WaterBear is lucky enough to have campuses in two amazing cities, Brighton and Sheffield, with our Sheffield campus being only a year old. We love Sheffield, and we want to make sure our students know how great of a city it really is, so here is your student guide to Sheffield. 

Sheffield combines all that is good about modern, global cities, with all the benefits of your favourite, cosy, British villages. From an abundance of beautiful green spaces and breathtaking natural landscapes to some of the coolest bars and restaurants in the country, Sheffield has everything you could want from a city as a student. As well as all this, Sheffield is conveniently sized. Nothing ever seems too far away, and thanks to Sheffield’s transport links, it is easy to navigate the city. 

Below, we have listed some of our favourite places to go in Sheffield, as well as some useful information about living here, so you can see the best bits about living in this wonderful city. 

Travel 

Sheffield is one of them places which is just perfectly situated for everywhere, it seems. In an hour you can get to Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham. In two hours, you can get to London and Newcastle. Sheffield is easy to get too and it’s easy to travel from.  

Sheffield itself is famous for its trams, and they represent how convenient Sheffield’s inner-city travel is. You'll have easy access to trams, taxis and buses, which take you all over the city. But Sheffield is great because of how easy it is to just walk everywhere. You can walk from one end of the city to the other in about 30 minutes. A walk to the Peak District takes about an hour! 

You can read our guide to navigating Sheffield's different areas here.

Music 

Sheffield is one of the best places in the UK for music. A vast, storied history within the UK’s music scene featuring multiple critically acclaimed artists, as well as a fantastic DIY music scene with a varied range of artists, Sheffield is a dream for any aspiring musician. Below you’ll find some of our favourite venues, as well as some of our favourite studios. 

The Leadmill

One of the most famous venues not just in Sheffield but in the UK, The Leadmill has played host to many famous musicians. Arctic Monkeys, PULP, The Stokes, Oasis, the Stone Roses, Elliot Smith; these are just some of the famous acts which have graced The Leadmill’s stage. A venue with this sort of history should be on anyone’s bucket list, and their cheap club nights on Fridays and Saturdays will be a prime destination for any student. 

Sidney&Matilda 

A newer addition to Sheffield’s music scene, but one that is already become a firm favourite, Sidney&Matilda is a good representative of Sheffield’s DIY scene. Sporting an 80-capacity room and a 200-capacity room, you’ll get all manner of varied bands, artists and DJs playing Sidney&Matilda. It is also just down the road from WaterBear’s Sheffield campus! 

Corporation 

One of Sheffield’s most iconic venues, if you ever have a night out in Sheffield, the chances are you’ll end up here. A nightclub and live music venue, Corp has played host to a variety of acts over the years, including Sheffield’s very own Bring Me The Horizon, as well as Black Midi.  

You can read more about some of our favourite Sheffield music venues here. 

Tesla Studios 

Located not far from the city centre, in a former Victorian industrial workshop, Tesla Studios is an independent recording facility specialising in Album, EP and Single projects. The studio has an impressive array of analogue equipment, a great sounding live room and a cosy control room. 

You can read more about some of our favourite Sheffield music studios here. 

Culture 

Sheffield is home to some really great, and fascinating, museums and galleries. From beautiful artwork to exhibitions exploring Sheffield’s industrial history, you can spend whole days in Sheffield’s countless cultural centres. 

Some of our favourites include Millenium Gallery, which is only a ten-minute walk from WaterBear’s Sheffield campus. Millenium Gallery hosts various exhibitions throughout the year, covering various topics and interested. Recently, they hosted both an exhibition regarding Sheffield’s steel history, as well as an exhibition on the art of football. Very varied! Likewise, Weston Park Museum hosts an array of different collections, from Ancient Egypt to pictures of Sheffield.  

Whether it’s art or history you’re after, or just looking for something to do, Sheffield has plenty of great options for you. 

You can read more about some of our favourite Sheffield cultural spots here. 

Nightlife 

Sheffield might be small, but it is packed to the brim with cool and fun places to make your nights out interesting. From pubs, to bars, to nightclubs, Sheffield has plenty on offer. 

One of our favourite places to go in Sheffield, and a venue we work with closely, is The Washington. A historic bar and pub, The Washy (as it’s known to us locals) also features a stage, playing host to a variety of free gigs. WaterBear students have the opportunity to pay at The Washy as well, so it is perfect! 

And as previously mentioned, there are various clubs in Sheffield, including The Leadmill and Corp, both of which host club nights throughout the week, and there are typically loads of fantastic deals om offer for students. 

You can read more about some of our favourite Sheffield nightlife spots here. 

Nature 

Sheffield is one of the greenest cities in the UK. Genuinely, you can probably only walk five steps in Sheffield without suddenly walking through a park. 

Within the city itself, you have the Peace Gardens and the Winter Gardens, two beautiful spaces right in the heart of Sheffield. The Winter Gardens are especially beautiful, featuring all manner of flora as well as hosting various art exhibits and even an elephant sculpture signed by the Arctic Monkeys! As you move further out of the city, you can go to some truly spectacular parks, including Endcliffe Park, Meersbrook Park, and Bole Hill and the Botanical Gardens. With some seriously stunning views, whilst also still being in the city itself, these spots truly make you appreciate how green Sheffield as a city, 

Then you get the Peak District. Wow. It is genuinely incredible how this place of such astounding beauty is on Sheffield’s doorstep. Seriously, you can just get the bus into the Peak District. With some fantastic natural landmarks such as Stanage Edge, Rivelin Valley, and Mam Tor, as well as a smattering of cosy pubs and cute little villages, the Peak District is somehow still an underrated part of living in Sheffield, and something which, I promise you, you will not get bored of. 

You can read more about some of our favourite Sheffield green spaces here. 

Sheffield is a truly amazing city for a student. From the music, to the nightlife, and the general abundance of things to do; Sheffield is brilliant. Studying at WaterBear’s Sheffield Campus won’t just help develop you as a musician, it will help develop you as an individual, experiencing one of the best cities in the UK. 

WaterBear – The College of Music 

WaterBear offers BA (Hons) degree and master’s courses made for today’s musicians, artists and industry professionals. Our colleges are based in the heart of Brighton and Sheffield, two amazing UK cities with incredible musical roots and heritage. We also have a range of online distance learning courses too. 

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WaterBear is a College of Falmouth University, a pioneer in creative industries education, entrepreneurship and innovation. Run by musicians, for musicians we are about smaller class sizes, flexible course delivery, bespoke one-to-one mentoring and exclusive work experience and career development opportunities.