History
Paradise Square, an architectural gem, Grade II listed and 'the most elegant survival of Sheffield's Georgian townscape', is steeped in a varied and eclectic history.
The Square was built in the late 18th Century on the sloping site of Hicks' stile - field, as an entrance to the church yard. It was primarily developed by Nicholas Broadbent in 1736, who built the first five houses on the Eastern side of the square, allegedly for his five daughters. Doctors, solicitors and the Freemasons' Lodge were quickly established. Francis Chantrey, one of Britain's finest sculptors, began his apprenticeship in 1754, whilst residing at No. 24 and David Daniel Davis, a noted physician, lived at No. 12 from 1803 until 1812.
The area acquired the nickname 'Pot Square' when pottery vendors moved from the high street to trade within the Square. Despite the decline of the pottery market, several buildings remained dedicated to the arts, owned by glass and china dealers, who worked alongside the raucous Old Cock tavern and Q in the Corner inn, where customers were entertained by six blind fiddlers.
The Square was ideal for open air meetings and, on 15th July 1779, John Wesley 'preached in Paradise Square to the largest congregation I ever saw on a weekday.' As the Minster of Upper Chapel J.E.Manning wrote in 1900 "Paradise Square was not then [in 1831] so quiet as it ordinarily is now. It was often thronged with excited crowds who came to hear what their leaders had to say on all the stirring topics of the time". In September 1838, a crowd of 20,000 heard Chartist leaders call for political rights for the working class. Later, the Chartists fought a pitched battle in the Square with the Dragoons and numerous arrests were made. It thus became a place of social and political significance. For many decades after this, election hustings were held in the Square, but when the balcony was removed from No. 18 in 1889, its role as a meeting place came to an end.
The Square deteriorated, as the nearby 'Crofts' became slums with dark alleyways, stinking courtyards, with drunkenness, crime and unpleasant pastimes such as rat fighting. Some of the professionals moved out. From 1880 to 1940, the Square housed at No. 1 a House of Help for Friendless Girls and Young Women. By the 20th Century, the slums were cleared and the political meetings ceased.
The Second World War took its toll upon the Square, as parts were badly damaged by bombs in the city. However, extensive repair took place in the mid 1960s to restore it to its Neo-classical Georgian grandeur.
Although its present character gives little insight into its lively past, the stunning architecture continues to make it a fascinating place to both work and unwind.
For more information, see ‘The Story of Paradise Square' by Alan Hall and Alice Wilson (published by Sheffield Libraries) and ‘Sheffield Troublemakers: Rebels and Radicals in Sheffield History' by David Price (Phillimore, 2008).