Hillsborough named on list of places which 'best represent history of England'

The stadium is named as one of the places which help tell the story of Britain.

Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium has been named on a list of ten places which 'best represent the history of England.'

The ground, the site of the 1989 disaster which claimed the lives of 96 football fans in a crush, has been included on a shortlist of ten locations by Historic England which it says tell the country's national story.

Historic England is compiling A History of England in 100 places "to encourage debate about which places best tell the country's national story" and is being put together based on public nominations.

The FA Cup semi-final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989 ended in tragedy when police ordered gates outside the Sheffield stadium to be opened to ease overcrowding, but which led to a fatal crush at the Leppings Lane end of the ground.

96 football fans died following a crush at the stadium in 1989.

Historian Mary Beard, who judged nominations for the shortlist, said: "This is such a powerful symbol of human tenacity in pursuit of justice after terrible loss of life."

It was one of ten locations shortlisted under a category entitled Loss and Destruction which also includes Sheffield's historic Farfield Inn.

The Grade II-listed 18th-century pub in Neepsend survived the Great Flood of 1854 but was gutted in the 2007 deluge and remains in a sorry state, with complete restoration required.

It was recently sold at auction for £250,000.

The Farfield Inn in Sheffield is also included in the list.

A Historic England spokesman said: "The places identified as the sites of important events during this campaign may not be definitive.

"We have chosen the spots that are widely agreed to have witnessed historic events. History is often disputed and part of our job is to raise a debate and help people to engage with their history."

The Loss and Destruction shortlist in full

Hillsborough football stadium

Wreck of the SS Mendi, off Saint Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight

Farfield Inn, Sheffield

The Crystal Palace, Crystal Palace Park, London

The Monument, Pudding Lane, London

Must Farm Bronze Age settlement, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire

Ruins of Greyfriars Monastery and the village of Dunwich, Suffolk

The Mary Rose, Portsmouth

Euston Arch, King's Cross, London

Ruins of Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire