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 Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

, 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 67 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, She ...

.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 The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivi ...

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, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

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 The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

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 eas ...

fortified keep in the area after the conquest. William de Lovetot, Lord of Hallamshire, had built the Church of St. Mary, Ecclesfield, 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, generally due to trav ...

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 ...

. The interior of the church changed drastically under the influence of the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, 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 musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004, by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard Aus ...

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

and is simply decorated with five bosses on the head, which was the Saxon way of depicting the crucifixion. 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 musical instrument in the woodwind 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 virtuosity ...

and

violoncello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C ...

accompanying the choir. The musicians were replaced in 1843 by an

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

. The present organ was installed in 1973. It was built by Laycock and Bannister and was bought second hand from a church in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

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 Sir John Ninian Comper (10 June 1864 – 22 December 1960) was a Scottish architect, one of the last of the great Gothic Revival architects. His work almost entirely focused on the design, restoration and embellishment of churches, and the desi ...

Clayton and Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832� ...

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 Oughtibridge ( ) is a residential village in the north of Sheffield within the bounds of Bradfield, South Yorkshire, Bradfield civil parish. The village stands about northwest of the Sheffield City Centre, city centre in the valley of the Riv ...

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 Broomhead Hall was a large English country house that stood in the Ewden valley, to the west of Sheffield, England. The hall stood near the hamlet of Wigtwizzle, to the west of Broomhead Reservoir. History The original hall was built by Chri ...

and depicts

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (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 Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

and

Saint Cuthbert Cuthbert of Lindisfarne () ( – 20 March 687) was a saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of Northumbria ...

. 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 In building, a camber beam is a piece of timber cut archwise, and steel bent or rolled, with an obtuse angle in the middle, commonly used in platforms as church leads, and other occasions where long and strong beams are required. The camber cur ...

roof with the wall posts having carved feet and various embossing. The original Norman

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

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 (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monks of

Roche Abbey Roche Abbey is a now-ruined abbey in the civil parish of Maltby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is in the valley of Maltby Dyke, known locally as Maltby Beck, and is administered by English Heritage. It is a scheduled monument and Gra ...

in the 12th century. A sunken

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

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 war A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

s. A slate plaque presented by the local water authority in 1989 stands in the south aisle and commemorates the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864, when the nearby

Dale Dike Reservoir Dale Dike Reservoir or Dale Dyke Reservoir () is a reservoir in the north-east Peak District, in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, a mile (1.6 km) west of Bradfield and from the centre of Sheffield Sheffield is a ci ...

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 John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood Borough of Leicestershire, England; it is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council. At the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a popula ...

. 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" and from 1660 onwards on 29 May (

Oak Apple Day Restoration Day, more commonly known as Oak Apple Day or Royal Oak Day, was an English, Welsh and Irish public holiday, observed annually on 29 May, to commemorate the restoration of the Stuart monarchy in May 1660. In some parts of England th ...

) to celebrate

The Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state. This may refer to: *Conservation and restoration of cultural property **Audio restoration **Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property **Film restoration ** Image ...

. 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. Bradfield church from the south

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