Sheffield Cathedral

The Shrewsbury Chapel

The site of the cathedral has a long history of Christian use. The shaft of the 9th-century Sheffield Cross, believed to have formerly been sited here, is now held by the British Museum.[2] It is probable that Sheffield's parish church, a satellite of Worksop Priory, was constructed here in the 12th century by William de Lovetot at the opposite end of the town to Sheffield Castle. This established the area of the parish of Sheffield, unchanged until the 19th century. This church was burnt down in 1266 during the Second Barons' War against King Henry III.

Another parish church was completed in 1280, but this church was mostly demolished and rebuilt about 1430 on a cruciform floor plan. The Shrewsbury Chapel was added in the next century, and a vestry chapel (now the Chapel of Saint Katherine) was added in 1777. The north and south walls of the nave were rebuilt in 1790–93 and a major restoration by Flockton & Gibbs, which included the addition of new north and south transepts, was completed in 1880. The church was originally dedicated to Saint Peter, but from some time after the reformation into the 19th century it was dedicated to Holy Trinity;[3] it has since been dedicated to both Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The parish of Sheffield was subdivided into smaller parishes in 1848. The church is still the parish church for the smaller Parish of Sheffield, but in 1914 it was also made the cathedral church for the newly created Diocese of Sheffield. Plans were drafted by Charles Nicholson to extend the church and reorient it on its axis, but due to World War II these were greatly scaled down. The resulting additions leave the church an awkward shape in plan, but with an impressive south elevation.

The lantern tower

Screen of bayonets and swords in St George's Chapel

The east end of the current church is the oldest. In the east wall of the sanctuary there are stones from the 13th-century church. Dating from the 15th century are the sanctuary and chancel. The 15th-century cruciform church also included lofts and a rood chapel but these were ordered to be removed by Elizabeth I.[9] Their scars can be seen on the walls.

The chancel roof likely dates to the 16th century[10] and is a hammerbeam roof with gilded angels. The outstretched wings are a modern gift from the 1960s by George Bailey.

In the 1770s, rebuilding included the addition of tracery into the windows and a resurfacing of the walls with moorstone.[9] The addition of the vestry chapel of St Katherine destroyed the cruciform shape of the plan. The Shrewsbury Chapel was constructed in order to house the Tudor monuments of the Earls of Shrewsbury.

The altarpiece in this chapel is considered medieval in date. On the south wall of the Shrewsbury Chapel is the alabaster monument to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury with its architectural surround, armoured effigy, and Latin inscription. Several members of the family are buried in the vault. The monument on the left towards the sanctuary is to George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. It is made of fine marble, carved in an Italian style to depict the Earl and his two wives in positions of prayer. They are both fine examples of Tudor monuments. The east window is a monument to James Montgomery.

Sheffield Parish Church in 1819

Sheffield Cathedral nave in 2019

In the 1880s further reconstruction and rebuilding removed the galleries, moved the organ to the north transept to clear the chancel, and installed new oak pews.[10] The north and south transepts and west end were extended. A screen was constructed by local craftsmen for the Shrewsbury Chapel but was modified and moved to the north aisle in the 1900s.[10][11] During later restoration work in 2013, it was discovered that a number of the Shrewsbury coffins were missing from the crypt.[12]

Charles Nicholson's design in the 1900s called for a radical realignment of the church axis by 90 degrees. However, funds and World Wars forced the designs to change. Those changes were implemented throughout the 20th century. The bulk of the changes have affected the northern part of the cathedral, which was extensively expanded. Immediately to the north of the nave is the chapel of Saint George, which commemorates the York and Lancaster Regiment. It is furnished with regiment flags and a screen made up of the bayonets and swords of the first regiment. Under the chapel of St George is the vaulted crypt chapel of All Saints and the Te Deum window, which was designed by Christopher Webb. At the furthest north end is the Chapel of the Holy Spirit with a four-part vaulting system and a beautifully painted screen. The main entrance of the church is at the expanded west end, added in 1966 when the church was rededicated. The baptism font is at this end. The lantern tower was an earlier addition to improve light but its glass was replaced by an abstract design designed by Amber Hiscott in 1998–99. In September 2010 it was announced that the cathedral would be applying for a £980,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant to fund a £1.25 million scheme to make the building more attractive to visitors.[13]

