The Gardens were first laid out in 1938, following the demolition of St Paul's Church. Originally named St Paul's Gardens, they were immediately nicknamed the "Peace Gardens", marking the contemporary signing of the Munich Agreement. The Gardens were originally intended to be replaced by an extension to the Town Hall, but due to World War II, this was never built. In 1985, the space was formally renamed the "Peace Gardens". In 1997 work commenced to remove the former St Pauls graveyard, and the whole space was re-modelled. Water features and a central fountain were introduced, with the channels representing the rivers of Sheffield.
The "topping out ceremony" was carried out by Prince Charles, and a plaque on Pinstone Street was unveiled to mark this event. The Peace Gardens were substantially completed by the end of 1998, then the Sheffield Millennium Galleries works commenced and the old egg-box council offices were then demolished. This allowed the remainder of the Peace Gardens to be completed in a second phase, which is also known as Millennium Square.
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