| Sheffield
Taxi Services
Sheffield today is a city of around 530,000
people situated right in the centre of Britain on the southern
edge of Yorkshire and is one of the eighth largest English cities
outside London that form the English Core Cities Group. It is
a major city and metropolitan borough named because of its origins
in a field on the River Sheaf that runs through the city. The
city has grown from its largely industrial roots to encompass
a wide economic base.
From the middle of the 19th century, Sheffield grew rapidly
to become the world's foremost steel manufacturing centre with
most of the great steel mills and factories based in the "east
end" - the lower Don Valley. Sheffield now produces more
steel than ever, but in a cleaner environment and with only
a fraction of the workforce. The 'Made in Sheffield' stamp on
steel items continues as the ultimate symbol of quality and
craftsmanship. Sheffield's fortunes have long been shaped by
world events and external forces that forced the residents of
Sheffield to adapt and innovate in order to survive.
Sheffield still supports industry, including steel, mining,
and cutlery, but its economy is diversifying the way many cities
in the world are, trying to compete in a global economy. Sheffield
will not be mistaken for Hawaii as a tourist spot anytime soon,
but they seem to be doing a lot of right things to create a
competitive economy for the coming years. Plenty of attractions
including National Park land within the city boundaries help
keep the educated university students from bolting upon graduation.
That in turn insures economic and technological improvements
for years to come, helping Sheffield to be at the forefront
of economic development for the future.
Sheffield's array of attractions offers a vibrant mix of quality
experiences. The city's offering of galleries and museums is
impressive and houses everything from rare and ancient artifacts
to the latest in contemporary art. The Millennium Galleries
have put Sheffield on the map as the cultural capital of the
north. It's four galleries are host to a regular turnaround
of contemporary and innovative exhibitions, besides the permanent
Ruskin and metalwork collections. The Graves Art Gallery, located
above the Central Library, is home to key works of late 19th
and 20th century art. The Site Gallery, based within the city's
Cultural Industries' Quarter is a leading venue for international
contemporary art. S1 Artspace, an 'artist-led initiative', currently
provides studio space for 15 artists with local, national and
international profiles. The city hosts itself to number of gardens
as well like the Winter Garden, Peace Gardens, Sheffield Botanical
Gardens. The cultural and industrial heritage of Sheffield can
be seen in the Kelham Island Industrial Museum which depicts
story of the city as the Steel Capital of UK.
If one has to travel around the city Sheffield has good bus
and tram services and it is common in the UK for people to walk
or cycle local distances. There may be occasions when you need
to hire a taxi and Taxi Hiring Services are
easily available. They are much more expensive than the buses
so always ask how much it is going to cost you and check that
you have enough cash with you. Only black taxi cabs are allowed
to stop and pick up passengers in the street. You will see an
orange 'For Hire' sign in the front window and you can stop
the taxi by holding out your arm or waving. Black taxi cabs
are always available at the train station. There are also licensed
minicabs but black cabs with a license plate on the centre of
the boot are safer and cheaper.
Sheffield's numerous products, which gave it the nickname of
"the department store of the steel industry", helped
build the railroads, buildings, and war machinery that brought
the United Kingdom into the 21st century.
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