History and Development of Montague Street in Sheffield
Montague Street is a short, steep residential street in the Sharrow area of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Situated along the eastern boundary of the historic Sheffield General Cemetery, it runs north from Cemetery Road and terminates near the Porter Brook. Once lined with Victorian terraces, the street today is notable for its proximity to the now-parkland General Cemetery and the open green space where houses once stood. This report traces Montague Street’s development from its 19th-century origins through major changes in land use and infrastructure, highlighting its connections to Cemetery Road, the General Cemetery, and local historical events.
Montague Street does not appear on Sheffield maps prior to the mid-19th century, as it was created in conjunction with the expansion of the General Cemetery. The General Cemetery was established in 1836 on a former quarry site and expanded eastward in 1846 to accommodate Anglican burials historicengland.org.ukhistoricengland.org.uk. This eastward extension brought the cemetery’s boundary to what would become Montague Street. In 1863, the General Cemetery Company jointly funded, with a local physician (Dr. Chadwick), the construction of a new road along the cemetery’s eastern edge - Montague Street gencem.org. Company minutes dated 10 April 1863 note an estimate of £143 15s “for making Montague Street, at the joint expenses of Dr. Chadwick and Cemetery company” gencem.org, suggesting the street was laid out at that time to serve both the cemetery and adjacent property.
Montague Street’s name origin is uncertain, but it may commemorate a person or family involved in its development (possibly related to Dr. Chadwick or local dignitaries). By the late 1860s, the street was established as the formal eastern border of the cemetery. It was initially a private or unadopted road; only in 1889 did Sheffield’s corporation accept Montague Street as a public highway gencem.org. The interim period saw basic infrastructure put in place: a sewer connection into Montague Street is recorded in 1865 gencem.org, and cemetery gates and doors were realigned to create an entrance from Montague Street in 1866 gencem.org. In 1885, new iron gates were installed at the Montague Street entrance gencem.org, reflecting the street’s growing importance as an access point. By 1887, Montague Street was fully recognized as a public street, with the city maintaining it (a corporation expenditure for repairs is noted in 1889) gencem.org.
Throughout the Victorian era, Montague Street’s identity was closely tied to the General Cemetery. The street runs along the eastern wall of the cemetery, and was for many years a secondary entrance to the burial grounds. The eastern boundary of the cemetery is formed by Montague Street, lined by a stone perimeter wall historicengland.org.uk. An entrance for pedestrians was provided here: “an entrance marked by simple stone gatepiers on Montague Street” gave access to the Anglican section of the cemetery historicengland.org.uk. The cemetery company’s records indicate that by 1866 the Montague Street gate aligned with the central pathway (“centre walk”) inside the grounds gencem.org, allowing a straight walk from the street into the cemetery’s interior.
Over time, modifications were made at this interface. In 1868, the cemetery’s masons were directed to raise the Montague Street wall - likely to improve security or privacygencem.org. By 1931, the original wooden doors at the Montague Street entrance had deteriorated; the cemetery’s management decided to remove those doors and brick up the opening, effectively closing the Montague Street entrance gencem.org. This mid-20th-century closure marked the end of Montague Street’s role as an active cemetery gateway for several decades, although the site of the gatepiers remains part of the historic fabric. (Notably, in recent restoration efforts, this entrance area has been re-established for public access, as discussed later.)
Another structure tied to Montague Street is the Cemetery Office, also known as the Registrar’s House. This building (designed in the same Classical/Egyptian style as the cemetery’s other structures) was constructed circa 1836 inside the cemetery grounds, near where Montague Street would later run en.wikipedia.org. In the 20th century it became known as Montague House en.wikipedia.org. Montague House is a Grade II listed building and served as the cemetery’s administrative office and sexton’s residence gencem.orggencem.org. It stands just west of Montague Street (set back from Cemetery Road) and is one of the few surviving built reminders of the street’s 19th-century context. Saved from dereliction in 1987, Montague House was restored and now houses a children’s nursery gencem.org. This preservation underscores the historical significance of the Montague Street area’s built heritage, even as much of the original streetscape has vanished.
