St Mary's Church, Bramall Lane

St Mary's Church, Bramall Lane is a Church of England parish church in the City of Sheffield, England.

St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church from the south
St Mary's Church is located in Sheffield
St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church
53°22′20″N 1°28′18″W / 53.3722°N 1.4717°W / 53.3722; -1.4717
OS grid referenceSK 35248 86306
LocationHighfield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Websitewww.stmarys-church.co.uk
History
StatusParish church
Consecrated1830
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Joseph Potter
StyleGothic revival
Construction cost£13,927 (equivalent to £1,300,000 in 2021)[1]
Specifications
Height140 feet (43 m)
Administration
ProvinceProvince of York
DioceseDiocese of Sheffield
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Sheffield and Rotherham
DeaneryEcclesall Deanery
ParishSheffield St Mary Bramall Lane
Clergy
Vicar(s)The Revd Claire Dawson
Assistant priest(s)The Revd Karen Cribb (associate vicar)
Laity
Reader(s)Maureen Food, Giles Morrison

History edit

St Mary's Church is one of three churches that were built in Sheffield under the Church Building Act 1818 (the other two being St George's Church, Portobello and St Philip's Church, Netherthorpe), and is the only one still to be used as a church. The church was designed by Joseph Potter and cost £13,927 (equivalent to £1,300,000 in 2021).[1] A grant of £13,941 was received from the Church Building Commission to cover the cost of building and other expenses.[2] The foundation stone was laid on 12 October 1826 by the Countess of Surrey, and the church was consecrated on 21 July 1830.[3]

The church is built in the Perpendicular style, with a 140 feet (43 m) high tower,[4] It was damaged by bombing during the "Sheffield Blitz" and when restored was divided: the chancel and two east bays of the nave remained in use as a church, the rest of the building used as a community centre.

In 1839 some Chartists, suspicious of the big new Anglican churches, unsuccessfully attempted to fire-bomb St Mary's.[5]

It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated grade II* listed building.[6]

Present day edit

In 2000, a major internal refurbishment took place resulting in the church and community centre becoming a combined space. The space is also used to host conferences.[7]

There are close links between the church and Sheffield United F.C., whose ground is situated on Bramall Lane. During the refurbishment in 2000, church services took place at the football club.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  2. ^ Port, M. H. (2006), 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818-1856 (2nd ed.), Reading: Spire Books, p. 329, ISBN 978-1-904965-08-4
  3. ^ "St Mary's Church". Sheffield & District Family History Society. Retrieved 11 February 2006.
  4. ^ Harman, R.; Minnis, J. (2004). Pevsner City Guides: Sheffield. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. pp. 220–221. ISBN 0-300-10585-1.
  5. ^ Price, David (2008). Sheffield Troublemakers: Rebels and Radicals in Sheffield History. The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG: Phillimore & Co. Ltd. pp. 25–26. ISBN 978 1 86077 660-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Mary, Sheffield (1246817)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  7. ^ "Conferencing". Retrieved 2 February 2017.

External links edit