As of 1 January 2021:[14]

• Dean — vacant since Peter Bradley's retirement on 31 December 2020[15]
• Acting Dean & Canon Residentiary — Geoffrey Harbord (both since 21 October 2020 installation)[16]
• Vice-Dean & Canon Missioner — Keith Farrow (Canon & Missioner since March 2014; Vice-Dean since 1 December 2019)[17]
• Canon Precentor — vacant since Chris Burke's 2019 collation as Archdeacon of Barking
• vacancy — since Burke's 2013 move from Canon Residentiary "for Learning and Development" to Precentor
• vacancy — since Joanne Grenfell's 2013 collation as Archdeacon of Portsdown; she was a Diocesan Canon as DDO

As of 2017, The cathedral has 12 bells hung for change ringing, including a flat sixth bell and an Extra Treble.[23] The bells are rung regularly for practice on Thursday and for Sunday services, in the morning and the evening. Also hanging in the cathedral is the stainless steel ship's bell from HMS Sheffield.

The Cathedral Archer Project is a homelessness charity which operates from rooms around the rear of the cathedral, with a separate entrance from Campo Lane. The charity was founded in 1989, following a decade of economic decline and rising homelessness in Sheffield following the collapse of the local steelworks and coal-mining industries. In 2007, the charity moved into the refurbished rooms to the rear of the cathedral that they occupy today; the rooms include shower and laundry facilities, computer access, lounge areas and a full kitchen for the use of Sheffield's homeless.[24]

In 2013, the charity received Investing in Volunteers status. The Archer Project was the official charity of the Sheffield Eagles rugby league side for the 2018 season.[25] The charity has also worked closely with schools, including a formal fundraising partnership with Dronfield Henry Fanshawe School's sixth form college.

The rooms used by the Archer Project at Sheffield Cathedral were destroyed by fire in an arson attack on 14 May 2020. The charity had previously been distributing 180 free meals per day to the city's homeless amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[26] More than £22,000 was raised for the charity within 24 hours of the fire, including a £1,000 donation from Sheffield Wednesday football club.[27]

Sheffield Cathedral has its own stop on the Sheffield Supertram network called Cathedral. Located in front of the cathedral at the edge of the churchyard, it is one of three city centre tram stops served by all four lines, and as such can be accessed from any other stop on the network. The tram stop was opened on 17 February 1995. Tram-train services between Cathedral and Rotherham Parkgate commenced on 25 October 2018.

Beyond the tram platforms is Church Street, which since the construction of the tram network now runs westbound only from High Street to West Street. There are two bus stops on Church Street, serving local bus services 7a, 30/30a, 51 and 52/52a as of May 2020. There is no on-street parking on the streets directly surrounding the cathedral; the nearest car park is located on Campo Lane a short walk away, operated by National Car Parks.

Vicars of Sheffield from 1482:[3]

1482: John Plesaunce

1501: Thomas Cundall

1512: Thomas Stokks

1519: Thomas Wode

1534: Robert Gawthorpe

1558/9: Richard Hayward

1567: John Atkyn

1569: Robert Holland

1597: Thomas Toller

1635: John Bright

1643: Edward Browne

1644: Thomas Birkbeck

1654: James Fisher

1662: Edward Browne

1662: John Lobley

1681: Charles Wilson

1695: Nathan Drake

1713: John Dossie

1754: James Wilkinson

1805: Thomas Sutton

1851: Thomas Sale

1873: Rowley Hill

1877: Post merged with Archdeacon of Sheffield

1931: Post merged with Provost of Sheffield

• George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury
• George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury
• Anne Hastings, Countess of Shrewsbury, his first wife (predeceased him)
• Elizabeth Walden (1491–July 1567), his second wife
• Mary Percy, Countess of Northumberland

• Cathedral Church of St Marie, Sheffield (Roman Catholic)
• History of Sheffield
• Listed buildings in Sheffield
• List of works by George Pace

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sheffield Cathedral.

• Sheffield Cathedral
• 360° views of the Cathedral from BBC South Yorkshire