Brief History
Ponds Forge was designed by the architects FaulknerBrowns and opened in 1991 as a venue for the 1991 Summer Universiade, which the city hosted that year. As well as the latter, Ponds Forge has hosted many swimming competitions and other events. In recent years it has been host (along with the nearby Don Valley Stadium) to Channel Four's 'The Games', whereby celebrities compete against each other in a wide range of events. The name Ponds Forge is borrowed from the steel works that formerly occupied this site and a 7 ft high anvil has been left in situ next to the building, partly because it would have been too expensive to move it. The River Sheaf runs under the site and flooded the car park on the 21 Dec 1991, shutting the complex for 6 days. Proof of this can be found on platform Five of Sheffield railway station, because the Sheaf also runs under that, and it also flooded at the same time. A piece of debris from "The Flood" is displayed there and the plaque mounted on it has the same date.
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