St Vincent's Church, Sheffield
Encyclopedia
St Vincent’s Church is a disused (since 1998) Roman Catholic church situated on Solly Street at its junction with Hollis Croft in the centre
of the City of Sheffield
, South Yorkshire
.
to try to find a better life in England. The developing cutlery
and tool industries of Sheffield attracted many of these Irish emigrants and they settled in “The Crofts” area of the town. The Crofts was centred on Solly Street (then called Pea Croft) and at that time was the centre of the Sheffield steel, cutlery and filemaking industries. It was an area of working class tenements and back to back housing interspersed with iron
and steel
works and small workshops making cutlery and hand tools.
in Norfolk Row, the only Catholic church in Sheffield in the early 1850s. Father Edmund Scully of St Marie’s pledged to build a school-chapel for The Crofts area and on Good Friday
1851 a plot of ground was purchased in the area for £700. Matthew Ellison Hadfield
designed the chapel-school which was completed in July 1853 at a cost of £1,850.
, a partner of Hadfield’s, with the addition of a nave
and a chancel
at a cost of £3,100 and was officially recognised as a church although it had no tower or spire. Further building work costing £650 took place in 1870 when a church tower was built up to a height of 40 feet which incorporated the south porch and an entrance from White Croft. The tower was raised up to its present day height of 93 feet in 1911 when a donation of £1,400 by Mr. Philip Wake enabled it to be completed in a design in the Norman
style based on a typical church in Normandy
. The architect of the new tower was Charles Hadfield and it was formally blessed and opened by Michael Logue Primate of All Ireland on October 28th 1911.
parish in the Hillsborough
area of the city. The area around the church was still mostly slum
housing with some crime, one of the gangs involved in the Sheffield Gang Wars of the mid 1920s was of Irish descent with most of its members from the St Vincent’s parish. The Great Depression in the United Kingdom
caused great hardship in the parish, it eventually resulted in a programme of slum clearances which began in 1929. Many acres of old properties were demolished in the parish and the residents moved to more spacious housing in the suburbs. The slum clearances continued up to 1938 when they were suspended because of the imminence of war.
raid by German bombers on the night of December 12/13th 1940 resulted in the destruction of the original 1853 chapel when a parachute mine
landed on the roof. The original girls school was also destroyed and every window in the church was blown out destroying some valuable stained glass
windows. The newer part of the church from 1911 escaped serious damage.
Due to the war damage and continuing slum clearances in the post war St Vincent’s area, the church lost much of its congregation as the district was rebuilt as a business area. In 1998 it closed as a place of worship and is in need of some renovation with much of the land round the church used for car parking. The interior of the church is currently used for storing furniture for the Vincent's charity which recycles old furniture and redistributes it to the city's poorer and more vulnerable people. The church is now within the St Vincent's Quarter of Sheffield which is undergoing slow rejuvenation. Sheffield City Council
are looking at new ways that the St Vincent’s group of buildings can be used in conjunction with the owners and the local community, and at the end of 2004 announced the St Vincent’s Action Plan which includes:
Sheffield City Centre
Sheffield City Centre—often just referred to as town—is a district of the City of Sheffield, and part of the Sheffield Central ward. It includes the area that is within a radius of roughly of Sheffield Cathedral, and is encircled by the Inner Ring Road—a circular route started in the late 1960s...
of the City of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
.
Irish emigration to Sheffield
As a result of the Irish Potato Famine between the years of 1845 and 1849 many emigrants left IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
to try to find a better life in England. The developing cutlery
Cutlery
Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
and tool industries of Sheffield attracted many of these Irish emigrants and they settled in “The Crofts” area of the town. The Crofts was centred on Solly Street (then called Pea Croft) and at that time was the centre of the Sheffield steel, cutlery and filemaking industries. It was an area of working class tenements and back to back housing interspersed with iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
works and small workshops making cutlery and hand tools.
