Our vision and future plans

The Archive

Our archive will preserve people’s memories of Park Hill and secure the ephemera of everyday life on the estate that they have collected.

We will interview past and present residents and those who worked on the estate’s design, construction and regeneration to add a human voice to the historical narrative found in official records and documents.

We will preserve historical photographs, documents and artefacts relating to Park Hill and capture contemporary images of the estate as its story continues.

Where appropriate, we will work with relevant stakeholders to remove and conserve materials from areas of the estate undergoing redevelopment.

We will compile and curate this material, make it available online, in publications and exhibitions, and give researchers access to our archive.

Art and Design

Park Hill was conceived as a progressive, utopian and egalitarian vision of urban living. The quality of materials used, from Italian glass tesserae in its mosaics to the exotic hardwoods used in the shop shutters, reflected both civic pride and a belief that good design was a universal right.

We hope to add to this legacy of craftsmanship by commissioning art and design projects that enhance the public realm of the estate.

We want to place information boards in the public areas of the estate explaining the history of Park Hill and the timeline of its development.

We want to work with Urban Splash and its partners to retain and restore the remaining public artworks as the site’s redevelopment continues.

We want to commission new artworks to remember those who designed and built Park Hill and notable residents who lived here.

Education

The story of Park Hill is the story of social housing in the United Kingdom, starting as a universal right, becoming “housing of last resort” and finally transitioning into a commercial regeneration project.

The building brings abstract concepts to life and offers educational opportunities in social history, architecture, urban design, regeneration, politics, placemaking and community building. 

We intend to offer lesson plans, worksheets, videos, and other resources aligned with primary and secondary school curricula.

We hope that by providing valuable resources for teachers, we can engage with students who may not have the opportunity to visit Park Hill in person.

We will also explore opportunities to support site visits by schools, colleges and universities and make our archive materials available to staff and students in further and higher education. 

A permanent home

The best place to tell the story of Park Hill is on the estate itself. 

We will, therefore, explore opportunities to establish a permanent exhibition space, museum or publicly accessible archive at Park Hill.

This would showcase the site’s history from medieval hunting grounds through Industrial Revolution slum housing, the construction of Park Hill, and its decline due to deindustrialisation, culminating in its redevelopment today.

Alongside displays, artefacts, and audio and video-based experiences, the site could host a changing programme of temporary exhibitions and, if the size and design permit, could also be used as a community space by present-day Park Hill residents.

If achieved, this ambitious project would connect the wider Sheffield community to Park Hill and increase their reasons for visiting the estate and the businesses that operate on it.