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Where Are The Seven Hills?


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Guest purplejumper

I've always been told that Sheffield, like Rome, is built on Seven hills.

Maybe I should apologise.

1) This is more of a geography question than a history one...

2) The answer maybe already given elsewhere...

But can anyone name the seven hills for me, and locate them?

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I've always been told that Sheffield, like Rome, is built on Seven hills.

Maybe I should apologise.

1) This is more of a geography question than a history one...

2) The answer maybe already given elsewhere...

But can anyone name the seven hills for me, and locate them?

Sorry, but it's a myth. You may get many versions, but it's a long-running myth, about to be given credence by the ludicrously named 'Sevenstone' retail development, the seven apparently being the seven hills.

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Sorry, but it's a myth. You may get many versions, but it's a long-running myth, about to be given credence by the ludicrously named 'Sevenstone' retail development, the seven apparently being the seven hills.

There is actually just one VERY large hill, it's just been folded a few times !

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Sorry, but it's a myth. You may get many versions, but it's a long-running myth, about to be given credence by the ludicrously named 'Sevenstone' retail development, the seven apparently being the seven hills.

I agree with you here Bayleaf, it is just a myth, and to make it worse we even get compared with Rome, - a city which was at the centre of an empire which dominated Europe for little short of a thousand years! Don't think we can compare there somehow.

To my mind Sheffield has 5 main rivers, Don, Sheaf, Rivelin, Loxley and Porter, if we ignore small brooks and streams. Given that rivers run through valleys, water flowing to the lowest point by gravity and all that, then the "hills" must be in the spaces between the rivers. Again given only 5 rivers, and a map of how they are joined to each other, that only gives 6 gaps between them, 6 hills.

Sheffield was built at the Don / Sheaf junction in a valley surrounded by hills, but of course had a good water supply. To build Sheffield Castle at this point can't have made good military sense. Castles are best sited high for defensive purposes, not low in a valley. No wonder that during the Civil War Sheffield Castle changed hands more than once. Enemy cannon sited on any of the overlooking hills (Park Hill being used at the time) could be used to continually bombard the beseiged Castle's occupants into submission.

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The seven hills may be a myth, but Sheffield surely must be one of the hilliest major cities in the UK. If all the hills were flattened out I guess the boundary's would be nudging both Barnsley and Chesterfield quite a bit more!

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Guest Gramps

Sorry, but it's a myth. You may get many versions, but it's a long-running myth, about to be given credence by the ludicrously named 'Sevenstone' retail development, the seven apparently being the seven hills.

I believe there is, ...or was, a place called Sevenstones, - a boundary marker for Sheffield or Bradfield parish. I can't remember where I read it, Eastwood perhaps, or in Sitwell's Hurts of Haldworth. Anway it rang a bell when I saw what they were going to call the NRQ. It does sound silly, why not stick with New Retail Quarter ? We have already about six or seven 'quarters', so they're never going to add up to one he he

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Guest Old Canny Street Kid

The seven hills may be a myth, but Sheffield surely must be one of the hilliest major cities in the UK. If all the hills were flattened out I guess the boundary's would be nudging both Barnsley and Chesterfield quite a bit more!

Whilst I appreciate what everyone has said about the "myth", it would be a useful exercise to note the hills or peaks and highest points within Sheffield --like Park hill, Manor Top, Wincobank Hill, Firshill, Bole Hill, Shirecliffe, Pitsmoor, Meadowhead, etc. I don't think the comparison with Rome should be taken literally, it is just that there are rather a lot of hills in Sheffield...which does make it a bit more interesting than a lot of other places!

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Whilst I appreciate what everyone has said about the "myth", it would be a useful exercise to note the hills or peaks and highest points within Sheffield --like Park hill, Manor Top, Wincobank Hill, Firshill, Bole Hill, Shirecliffe, Pitsmoor, Meadowhead, etc. I don't think the comparison with Rome should be taken literally, it is just that there are rather a lot of hills in Sheffield...which does make it a bit more interesting than a lot of other places!

Unfortunately people do take it literally. Not only enshrined in the name for the new retail quarter, it was even a question on a relatively 'highbrow' quiz on BBC4 recently, can't remember the exact question, but it was something like 'What do Rome, Sheffield, (and a couple of other cities I can't remember) have in common? And the answer was they are all built on 7 hills.

Born and brought up in Sheffield, I have to agree it would be a pretty boring place if it was flat, the hills are part of its character!

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Whilst I appreciate what everyone has said about the "myth", it would be a useful exercise to note the hills or peaks and highest points within Sheffield --like Park hill, Manor Top, Wincobank Hill, Firshill, Bole Hill, Shirecliffe, Pitsmoor, Meadowhead, etc. I don't think the comparison with Rome should be taken literally, it is just that there are rather a lot of hills in Sheffield...which does make it a bit more interesting than a lot of other places!

I think this is a good idea Old Canny Street Kid.

You have already named 8 hills around Sheffield here, 1 more than the myth says we should have already.

We should expect more because my original comparison of hills and river valleys ignored all the small streams and of course not every valley has to have water running through it.

What we really need to count the hills is a good contour map of the area, so if the "map guys" (RichardB, SteveHB and Stuart0742) can find us one.....

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Guest purplejumper

Okay, so the general consensus of opinion is that it's a myth.

Any idea then, where the myth began.

You History guys could also find which book first refers to this??? Where's the first instance recorded?

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Okay, so the general consensus of opinion is that it's a myth.

Any idea then, where the myth began.

You History guys could also find which book first refers to this??? Where's the first instance recorded?

It may not be recorded, myths, like old wives tales are often passed on by word of mouth.

