Sheffield is a city in the southern part of the West Riding of
Yorkshire. It is situated at the foot of the
Pennine Mountains, on the Don River at its confluence with the Sheaf and four other small streams. It is 40 miles east of
Manchester and 163 miles north of
London.
The Cathedral of St Peter is located near the center of the city. The Shrewsbury Chapel dates from the time of Henry VIII. The University of Sheffield opened in 1908.
Sheffield has been the principal center of British cutlery manufacture since the 14th century. With the invention of the crucible process for making cast steel in 1740, Sheffield rapidly developed into the principal steel center in Great Britain. Henry Bessemer developed his process in Sheffield in 1860. Stainless steel was developed in 1914.