Founding of St Vincent’s
The majority of the Irish emigrants in The Crofts were Roman Catholics and worshipped at the newly opened St Marie’s churchCathedral Church of St Marie, Sheffield
The Cathedral Church of St Marie is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Sheffield, England. It lies in a slightly hidden location, just off the main shopping street in the city, but signals its presence with a tall spire. It is an especially fine example of an English Roman Catholic Church, with much...
in Norfolk Row, the only Catholic church in Sheffield in the early 1850s. Father Edmund Scully of St Marie’s pledged to build a school-chapel for The Crofts area and on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
1851 a plot of ground was purchased in the area for £700. Matthew Ellison Hadfield
Matthew Ellison Hadfield
Matthew Ellison Hadfield was an English architect of the Victorian Gothic revival. He is chiefly known for his work on Roman Catholic churches, including the cathedral churches of Salford and Sheffield.-Training:...
designed the chapel-school which was completed in July 1853 at a cost of £1,850.
Chapel becomes a church
The chapel was greatly expanded in 1856 by George GoldieGeorge Goldie (architect)
George Goldie was a nineteenth century ecclesiastical architect who specialised in Roman Catholic churches.Goldie was born in York and was the grandson of the architect Joseph Bonomi the Elder...
, a partner of Hadfield’s, with the addition of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
at a cost of £3,100 and was officially recognised as a church although it had no tower or spire. Further building work costing £650 took place in 1870 when a church tower was built up to a height of 40 feet which incorporated the south porch and an entrance from White Croft. The tower was raised up to its present day height of 93 feet in 1911 when a donation of £1,400 by Mr. Philip Wake enabled it to be completed in a design in the Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
style based on a typical church in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. The architect of the new tower was Charles Hadfield and it was formally blessed and opened by Michael Logue Primate of All Ireland on October 28th 1911.
Inter war years
1920 saw the division of St Vincent’s parish with the creation of the Sacred HeartSacred Heart Church, Hillsborough
Sacred Heart Church is located in Forbes Road in the Hillsborough district of the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England at . It is a Roman Catholic church in the Diocese of Hallam and is a Grade II listed building...
parish in the Hillsborough
Hillsborough, South Yorkshire
Hillsborough is an electoral ward which includes the districts of Malin Bridge, Owlerton, Wadsley and Wisewood. It is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2...
area of the city. The area around the church was still mostly slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
housing with some crime, one of the gangs involved in the Sheffield Gang Wars of the mid 1920s was of Irish descent with most of its members from the St Vincent’s parish. The Great Depression in the United Kingdom
Great Depression in the United Kingdom
The Great Depression in the United Kingdom, also known as the Great Slump, was a period of national economic downturn in the 1930s, which had its origins in the global Great Depression...
caused great hardship in the parish, it eventually resulted in a programme of slum clearances which began in 1929. Many acres of old properties were demolished in the parish and the residents moved to more spacious housing in the suburbs. The slum clearances continued up to 1938 when they were suspended because of the imminence of war.
World War II
The first Sheffield BlitzSheffield Blitz
The Sheffield Blitz is the name given to the worst nights of German Luftwaffe bombing in Sheffield, England during the Second World War. It took place over the nights of 12 December and 15 December 1940....
raid by German bombers on the night of December 12/13th 1940 resulted in the destruction of the original 1853 chapel when a parachute mine
Parachute mine
A parachute mine is a parachute naval mine dropped from an aircraft. They were mostly used in World War II by the Luftwaffe and initially by the Royal Air Force Bomber Command.-Blast effects:...
landed on the roof. The original girls school was also destroyed and every window in the church was blown out destroying some valuable stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows. The newer part of the church from 1911 escaped serious damage.
Post war and present day
Vigorous fund raising enabled much re-building to be done on the damaged church in the 1950s, this included a new chapel, replacement roofs and a new entrance porch, organ loft and choir gallery.Due to the war damage and continuing slum clearances in the post war St Vincent’s area, the church lost much of its congregation as the district was rebuilt as a business area. In 1998 it closed as a place of worship and is in need of some renovation with much of the land round the church used for car parking. The interior of the church is currently used for storing furniture for the Vincent's charity which recycles old furniture and redistributes it to the city's poorer and more vulnerable people. The church is now within the St Vincent's Quarter of Sheffield which is undergoing slow rejuvenation. Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
are looking at new ways that the St Vincent’s group of buildings can be used in conjunction with the owners and the local community, and at the end of 2004 announced the St Vincent’s Action Plan which includes: