Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership | Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust

The Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of its national landscape partnerships programme. Our Partnership offers a unique opportunity to manage the area’s natural and built heritage as one, with a common vision – on a landscape scale and for more people to enjoy.

The Sheffield Lakeland Landscape lies between the vibrant city of Sheffield and the internationally important moorland of the Peak District National Park.

The boundary stretches from Langsett Reservoir and the Little Don valley in the north, to Redmires Reservoirs and the Rivelin valley in the south.

In the west the boundary runs from the moorland slopes and watershed up to the River Don valley and follows the river through the urban fringe of Sheffield in the east.

The Partnership area encompasses the towns and villages of High Bradfield, Low Bradfield, Dungworth, Stocksbridge, Deepcar, Wharncliffe Side, Oughtibridge, Bolsterstone, Midhopestones, Worrall, Loxley and Stannington.

In the 1950s, a Sheffield bus company, drawing inspiration from the numerous reservoirs which define the area, established tours to visit the ‘Sheffield Lakeland’. Appreciating the boldness of that vision we have brought the name ‘Sheffield Lakeland’ back to life through the Partnership.

Our Vision

A more natural and resilient Sheffield Lakeland landscape for everyone to value, enjoy, understand and feel part of.
Our partnership shares a vision for a Sheffield Lakeland in which a resilient network of diverse habitats thrives alongside the area’s living, productive landscape, rich heritage, vibrant communities and strong traditions.

A Sheffield Lakeland in which collaborative working and positive management balance the needs of wildlife, agriculture, forestry and recreation, and support a landscape which provides clean water and air, helps to reduce flooding and benefits the health & wellbeing of communities within the Lakeland area and in the city. A landscape for everyone to enjoy and feel part of, that is cherished, understood and valued now and in the future.

The video below ‘Our Common Vision’ captures our vision for the Sheffield Lakeland area – where the natural and built heritage are underpinned by the people and communities who live there and provides a glimpse of the 20 proposed projects which are detailed in our Landscape Conservation Action Plan.

You can find out more about our project ideas in our Landscape Conservation Action Plan here:

Why is Sheffield Lakeland so special?

This area of North West Sheffield is an outstanding example of a living landscape, rich in history, with diverse habitats abundant in wildlife, vibrant communities and strong traditions.

It is dominated by a fast flowing rivers which rise off the moors and tumble through steep sided valleys to meet up at the city of Sheffield. They powered the early years of the industrial revolution, and the reservoirs they feed now provide drinking water for the city’s growing population and much-loved places for recreation.

The area is home to approximately 30,000 people and is a productive, working landscape with traditional farming, forestry and sporting interests alongside extractive and heavy engineering and manufacturing industries.

The layers of human interaction in the landscape have left behind Bronze Age earth-works, pack horse bridges and mileposts, historic inns, cruck barns and a lattice of dry stone walls. The civil engineering triumph of the reservoirs adds its own distinctive Victorian Gothic vernacular to the landscape.

Over half of the project area falls within the Peak District National Park and the western margin includes the Dark Peak Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protected Area and Special Area of Conservation. The area, therefore, represents a valuable buffer between the protected habitats and Sheffield’s urban fringe.

The Partnership is setting out with four broad outcomes:

A more connected and resilient landscape in which landowners agree a joint vision for the future care and management of the area called a Landscape Conservation Action Plan.
A better natural environment for people and wildlife, with a shared understanding of what makes the area special and the vital ecosystem services the area provides.
A deeper understanding of the area’s rich cultural heritage celebrated by local people and visitors.
More people active and engaged in the future of the area – a landscape for all to learn about, value, experience and enjoy – and feel part of.

Working together

Sheffield Lakeland Landscape Partnership is managed by Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust, working together with Sheffield City Council, Bradfield Parish Council, Yorkshire Water, Natural England and the Environment Agency and representatives of landowners and local access groups. Many more organisations will come together to contribute over the lifetime of the project.