Editing Sheffield (section)

=== Heavy industries and metallurgy ===
[[File:Harry Brearley.jpg|thumb|right|Monument to [[Harry Brearley]] and the birthplace of [[stainless steel]] at the former [[Firth Brown Steels|Brown Firth Research Laboratories]] ]]
Sheffield has an international reputation for metallurgy and steel-making.<ref>There are numerous sources showing the international reputation of Sheffield for metallurgy, and in particular steel and cutlery manufacture. Some examples are: the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], which begins its entry for ''Sheffield'', "The name of a manufacturing city of Yorkshire, famous for cutlery"; and the ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', which in its entry for "Sheffield" states that by 1830 Sheffield had earned "recognition as the world centre of high-grade steel manufacture". [[David Hey]] in the preface to his 1997 book ''Mesters to Masters: A History of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire.'' ([[Oxford University Press]], {{ISBN|0-19-828997-9}}) states "It (Sheffield) was known for its cutlery wares long before the incorporation of the [[Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire|Cutlers' Company]] in 1624, and long before it acquired an international reputation as the steel capital of the world."</ref> The earliest official record of cutlery production, for which Sheffield is particularly well known, is from 1297 when a tax return for 'Robert the Cutler' was submitted.<ref name="welcometosheffield.co.uk">{{cite web |url=http://www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/invest/engineering-and-manufacturing/made-in-sheffield |title=Welcome to Sheffield &#124; Made In Sheffield |website=welcometosheffield.co.uk |access-date=2 November 2020 |archive-date=26 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026165456/http://www.welcometosheffield.co.uk/invest/engineering-and-manufacturing/made-in-sheffield |url-status=live }}</ref> A key reason for Sheffield's success in the production of cutlery lies in its geographic makeup. The abundance of streams in the area provided water power and the geological formations in the [[Hope Valley, Derbyshire|Hope Valley]], in particular, provided sufficient grit stones for grinding wheels.<ref name="welcometosheffield.co.uk"/> In the 17th century, the [[Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire]], which oversaw the booming cutlery industry in the area and remains to this day, was established and focused on markets outside the Sheffield area, leading to the gradual establishment of Sheffield as a respected producer of cutlery.<ref name="welcometosheffield.co.uk"/> this gradually developed from a national reputation into an international one.<ref name="welcometosheffield.co.uk"/>

Playing a crucial role in the [[Industrial Revolution]], the city became an industrial powerhouse in the 18th century, and was dubbed "[[Steel City]]".<ref name="Steel BBC">{{cite news |title=Made in Great Britain, Series 1, Steel |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bpz4ks |access-date=28 March 2019 |agency=BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328125550/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bpz4ks |archive-date=28 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many innovations in these fields have been made in Sheffield, for example [[Benjamin Huntsman]] discovered the [[crucible technique]] in the 1740s at his workshop in [[Handsworth, South Yorkshire|Handsworth]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mezenin |first=N. |year=1972 |title=Huntsman |journal=Metallurgist |publisher=Springer |volume=16 |issue=7 |pages=510–512 |doi=10.1007/BF00731738}}</ref> This process was rendered obsolete in 1856 by [[Henry Bessemer]]'s invention of the [[Bessemer converter]]. [[Thomas Boulsover]] invented [[Sheffield plate]] (silver-plated copper) in the early 18th&nbsp;century.

