The Sharrow Flats

Jun 19, 2026

Written by Thom Barnett

There is a tendency to talk about buildings as though they exist independently of the people who occupy them and the Sharrow flats suggest otherwise.

Built as part of Sheffield's post-war housing programme, the blocks rise from the hillside in long horizontal bands of brick, concrete and steel. Their architecture is repetitive and uncompromising. Columns, balconies, windows and walkways repeat themselves floor after floor, creating a rhythm that feels almost industrial. Separated only by their distinct and washed-out colours.

From a distance, the flats can appear anonymous but closer inspection tells a different story.

A bicycle stored on a balcony. A row of washing hung out to dry. A cluster of satellite dishes bolted to the wall. Curtains, flowers, improvised screens and small acts of decoration. Evidence of lives being lived within a structure designed around uniformity.

While much attention has been given to Sheffield's more celebrated housing projects, the Sharrow flats remain largely overlooked. They are neither fashionable nor particularly easy to romanticise. They continue to function as what they were always intended to be: homes.

Perhaps that is what makes them interesting.

These photographs are less concerned with architecture than with the relationship between architecture and the people who inhabit it. The building provides the framework; its residents provide the character.

The result is a place that feels undeniably Sheffield. Honest, imperfect and quietly human.

The Sharrow flats are often viewed from a distance. This is a closer look.