Collections

Social History

The Social History collections contain thousands of objects representing the everyday and exceptional lives of local people from around 1500 to the present. It aims to cover all aspects of the domestic and social lives of those for whom Sheffield is home.

The range of items in the collection is vast, from small personal objects to entire shop interiors. These include a 1960s hair salon, a traditional butcher’s shop and Preston’s c1900 chemists which stood on the corner of West Street and Mappin Street in Sheffield until the 1980s.. There are relics from the Crimean War and the First and Second World Wars including letters, pin badges, ration books, gas masks and uniforms. Toys, from teddy bears and dolls to card games, jigsaws, farmyards, lead animals and clockwork toys, show how children have played through the years. Costumes, sewing machines, theatre posters and programmes, typewriters, samplers and domestic equipment are just a selection of the many items in the collection that reveal how people lived in the distant and recent past. There are also over 1,000 topographical paintings, prints and drawings of Sheffield and the surrounding area dating from around 1750 to the present day. This collection provides a unique visual record of Sheffield’s dramatic transition from country idyll to urban sprawl. We are currently unable to handle individual enquiries relating to the collections or object identification. For further useful contacts in the region click here. Museums Sheffield is actively collecting from contemporary life with local community projects including ourselves ourplace. For more information about the project visit www.ourselvesourplace.org.uk A Taste of the Collection

Teddy Bears
Teddy bears dating from the 1920s and 1930s
These teddy bears are on loan from private collectors. They were greatly loved childhood companions as can be seen from their ragged and worn out condition.

Salter Silver and Copper Checker
These scales date from the late 19th or early 20th century. They were used in banks and shops to weigh and count money more quickly than doing so by hand. Banks still use a modern version of these scales today.

Toys from the 1970s and 80s
These toys dating from the 1970s and 80s are typical of the period. The model of ET on the right shows how popular film characters are used to create a whole additional range of merchandise.

Preston’s Chemist Shop
Preston’s Chemist shop was situated opposite the Royal Hospital in Sheffield. It dates from the early 1900s and remained open until the 1970s, when it was acquired for the collection.

Apothecary Set
This apothecary set dates from the 1880s. It may have belonged to a doctor but it is more likely that it was owned by a well-to-do family.

Clock
This clock dates from the 1670s and is on display in Bishops' House. The maker is unknown.

Useful Related Contacts in the Region
• For Local History information: Local Studies Library (general local history information) Central Library Surrey Street Sheffield S1 1XZ 0114 2734753 local.studies@dial.pipex.com Open Monday 10.00 - 20.00 Open Tuesday – Saturday 09.30 - 17.30 Sheffield Archives (specific local history & family archives) 52 Shoreham Street Sheffield S1 4SP 0114 2734756 0114 2039395 Open Monday 10-17.30 (from 10 October 2005) Open Tuesday-Thursday 09.30 - 17.30 Open Saturday 09.00 - 13.00; 14.00 - 17.00 Closed Friday and Sunday archive@sheffield.gov.uk • For information related to heavy industry, cutlery and silverware industry and tools: The Arts & Social Sciences Library Central Library Surrey Street Sheffield S1 1XZ 0114 2734711 Kelham Island Museum Off Alma Street Sheffield S3 8RY 0114 2722106 Open Sunday 11.00 - 16.45 Open Monday to Thursday 10.00 - 16.00 (Enquiries BY APPOINTMENT ONLY) • For information about the York & Lancaster Regiment: Karl Noble York & Lancaster Regimental Museum Walker Place Rotherham S65 1JH 01709 823635 www.karl.noble@rotherham.gov.uk • Other Social History Museums in the area: Fire & Police Museum 101-109 West Bar Sheffield S3 8PT www.firepolicemuseum.co.uk 0114 2491999 Open Sundays 11.00 - 17.00 • Sheffield Bus Museum Tinsley Tram Sheds Sheffield Road Tinsley Sheffield S9 2FY 0114 2553010 website Open Saturday & Sunday afternoons.
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Social History