hanging in Sheffield for 36 Years
If you’ve ever found yourself sinking a pint or two at The Noose and Gibbet pub on Broughton Lane, then you may already be aware about the hanging corpse of Spence Broughton.
In 1792 Lincolnshire born man, Spence Broughton, robbed the Sheffield and Rotherham mail train. This was considered a serious crime as mail was the predominant method of communication and would often contain large amounts of money for transfers between businesses.
At York Castle in March 1792, Broughton was found guilty of highway robbery and therefore sentenced to death.
As a result, Broughton was executed in April of the same year and as an example to others, the court also ordered that ‘after the Execution, his body was to be hung in chains, on a Gibbet erected on Attercliffe Common on the road leading from Sheffield to Rotherham’.
Broughton was the last man in England to be hung and his body drew great public interest with 40,000 people having visited the corpse in the first few days. Broughton’s body was left to decompose in the gibbet for 36 years, making it a local landmark.
The Noose and Gibbet pub now features a gibbet hanging outside the pub to commemorate the once popular landmark.
Also, is it a coincidence that the pub is located on ‘Broughton Lane’? We think not.
Chesterfield’s ‘Crooked Spire’ was Bent by the Devil
Okay so this one’s not quite Sheffield, but it’s a classic landmark that attracts plenty of attention and the legends behind it spark intrigue.
Saint Mary and All Saints Church in Chesterfield town centre is regarded by locals as ‘The Crooked Spire’, twisting 45 degrees and leaning roughly 9 feet (2.9 m) from its true centre.
Surrounding the spire’s bent nature, there are many tales which claim to explain the occurrence; some more far fetched than others.
Several local legends hold the Devil responsible. One story claims that a magician persuaded a local blacksmith to shoe the Devil and the man was so terrified that he drove a nail into the Devil’s foot. The Devil , in great agony, took flight past the church and lashed out savagely with his foot, catching the spire.
Perhaps more commonly told in the town, a story has the Devil causing mischief, sitting on the spire and wrapping his tail around it whilst overlooking the town. In attempt to be rid of The Devil, the townsfolk rang the church bells and the Devil, frightened by the commotion, tried to jump away but his tail was still wound around the spire and as he tried to get free, his tail pulled the spire bent.
As interesting as the legends are, it comes with a heavy heart to inform you that they are all untrue. Shocker. In fact, the occurrence of the twist is said to be due to the absence of skilled craftsmen after the plague had killed many people a decade before the completion of the spire. It is now also believed that the twisting of the spire was caused by the lead that covers the spire.
Meadowhall was Designed to be a Prison
A well-known urban legend in Sheffield is that of Meadowhall being designed to be adapted into a prison should it have been unsuccessful as a shopping centre.
This legend bases its assumptions on the shopping centre’s building plan with its wings and central atriums, along with a large overlooking tower resembling a ‘watchtower’.
Although many Sheffielders who refer to the shopping centre as ‘Meadowhell’ would happily call it a prison, the subject is heavily debated and the answer certainly isn’t clear; there are interesting theories supporting each side though.
Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be completely brushed aside because there would be some logic in having a back-up plan if such a large structure was failing financially. However, the buildings would need a lot of development as there wouldn’t be much logic behind a prison having a large glass dome and marble surfaces.
We’ll let you decide on the legitimacy of this one.
The Spring-Heeled Jack
The Spring-Heeled Jack is one of the best known supernatural legends in Sheffield, even featuring on a tourist information sign in the Cholera Monument Grounds near the city centre.
Stories surrounding the creature date as far back as the early 19th century, with its first official media report in a letter to the Sheffield Times in 1808.
“Years ago a famous ghost walked and played many pranks in this historic neighbourhood, he was nicknamed the Park Ghost or Spring Heeled Jack”. The supernatural creature was described as being able to leap enormous heights and frighten random passers-by, “he was a human ghost as he ceased to appear when a certain number of men went with guns and sticks to test his skin.”
Residents of Attercliffe would often complain of a red-eyed prowler who grabbed women and punched men. Witnesses claim to have seen him bounding between rooftops and walking down the sides of walls.
A popular part of the story involves many policemen pursuing the Spring-Heeled Jack, trapping him, only for him to vanish into thin air and disappear from the area completely.
Misbehaving children were told that they would be hunted by the Spring-Heeled Jack if they continued their trouble-making ways. These stories would make Sheffield streets a complete no-go at night for adults and children alike.
Spring-Heeled Jack can also be seen in a carving on The Queens Pub next to the Sheffield bus interchange.
The Botanical Gardens Once Housed a Bear-Pit
As local legend would have it The Botanical Gardens, situated off Ecclesall Road, once housed a bear-pit in the 19th century.
The structure was built in 1836 with plans in place to host a black bear for entertainment purposes.
The Botanical Gardens pit was home to Bruin the black bear, whose sole entertainment was a tree placed in the middle of the pit for him to climb. Bruin however, didn’t take fondly to climbing and therefore wasn’t very popular as a result. Local newspaper, the Sheffield Mercury, called him a “disappointment”, adding that he was “exceedingly loath to climb”.
By 1839, newspaper reports were complaining of the “noise” and “stench” of the bears and therefore the attempt to combine zoology in the gardens was stopped.
However, in 1855 Sir Henry Hunloke presented 2 brown bears to the gardens; although little is known about how long they remained there. Local legend claims that a child was killed after falling into the pit around 1870 and as a result, the bear-pit was closed for good.
To this day the once ‘bear-pit’ is still available to view, along with the two side dens which once housed the bears. In addition, January 2005 saw a mild steel sculpture of a bear (2.4m tall) installed, to remind people of the former use of this structure.
Picasso’s ‘Dove of Peace’ was Drawn on a Napkin in Sheffield
Next up is an interesting tale which supposes that legendary artist, Pablo Picasso, drew ‘doves of peace’ during a visit in Sheffield with one drawn on a napkin in Butler’s Café.
In 1950, Picasso visited Sheffield for the World Peace Conference, during which time he found himself at Butlers Café, among other places.
During his brief stay in the city he famously drew a ‘dove of peace’ on a napkin in Butler’s Dining Rooms after enjoying something to eat.
Whilst in Sheffield, Picasso drew doves galore. In addition to the dove drawn in Butler’s, Picasso gave one drawing to the bodyguard who had accompanied him around the city. This drawing is now part of Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust’s collection and is on permanent display at Weston Park Museum.
And now, this famous occasion has been commemorated by the placing of seven metal doves made by sculptor Richard Bartle on the rooftops surrounding the Peace Gardens.
A Labyrinth of Rivers Lie Beneath the Streets of Sheffield
As many would have you believe, not everything is as it appears and that would be the case for Sheffield as out of sight there is a hidden network of waterways right under our feet.
For years people have speculated rumours of a giant underground storm drain (known as the Megatron), below the streets of Sheffield and it appears that the rumours are true.
The impressive network of cathedral-like brick archways and interconnecting darkened tunnels were built in the mid-1800s to control the overflow of water from Sheffield’s the three main rivers (Sheaf, Porter and the Don), helping to protect the city from flooding in the event of a storm.
Tours have recently been hosted to explore the underground labyrinth and the Megatron also features in the Exposed April issue, pick up a copy or read here to get a more in-depth (pun intended) view.