[[Stainless steel]] was invented by [[Harry Brearley]] in 1912, bringing affordable [[cutlery]] to the masses.<ref name="Steel BBC"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tilthammer.com/bio/brear.html |title=Harry Brearley 1871–1948 |access-date=30 December 2006 |work=Tilt Hammer |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061121041226/http://www.tilthammer.com/bio/brear.html |archive-date=21 November 2006}}</ref> The work of [[Frederick Brian Pickering|F. B. Pickering]] and T. Gladman throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was fundamental to the development of modern high-strength low-alloy steels.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Llewellyn |first1=D.&nbsp;T. |last2=Hudd |first2=Roger&nbsp;C. |title=Steels: metallurgy and applications |url=https://archive.org/details/steelsmetallurgy00scie_222 |url-access=limited |publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann |year=1998 |isbn=0-7506-3757-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/steelsmetallurgy00scie_222/page/n208 196]–290}}</ref> Further innovations continue, with new advanced manufacturing technologies and techniques being developed on the [[Advanced Manufacturing Park]], situated just over the boundary in the borough of Rotherham, by Sheffield's universities and other independent research organisations.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thestar.co.uk/business/Hitech-centre-celebrates-a-year.3710800.jp |title=Hi-tech centre celebrates a year of success |last=Rae |first=Bob |work=The Star |date=25 January 2008 |access-date=21 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417061059/http://www.thestar.co.uk/business/Hitech-centre-celebrates-a-year.3710800.jp |archive-date=17 April 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Organisations located on the AMP include the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC, a research partnership between the [[Boeing Company]] and the [[University of Sheffield]]), Castings Technology International (CTI), [[The Welding Institute]] (TWI),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.attheamp.com/the-amp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502185232/http://www.attheamp.com/the-amp |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 May 2009 |title=The AMP |work=Advanced Manufacturing Park website |publisher=Advanced Manufacturing Park |access-date=13 October 2013}}</ref> [[Rolls-Royce plc]] and [[McLaren Automotive]].

[[File:Sheffield Forgemasters - geograph.org.uk - 517979.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Photo of the Forgemasters steel works, Sheffield|[[Forgemasters]] steel works in Sheffield. The site was formerly run by [[Vickers Limited]] which was founded in Sheffield in 1828 and became one of the most prominent engineering companies in the world.]] [[Sheffield Forgemasters|Forgemasters]], founded in 1805, is the sole remaining independent [[steel works]] in the world and dominates the north-east of Sheffield around the [[Lower Don Valley]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sheffieldforgemasters.com/sfm/history/1800s |title=History: 19th&nbsp;century |publisher=Sheffield Forgemasters International |access-date=26 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823040943/http://www.sheffieldforgemasters.com/sfm/history/1800s |archive-date=23 August 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The firm has a global reputation for producing the largest and most complex steel forgings and castings and is certified to produce critical nuclear components, with recent projects including the [[Royal Navy]]'s {{sclass|Astute|submarine|0}} submarines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sheffieldforgemasters.com/sfm/overview |title=Overview – Sheffield Forgemasters International Ltd. |publisher=Sheffield Forgemasters International |access-date=26 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823033426/http://www.sheffieldforgemasters.com/sfm/overview |archive-date=23 August 2010}}</ref> The firm also has the capacity for pouring the largest single ingot (570 tonnes) in Europe and is currently in the process of expanding its capabilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sheffieldforgemasters.com/sfm/overview |publisher=Sheffield Forgemasters International |title=Steel forgings, steel castings and engineering solutions |access-date=24 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100823033426/http://www.sheffieldforgemasters.com/sfm/overview |archive-date=23 August 2010}}</ref> In July 2021 Forgemasters was bought outright by the UK [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] for £2.56&nbsp;million, with the intention of investing a further £400&nbsp;million over the next decade.<ref name="theguardian1">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/28/sheffield-forgemasters-nationalised-after-takeover-ministry-of-defence |title=Sheffield Forgemasters nationalised after £2.6m takeover by MoD |first=Jasper |last=Jolly |date=28 July 2021 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |issn=0261-3077 |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=18 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618211638/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/28/sheffield-forgemasters-nationalised-after-takeover-ministry-of-defence |url-status=live }}</ref> The decision was based on the important role Forgemasters plays in the construction of the UK nuclear submarine fleet as well other vessels for the [[Royal Navy]].<ref name="theguardian1"/>

While iron and steel have long been the main industries of Sheffield, [[coal mining]] has also been a major industry, particularly in the outlying areas, and the [[Palace of Westminster]] in London was built using [[limestone]] from [[quarry|quarries]] in the nearby village of [[Anston]].