By the late 19th century, Montague Street had developed into a typical Sheffield residential street outside the cemetery wall. Rows of brick terraced houses lined its east side (the west side being the cemetery wall and green slope), and city directories show dozens of addresses on Montague Street. House numbers ran at least into the 90s - for example, No. 99 Montague Street was the home of the Stothard family, who were prominent local horn manufacturers thestar.co.uk. The street’s residents were largely working- or middle-class families drawn to the growing Sharrow district during Sheffield’s industrial boom.
Montague Street saw its share of local history and even notoriety. A particularly tragic incident occurred in July 1887, when a former employee attacked the Stothard household at 99 Montague Street. In what became known as the Ada Stothard murder, Henry Hobson - an ex-soldier enraged after losing his job at the Stothards’ horn works - came to their home and stabbed Ada Stothard to death thestar.co.uk. This shocking crime was well-reported in the press of the day. Hobson was convicted and hanged in August 1887, and the family’s misfortunes continued (Ada’s father-in-law was injured in a train accident shortly after, and her mother-in-law died in a fall on Montague Street in 1889) thestar.co.uk. The murder at Montague Street became part of Sheffield’s Victorian crime lore, illustrating that even quiet streets were not untouched by the social dramas of the era.
On a more mundane level, Montague Street was home to small businesses serving the neighborhood. Oral histories and local memorabilia suggest that by the mid-20th century, shops or services operated at or near Montague Street. (For instance, long-time residents recall an “Eastern Grocers” and other corner-shop enterprises on or near Montague Street in the 1950s–1970s, though documentation is sparse.) What is clear is that Montague Street formed part of a dense network of streets in Sharrow with tightly packed housing and a close-knit community, adjacent to but separate from the tranquil cemetery grounds next door.
The first half of the 20th century brought significant changes to the area. During the Sheffield Blitz of World War II (December 1940), the General Cemetery grounds and vicinity suffered bomb damage. Contemporary accounts and later reports note that boundary walls were badly damaged by Luftwaffe bombing hhbs.org.uk. It is likely the Montague Street wall was among those hit (given its prominence along the eastern edge), though the houses on Montague Street appear to have escaped direct destruction at that time. Still, the war and ensuing economic hardships took their toll on the neighborhood. By the mid-20th century, many of the Victorian terraces in Sharrow were aging and lacked modern amenities.
Meanwhile, the General Cemetery was becoming less active; it closed to new burials in 1978 after over 87,000 interments en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org. Sheffield City Council took ownership and, in 1979, re-designated the cemetery as a public open space by Act of Parliament hhbs.org.uk. In 1980, thousands of unstable gravestones were removed to create a safer “Cemetery Park” for recreation hhbs.org.uk. This transformation of the cemetery into a park had implications for Montague Street as well. The disused Montague Street entrance (bricked up since 1931) now stood at one corner of a new urban green space.
In parallel, urban renewal policies in the 1960s–1980s targeted substandard housing in Sheffield. The tightly packed terraces of Sharrow, including those on Montague Street, were likely evaluated for clearance or improvement. Ultimately, all the houses on Montague Street were demolished in the late 20th century, though the exact timeline is not well documented. Photographic evidence shows the street still occupied by terraces in the 1960s picturesheffield.com, but by the early 2000s it had been completely cleared of residences. A Sheffield City Council report on the Porter Brook area noted “the removal of [the] densely packed terraces” along Montague Street and nearby Pear Street, and their landscaping into green space for the community sheffield.gov.uk. Indeed, the area of open space running along Stalker Walk off Montague Street (essentially the north end of Montague Street by the river) was formally incorporated into the Porter Brook Conservation Area in 2000 sheffield.gov.uk, reflecting its status as parkland rather than a residential street.
Thus, by the turn of the 21st century, Montague Street as a lived-in street had vanished - only the road itself and the name remained, along with relics like the cemetery wall and Montague House on its corner. What had been a bustling little terrace-lined lane became an access footpath and grassy expanse adjoining the General Cemetery Park.