Perhaps some Roman centurions, marching north from Londinium to Hadrian's Wall in order to defend the northern frontier of their empire against the Scots stopped off at the Roman fort in the Sheffield area, had a look around and said to each other, in Latin "Hey, this place reminds me of home, - it's built on seven hills just like Rome!"

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It may not be recorded, myths, like old wives tales are often passed on by word of mouth.

Perhaps some Roman centurions, marching north from Londinium to Hadrian's Wall in order to defend the northern frontier of their empire against the Scots stopped off at the Roman fort in the Sheffield area, had a look around and said to each other, in Latin "Hey, this place reminds me of home, - it's built on seven hills just like Rome!"

Would have been more like "Ehi, questo posto mi ricorda la casa, - è costruita su sette colli come Roma" :)

Apologies to any Italian members, will stand corrected

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Would have been more like "Ehi, questo posto mi ricorda la casa, - è costruita su sette colli come Roma" :)

Apologies to any Italian members, will stand corrected

Hang on Stuart!!!

When did you learn Latin?

It was hard enough trying to learn French with man Chapman and I seem to remember we even struggled to master the English language.

Is it Latin or its modern descendent, Italian?

Is someone cheating here with some fancy translation software or a pocket dictionary (like someone once cheated in man Chapman's French test with an English - French pocket dictionary) or have you just booked a 2009 holiday in Italy / Rome?

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Hang on Stuart!!!

When did you learn Latin?

It was hard enough trying to learn French with man Chapman and I seem to remember we even struggled to master the English language.

Is it Latin or its modern descendent, Italian?

Is someone cheating here with some fancy translation software or a pocket dictionary (like someone once cheated in man Chapman's French test with an English - French pocket dictionary) or have you just booked a 2009 holiday in Italy / Rome?

Isn't google great lol

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I think this is a good idea Old Canny Street Kid.

You have already named 8 hills around Sheffield here, 1 more than the myth says we should have already.

We should expect more because my original comparison of hills and river valleys ignored all the small streams and of course not every valley has to have water running through it.

What we really need to count the hills is a good contour map of the area, so if the "map guys" (RichardB, SteveHB and Stuart0742) can find us one.....

8 it is then he he

http://mdfs.net/Docs/Sheffield/Hills/

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Okay, so the general consensus of opinion is that it's a myth.

Any idea then, where the myth began.

You History guys could also find which book first refers to this??? Where's the first instance recorded?

Perhaps we could start by working out at what stage Sheffield expanded onto the surrounding hills, rather than a small town between the castle and parish church?

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It appears from this link that there were 7 hills in Sheffield when it was smaller than it is today but as its boundaries have enlarged so has the number of hills it contains, - to apparently 8!!

Link contains a nice map showing the hills by contour but is relatively small scale.

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I have a colleague who comes to work in sheffield from north Hull everyday on a motorcycle. Being from a flat place he finds sheffield's hilly terrain fascinating and beautiful. He often goes for a ride around parts of the city to enjoy the experience.

I personally do not believe you can seperate the sheffield hills into just seven. There must be upwards of twenty as some are stacked on others

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I have a colleague who comes to work in sheffield from north Hull everyday on a motorcycle. Being from a flat place he finds sheffield's hilly terrain fascinating and beautiful. He often goes for a ride around parts of the city to enjoy the experience.

I personally do not believe you can seperate the sheffield hills into just seven. There must be upwards of twenty as some are stacked on others

North Hull, Bransholme? :huh:

How many hills to do you have to stack on top of other hills before you have a mountain? lol

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Burstwick I think ?

OK, just that I went to University in Hull and so know the City reasonably well.

"Bransholme" is a large council estate in north Hull which has become run down in recent years, has suffered high unemployment and developed many crime related social problems. In Sheffield "Manor" and "Wyborne" would be similar areas, places where a bad reputation, created by a small number of residents, goes before them in peoples memories.

Say "I'm from north Hull" to anyone in Hull and immediately they will say "Oh! Off the Bransholme then" and sort of look down at you.

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I'm sorry, but you can't really use Bagley Dike as a main Sheffield river to then create 2 hills out Wincobank and the Roman Ridge.

Otherwise you would have to start using other lesser tributaries Like Limb Brook and Abbey Brook to carve up the hills.

Take the 6 rivers and there are 7 "uplands"  in-between them which contain many different hill names.

Mapping from OS Open Data copyright 2020.

SevenHills.png

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Guest leksand
On 11/11/2020 at 11:44, John E Ievers said:

I'm sorry, but you can't really use Bagley Dike as a main Sheffield river to then create 2 hills out Wincobank and the Roman Ridge.

Otherwise you would have to start using other lesser tributaries Like Limb Brook and Abbey Brook to carve up the hills.

Take the 6 rivers and there are 7 "uplands"  in-between them which contain many different hill names.

Mapping from OS Open Data copyright 2020.

SevenHills.png

Thats a lovely illustration. Unfortunately only a very small part of the area bound by the Loxley and the Don falls within Sheffield's historic townships (Nether Hallam in this case) and no part of that is heavily contoured - the hill was all Bradfield parish [CORRECTION - the area around Wadsley, definitely part of the hill, was retained in Eccelesfield Parish after Bradfield was seperated]. Similarly the area bound by the Sheaf and Meersbrook was all historically Norton Parish, Derbyshire (although part of the Ecclesall Union). Come to think of it, all of the area bound by the Rivelin & Loxley is Bradfield too! It wasn't until the early 20th century that these areas began to be taken into Sheffield. Perhaps this may give some indication as to date when any such claim began.

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