Did You Know?

South Yorkshire, metropolitan county in north-central England. It comprises four metropolitan boroughs:  Barnsley,  Doncaster,  Rotherham, and the city of  Sheffield. South Yorkshire lies within the historic county of Yorkshire, except for three areas.

Although the modern county of South Yorkshire was not created until 1974, the history of its constituent settlements and parts goes back centuries. Prehistoric remains include a Mesolithic "house" (a circle of stones in the shape of a hut-base) dating to around 8000 BC, found at Deepcar, in the northern part of Sheffield. Evidence of even earlier inhabitation in the wider region exists about 3 miles (5 km) over the county boundary at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire, where artefacts and rock art found in caves have been dated by archaeologists to the late Upper Palaeolithic period, at least 12,800 years ago.

The main settlements of South Yorkshire grew up around the industries of mining and steel manufacturing. The main mining industry was coal which was concentrated to the north and east of the county. There were also iron deposits which were mined in the area. The rivers running off the Pennines to the west of the county supported the steel industry that is concentrated in the city of Sheffield.

Sheffield in South Yorkshire is home to the oldest football club in the world that plays association football. Sheffield FC was founded in 1857 by members of a cricket club based in Sheffield. The team adopted the official FA rules in 1878 and they now play in the Northern Premier League.

Sheffield is home to more than two million trees - that’s the highest ratio of trees to people for any city in Europe..

South Yorkshire contains green belt throughout the county, surrounding its four districts to large extents. It was first drawn up from the 1950s. The western edge of the Sheffield and Barnsley districts directly form with the boundary of the Peak District National Park.

In the 19th century the proximity to coal supplies and the arrival of railways stimulated the region’s industrial growth. The Don valley became the focus of a belt of ironworks and steelworks extending eastward from Sheffield. Today South Yorkshire includes most of England’s main coalfield, but mining declined dramatically in the late 20th century. A few highly mechanized mines still operate around Doncaster, the headquarters of Britain’s remaining coal industry.

For nearly 40 years, the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire has been home to the World Snooker Championship, the leading professional snooker tournament with regards to prestige, prize money and points available. Since the tournament has taken place at the Crucible, no player has been able to defend their first title win - a strange but true phenomenon commonly referred to as the Crucible Curse.