In 1797, a large procession took to the streets of North Sheffield to celebrate the inauguration of the General Infirmary. This was the first officially advertised parade in the city. The parade’s route passed through places key to the making of the hospital, including masons’ lodges and areas where important donors lived.

Since then, many other processions have taken to the streets of Sheffield. Lots of these were of a celebratory nature. For example, a large parade marked the visit of Queen Victoria to the city in 1897. Church parades, like the one in the photograph, were often fundraising events, for example for soldiers and veterans.

The ways people choose to move through space creates cities, both in terms of their social fabric and geography. The current roads, bus routes and tram routes in Sheffield all formed around the routes people took to the places they wanted to reach. As Sheffield expanded in the 19th century, its suburban roads fossilised around new routes created by the people of the city, and parades and processions spread further, reaching more people.