TimAWells

Sheffield’s 'Oxford Street' Killed by the Moorfoot Wall 🧱

Sheffield’s 'Oxford Street' Killed by the Moorfoot Wall 🧱 In the 1970s, The Moor was Sheffield’s thriving economic powerhouse—a bustling high street matching London's Oxford Street for footfall and prestige. Then came the disruption. To boost the North, the government dropped a monolithic concrete fortress right across the road, blocking the historic link to London Road. While the influx of high-paid workers from the Manpower Services Commission and the expansion of Midland Bank (later HSBC) caused local house prices to rocket, the economic boom was temporary. Today, those jobs are gone, leaving an empty, costly white elephant behind. Instead of converting this concrete scar into flats, it is time for a radical alternative: Smash down the Moorfoot building. Knocking it down would finally reconnect the city, allow the Supertram to run straight through to Haymarket, restore organic footfall, and truly reopen Sheffield.