The Castlegate we know today was largely shaped by plans made almost a century ago.

In the early 20th century, Sheffield Corporation was looking at ways to expand and modernise the city’s markets. The existing market and slaughterhouse facilities around Castle Hill were increasingly seen as in need of renewal, leading to the Sheffield Corporation Act of 1901, which transferred control of the city’s markets to the council.

The plans were interrupted by the First World War, and it was not until the 1920s that the redevelopment began to take shape.

A Sheffield Corporation plan from November 1922 shows the scale of the proposals. It included plans to widen Waingate and Exchange Street, as well as a new road running between Blonk Street and Waingate. Land was also set aside for a new market, which would become Castle Hill Market.

The changes would transform the area around the site of Sheffield Castle.

During the late 1920s, construction began on Castle Hill Market. The new road was also taking shape, eventually becoming Castlegate and linking Waingate with Blonk Street Bridge.

The redevelopment changed the streets around the market as well as the market itself. Waingate was widened and buildings along its frontage were redeveloped, creating much of the layout that would remain familiar for decades.

Among the buildings incorporated into this changing streetscape was the Bull & Mouth pub, now 42 Waingate and the future home of Sheffield Live!. A plan from the 1920’s shows the Bull & Mouth Hotel standing on the eastern side of Waingate, alongside the Anvil Inn and Rose and Crown.

By 1930, the new market was ready to open. The Fitzalan Market closed on 24 April, with its traders transferring to Castle Hill Market, which opened the following day.

The market became a major part of life in the area. Further changes followed over the following decades, eventually leading to the construction of Castle Market in 1959 to accommodate traders from the Norfolk Market Hall.

The markets remained at Castlegate for much of the 20th century, but eventually moved away from the area. In 2013, Sheffield’s markets were relocated to the Moor and the Castle Market buildings were demolished.

Now the area is changing once again.

The former Castle Market site is being transformed into a new public park, with archaeological work uncovering parts of Sheffield Castle and plans to open up the River Sheaf.

Nearly a century after Sheffield began reshaping Castle Hill for a new generation of markets, Castlegate is being reshaped once more, this time bringing the city’s much older history back into view.

Rob presents his show, Mid-afternoon Memories from 3-5pm on Sheffield Live!

His show follows a 2 part model: “the first hour is full of Motown music and the second hour has a different theme each week”. 

One of Rob’s recent themes was “The Accommodation Playlist”, where he talked about the iconic Park Hill Flats in Sheffield City Center, and did a shout out “to all those who are listening from cramped student flats”. 

Rob has been doing his show for the past 10 years, and originally hosted it during the “graveyard shift” starting at 11pm, where it was named “Midnight Memories” before he moved to an earlier time slot. 

Outside of Sheffield Live!, Rob is a taxi driver in Sheffield and has also been a DJ for thirty years. Rob has DJ’d at school discos, hotels, birthday parties and weddings all across the city. 

Rob told us he is “very excited” about Sheffield Live! moving to 42 Waingate and has been helping out frequently with the renovation work. He is particularly excited to “see what the new radio studios will look like” and eventually record his show from there, where he has pleasant memories of visiting when it was the Tap and Barrel pub. 

When talking about why Sheffield Live! is so important to Rob, he told us he appreciates “how varied the shows are” and often listens to it whilst he is driving his taxi, messaging fellow presenters to comment on their shows. He especially enjoys radio shows that feature Reggae music and Northern Soul. 

Friday 19th September 2025
6pm – 3am
£6 on the door after 9pm

Join us for a night at Hagglers Corner to celebrate 25 years of Sheffield Live!’s community broadcasting to the city and beyond!

Featuring DJs from long-running shows on the station – past and present. DJs on the night include Deepgroove, Dubcentral, Junglist Alliance, Latino Times, Mid Afternoon Memories, Platinum Plates, Sounds Like This, Spinning Jazz, The Night Train, Two Foot Left and The Breakdown.

Come along at 6pm for a special broadcast in the intimate Grub Records focusing on the importance to you of a single record. Bring a record and a story, memory or association to talk about!

The media landscape has changed dramatically since Sheffield Live! started off in 2000 as a weekend broadcast for Sharrow Festival. It quickly moved to regular events-based broadcasting, internet radio when live-streaming was in its infancy, and podcasting, before podcasting was a thing. It gained a full-time FM community radio licence in 2007, one of the first of its kind in the UK, and joined others in forming Sheffield Live! TV in 2014. It’s now also available on DAB with broadcast coverage extending across South Yorkshire. Broadcasting continuously to Sheffield and beyond for 25 years is some achievement. Many a successful DJ and broadcaster has cut their teeth on the station and it has given voice to a multitude of artists, activists and academics.

But really the story of the station is in its original intentions: to be a place where presenters of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can share a variety of distinctive music and speech based programmes to reflect and serve the diverse communities of Sheffield. It has been sustained by the passions and enthusiasm of its volunteers, including the founders and directors of the station and the many who have passed through its doors, whether that is presenting a show, reporting and news gathering, organising, fixing, painting and decorating.

With a challenging environment for the funding of community media and the increased dominance of global media conglomerates and digital technology giants, an independent and community media space is more important than ever to reflect the often untold stories, unheard voices and unconventional music to which Sheffield Live! has given a platform.

Join us for a party at another Sheffield independent mainstay, Hagglers Corner, on 19th September to mark 25 years of Sheffield Live!