TIMELINE: Sheffield

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The oldest surviving domestic building in Sheffield, home to what is now known as The Old Queen’s Head public house, is constructed on Pond Hill.

1624

Sheffield guild the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is incorporated by an act of parliament. The first Cutlers’ Hall is built in 1638.

1743

Thomas Boulsover, born in 1705 in Longley, accidentally fuses silver and copper to make what will become known as Sheffield Plate.

1792

Spence Broughton, a highwayman executed for robbing the Sheffield and Rotherham mail, is gibbeted on Attercliffe Common, which lies between Sheffield and Rotherham. His body stays on display there for 36 years.

1838

‘Sheffield Wicker’ station, the first in the city, is opened in October by the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway.

1860

The first ‘Rules derby’ takes place between Sheffield FC and Hallam FC. This fixture, the oldest in world football, takes its name from the fact that both teams originally played by pre- FA ‘Sheffield Rules’.

1871

Harry Brearley is born in Sheffield. The son of a steelworker, he eventually becomes manager of Brown Firth Research Laboratories, where he develops ‘rustless steel’ – later known as stainless steel.

1977

The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield hosts the World Snooker Championship for the first time. John Spencer beats Cliff Thorburn in the final.

1984

A series of violent clashes between the police and pickets at a coke works near Sheffield is dubbed the Battle of Orgreave. This will prove to be a pivotal moment in the Miners’ Strike.