St Nicholas, Bradfield
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The Church of St. Nicholas, Bradfield is situated in the small village of High Bradfield, (Grid Reference ) which is located north west of the centre of the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of only five Grade One
Listed buildings in Sheffield There are about 1,000 listed buildings in Sheffield. Of these only five are Grade I listed, and 42 are Grade II*, the rest being Grade II listed. The buildings vary from a listed facade to the largest listed building in Europe ( Park Hill). ...
.Sheffield City Council website.
Downloadable list of all listed buildings within the Sheffield boundary.
The church is situated above sea level, overlooking the Peak District National Park.B.B.C. South Yorkshire website
360 degree panorama from Church of St. Nicholas, Bradfield.


History


Anglo-Saxon

Christian worship in the Bradfield area dates from at least the 9th century, as a
Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
cross discovered in 1870 in the nearby village of Low Bradfield was dated by specialists to that time. Local historian John Wilson (1719–83) believed that the original Norman church was founded in 1109 when deciphering ancient writing in the church's original east window.''"The Parish Church of St. Nicholas, Bradfield"'', John & Julia Hatfield, No ISBN, Gives founding date and general history. The Normans regarded the area around Bradfield as strategically important and had built a
motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...
fortified keep in the area after the conquest. William de Lovetot, Lord of Hallamshire, had built the
Church of St. Mary, Ecclesfield The Church of St Mary, Ecclesfield, is situated on Church Street in the village of Ecclesfield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is situated north of the city centre. It is a Grade I listed building, one of only five within the Sheffiel ...
, nine kilometres to the east, at the end of the 11th century, to which St. Nicholas, Bradfield became a
chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...
until 1868 when it became a parish of its own. The original Norman church was an uncomplicated two cell building. A square bell tower was added in the 14th century before it was largely rebuilt in the Gothic Perpendicular style during the 1480s, using some of the original masonry which consisted of local
gritstone Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for pa ...
. The interior of the church changed drastically under the influence of the Puritans during the English Civil War, when statues, wall paintings and stained glass were destroyed and the walls whitewashed.


19th century

These changes were reversed in the latter part of the 19th century when the interior was
restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...
to its 15th-century appearance. Parts of the original Norman church survive in the north arcade, the font and the chancel arch. The previously mentioned 9th century Saxon cross was integrated into the north wall of the church in 1886. The cross is roughly fashioned in local
gritstone Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for pa ...
and is simply decorated with five bosses on the head, which was the Saxon way of depicting the crucifixtion. Records of births, marriages and burials date from 1559. Music in the church was originally provided by a local band of musicians featuring a
bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
and violoncello accompanying the choir. The musicians were replaced in 1843 by an
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
. The present organ was installed in 1973. It was built by Laycock and Bannister and was bought second hand from a church in Middlesbrough that was closing.


Today


Windows

The interior contains 17 stained glass windows of varying sizes. Much of the glass is from the late 19th century although the Medieval Window includes fragments of glass from the 15th century. During the Second World War it was stored in a local clay mine to protect it from bomb damage. The windows include designs by Sir John Ninian Comper, Clayton and Bell and Hardman & Co. The east window, which is the largest, was donated by the Wilson family in 1870, and depicts the nativity, baptism, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Christ. A window on the west wall was donated by the Dixon family in 1930. The family had been the owners of the Spring Grove paper mill in Oughtibridge since 1871. The main west window is situated in the ringing chamber of the tower. It was a gift of James Wilson Rimington-Wilson (1822–77) of Broomhead Hall and depicts
Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
and Saint Cuthbert.thepeerage.com.
Gives details of Rimington-Wilson.
It is one of ten windows in the church attributed to William Francis Dixon (1848–1928) of the Clayton & Bell company.


Interior

The pulpit features carved panels portraying Christ with the four Gospel writers. Oak panels brought from Normandy in 1886 decorate the sanctuary and the altar. The interior has a Camber beam roof with the wall posts having carved feet and various embossing. The original Norman
baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...
is still in place; it is made of magnesian limestone with no decoration at all and is believed to have been built and presented by the
Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
monks of Roche Abbey in the 12th century. A sunken vestry was discovered and refurbished during the 19th century, which is thought to have been used by visiting clergy as sleeping quarters.


Memorial

The church features memorials to the Bradfield men who perished in both World wars. A slate plaque presented by the local water authority in 1989 stands in the south aisle and commemorates the
Great Sheffield Flood The Great Sheffield Flood was a flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March 1864, when the Dale Dyke Dam broke as its reservoir was being filled for the first time. At least 240 people died and more than 600 houses were da ...
of 1864, when the nearby Dale Dike Reservoir broke and 270 people drowned. A number of flood victims are buried in the churchyard. The grave of William Horsfield, who discovered the crack in the embankment of the dam, is located in the churchyard. He died in 1881.Mick Armitages's Sheffield Flood website.
Details of William Horsfield.


Bell Tower

The bell tower contains a peal of eight bells made by John Taylor Bellfounders of Loughborough. Six were cast in 1847, while two more were added recently in 1997. Records show Bradfield's bells were not only rung on Sundays but also to commemorate events of national importance, such as on 5 November "for the
Gunpowder Treason The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...
" and from 1660 onwards on 29 May ( Oak Apple Day) to celebrate
The Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
. The irregularly shaped watch house which stands by the main gates was built in 1745 to guard against grave robbers looking for fresh corpses for medical study, with friends and relatives of the deceased often guarding the recently buried loved ones with guns. It is the only surviving watch house in Yorkshire,www.coffeebeer.co.uk.
gives info on Watch house but gives date of origin as 1745. Church leaflet say 1831.
and today it is a private dwelling. When Bradfield village lost its church hall in 1987, the rear pews of the church were removed to provide a meeting place and kitchen.


References and footnotes

* The Parish Church of St Nicholas, Bradfield (booklet), John and Julia Hatfield * The Parish Church of St Nicholas, Bradfield; A Brief History and Guide (Leaflet)


External links


St Nicholas, High Bradfield
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradfield, Saint Nicholas 12th-century church buildings in England 15th-century church buildings in England Tourist attractions in Sheffield Churches in Sheffield Church of England church buildings in South Yorkshire English Gothic architecture in South Yorkshire Grade I listed buildings in Sheffield History of Sheffield Tourist attractions of the Peak District