Today, Montague Street is a curious blend of history and open space. The street is still recognized on maps (and remains an adopted public highway streetlist.co.uk), but it now functions primarily as a pedestrian and parking access to the General Cemetery Park, rather than a residential address. Green space flanks the street where homes once stood - often referred to as the Montague Street Open Space. The slope of the land (a 1:7 gradient hhbs.org.uk) and the absence of buildings give this short street a quiet, almost rural character despite its inner-city location. It effectively forms the eastern entrance to the General Cemetery Park.
In recent years, Montague Street’s surroundings have seen significant investment and community activity. A major heritage restoration project (2018–2023), funded by the National Lottery and Sheffield City Council, focused on the General Cemetery. The project aimed to stabilise monuments and catacombs, improve pathways, and enhance access to the park heritagefund.org.ukheritagefund.org.uk. As part of these works new welcome signage and a signposted path now guide visitors in the park thestar.co.uk. No general parking has been restored at the Montague Street or Cemetery Road entrances. However, no general parking has been restored at the Montague Street or Cemetery Road entrances. The only designated parking bays - three spaces for blue badge holders - are located outside the Gatehouse entrance on Cemetery Avenue, a separate access point entirely (after some controversy and a significant reduction of an initially larger parking proposal). Objections from some groups have continued even to these minimal provisions. Commentators on Hallamshire Historic Buildings have stated: “this is still 3 too many” hhbs.org.uk.
Montague Street’s access has facilitated the safe movement of larger items into the park, supporting its continued use for community and cultural events. Notably, Sheffield’s first citywide Pride festival was held in the Cemetery Park off Montague Street in 2008, drawing about 4,500 attendees thestar.co.ukthestar.co.uk. A stage and crowd occupied the grassy area in the park that summer, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in a historic setting. In the years since, the park has hosted picnics, nature walks, and volunteer activities. A Commonwealth War Memorial stands near the Montague Street entrance inside the cemetery (commemorating Sheffield’s war casualties), underscoring how the area balances heritage and public use
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/8101353
War memorial and footpath near the Montague Street entrance of Sheffield General Cemetery Park (2025). Montague Street lies just beyond the trees, illustrating its ongoing role as a functional gateway to the park.
A key landmark at the foot of Montague Street is Montague House (the former Registrar’s House). Its address is 294 Cemetery Road, but it visually “anchors” the corner of Montague Street. As mentioned, this Grade II listed building was restored and now operates as a private nursery school gencem.org. Its survival and adaptive reuse provide a tangible link to the street’s past. Montague House’s distinctive Egyptian-style doorway and sturdy stone construction hark back to 1836, when it was built as part of the original cemetery design gencem.orggencem.org.
Montague Street’s evolution is essentially a microcosm of Sheffield’s changing urban landscape. It emerged from the city’s Victorian expansion, thrived as a residential row in an industrial town, suffered the decline and clearance common to many inner-city areas in the late 20th century, and has been reduced to a quiet path bordering what is now a historic park, though it once served an active residential street.
Year
Event/Development
Source
1836
Sheffield General Cemetery opened (Nonconformist section).
en.wikipedia.orghistoricengland.org.uk
1846
Cemetery extended east for Anglican burials (land to east acquired). Montague Street area begins to be defined as new boundary.
historicengland.org.ukhistoricengland.org.uk
1863
Montague Street constructed along cemetery’s east boundary (funded by Cemetery Co. and Dr. Chadwick).
1865–66
Montague St. integrated with cemetery: sewer connected (1865); entrance gates installed/realigned for a Montague St access (1866).
1868
Cemetery raises the Montague St boundary wall (for security/aesthetics).
1885
New iron gates fitted at Montague Street cemetery entrance.
1887
Ada Stothard murder at 99 Montague Street - infamous crime in local history.
1889
Montague Street officially adopted as a public highway by Sheffield Corporation (city takes over maintenance).
1931
Montague St entrance to cemetery closed - wooden doors removed and gateway bricked up.
1940
WWII Blitz: Cemetery and area bomb damage; Montague St wall damaged (cemetery’s boundary walls hit by bombing)hhbs.org.uk. Montague St houses likely unaffected by bombs.
