Kelham Island rated as one of Britain's coolest neighbourhoods (again!)

Once again, Sheffield's Kelham Island district has been in the press, having been named amongst the coolest neighborhoods in Britain according to The Telegraph.

Of course, this isn't the first time Kelham Island has been featured as a 'cool' destination, having previously been featured in several news articles in recent year's for the area's quirky credentials.

Way back in 2017, the area was listed at No. 8 in Travel Supermarket's Hip Hangout Neighbourhood Index, beating hotspots in both London and Manchester at the time.

Then in 2022, Timeout named Kelham Island in their 51 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World, before The Times listed it as one of their best places to live in the UK in 2023. 

This isn't the first time that the district has featured in The Telegraph's coolest places either, having also been listed back in 2022 too. So what did the publication say this time round?

Listing Kelham Island in their No. 4 spot, The Telegraph said: "From the early 19th century this was Sheffield’s industrial workhorse – a forest of soot-belching chimneys rose from the silverware and cutlery factories that earnt Sheffield its moniker: 'Steel City'.

"By the late 1970s the future of this man-made industrial enclave looked as grim as the water in the Grade II-listed Kelham Island weir. But in 1985 it became one of the country’s first industrial conservation areas and today you’ll find an urban micro-cidery, independent food producers, riverside murals, offices, pop-ups, real-ale pubs and a mix of homes – some new, others in repurposed heritage buildings. The weir runs clear and the banks of the Don attract kingfishers.

"Look out for the triumphal 1860s arch of the Green Lane Works, and a huge cast-iron Bessemer converter, right outside the Kelham Island Industrial Museum.

"At the Yellow Arch Recording Studios, a former nuts-and-bolts factory, a fledgling schoolboy band called the Arctic Monkeys came to practise. Other homegrown artists including Richard Hawley, Reverend and The Makers and Jarvis Cocker have all recorded here. A mural of a fag-toting Cocker decorates a wall at the back of the Fat Cat, which began life in 1850 as the Alma."

Teresa Machan, the journalist who wrote the entry for Kelham Island, also went on to highlight her top picks for food and drink, shopping and staying in the area, which we've included below. 

Where to eat and drink 
"JÖRO (jororestaurant.co.uk), housed in a shipping container, was described by Telegraph restaurant reviewer William Sitwell as “one of the most intoxicatingly pleasurable eating houses I’ve ever encountered.”

"The Kelham Island Brewery (kelhambrewery.co.uk), established in 1990, remains a proper boozer where guest ales start at £3.90. On a sunny weekend afternoon, with live music and good company, a pint of Pale Rider can easily become three."

Where to shop
"Adjoining the Yellow Arch studios, WareHouse is full of vintage clothing, furniture and original art (thewarehouseyellowarch.com). For prints, totes, T-shirts, mugs and more, visit Reyt Good Illustration (reytgoodillustration.co.uk) at Kelham Arcade."

A room for the night
"Airbnb lists cutlery-works conversions in red-brick listed buildings with waterfront views, such as this two-bed option."

Of course, this is just scraping the surface and there is so much to see and do, so for a more comprehensive guide to Kelham Island we heartily recommend you hop on our over to our dedicated guide for exploring the area.