1978
Last burials; General Cemetery closed.
1979
Act of Parliament re-designates cemetery as public park (Sheffield General Cemetery Park). Gravestone clearance and landscaping follow (1980).
1980s
Montague Street houses demolished as part of urban renewal; area gradually converted to open green space.
1987
Former cemetery office restored and renamed Montague House; becomes architects’ offices (later a nursery) instead of derelict.
2000
Montague Street open space formally added to Porter Brook Conservation Area (recognized as green amenity land).
2008
First Sheffield Pride festival held in Cemetery Park off Montague Street; ~4,500 attend.
2016
National Lottery Heritage Fund grant awarded for General Cemetery restoration; plans include Montague St access improvements.
heritagefund.org.ukheritagefund.org.uk
2023
Completion of £3.8 million renovation of General Cemetery Park. Montague Street entrance re-opened with new signage, paths, and disabled access. Park fully reopens to public.
*(Sources for demolition are implied from conservation documents; no single date, but clearance occurred by late 20th century.)
Montague Street’s story - from a mid-1800s lane abutting a prestigious cemetery, to a vibrant residential enclave, and finally to an open-space gateway - reflects broader patterns in Sheffield’s urban development. Its trajectory was shaped by the creation and growth of the General Cemetery in the 1840s and 1860s, the rise and fall of 19th-century working-class housing, and modern heritage conservation efforts. Today, Montague Street is quiet and mostly green, but its historical footprint is still evident: the stone gateposts, listed Montague House, and cemetery walls all stand as reminders of a bygone streetscape. Montague Street may no longer echo with the voices of residents on their doorsteps, but it remains a meaningful part of Sheffield’s historical geography - a place where heritage, nature, and urban memory intersect. Montague Street’s historical identity deserves to be recognized and preserved, not erased.
● Sheffield General Cemetery Company archives and minute books (extracts) - Sheffield General Cemetery Trust, gencem.org gencem.orggencem.orggencem.orggencem.org.
● “Sheffield General Cemetery” (Historic England List Entry No. 1001391) - historicengland.org.uk (park listing with history and description) historicengland.org.ukhistoricengland.org.uk.
● Sheffield City Council, General Cemetery Conservation Area web page (overview and boundary changes) sheffield.gov.uk.
● Historic England Grade II Listing for Montague House (Cemetery Office) - referenced in Listed Buildings in S11 en.wikipedia.org.
● Chris Hobbs, “The Living Dead of Montague Street - Sheffield 1911” - chrishobbs.com (local history blog; Montague St photo and notes).
● “The tragedy of Leah’s Yard…history of murder…misery” - Sheffield Star (July 2020) - details of the Ada Stothard murder on Montague St thestar.co.ukthestar.co.uk.
● Howard Greaves, “Sheffield’s Very Own Highgate” - Hallamshire Historic Buildings (May 2018) - context on cemetery history, Montague St entrance parking debate hhbs.org.ukhhbs.org.uk.
● Julia Armstrong, “A look back at Sheffield Pride events…” - Sheffield Star (June 2021) - notes first Pride at Montague Street Cemetery Park in 2008 thestar.co.ukthestar.co.uk.
● Alastair Ulke, “Popular park with café reopens after £3m renovation” - Sheffield Star (June 2023) - news on completion of cemetery restoration, including Montague St entrance improvements thestar.co.ukthestar.co.uk.
● Stephen Craven, Photograph: “War Memorial in Sheffield General Cemetery (near Montague St entrance)” (July 2025), via Geograph geograph.org.uk.
● Sheffield City Council, Porter Brook Conservation Area Appraisal (2008) - background on clearance of terraces (Pear Street & Montague Street)sheffield.gov.uk.
● Sheffield General Cemetery Trust - Significant Sights: Montague House (accessed 2025) - history of the Cemetery Office/Montague House gencem.org.
● Wikipedia, “Sheffield General Cemetery” - general history of the cemetery’s operation and closure en.wikipedia.org.