Christ Church, Stannington facts for kids
Christ Church is a Christian church for Anglican worshippers. It is found on Church Street in the Stannington area of Sheffield, England. This church is special because it was partly built with money from a government grant in 1824. Because of this, it is sometimes called a “Million Church.” It is also a Grade II listed building, which means it is an important old building protected by law.
History of Christ Church
The building of Christ Church was finished in 1830. The architects, Woodhead & Hurst from Doncaster, designed the church. Plans were made in 1827, and the first stone was laid on October 16, 1828. This special event was led by Thomas Richard Ryder, who was the Vicar of Ecclesfield.
The church cost £3,000 to build. Some of the money came from a special government fund for churches. A large donation also came from Eliza and Ann Harrison, who lived at Weston Hall. Their father was a famous sawmaker in Sheffield. When it was first built, Christ Church was part of the larger Bradfield church area, which was part of Ecclesfield. Stannington did not become its own separate parish until 1843.
At first, Christ Church did not have its own main vicar. Instead, a curate named Mr. William Gill led services. He lived in Bradfield, about three miles away. Mr. Gill led a morning service for six years. But he left in 1836 when he was asked to lead an evening service too. This led to the building of a vicarage (a house for the vicar) next to the church. They also started paying the vicar a salary of £100 a year.
In 1843, Stannington became its own parish, and Christ Church became the main parish church. William Gill became the first official vicar, and his salary increased to £129 a year. Many important vicars have served the church over the years. Francis Augustine Stebbing was the longest-serving vicar, from 1916 to 1963. More recently, Tim Fletcher became the Priest in charge in 2014. In 2023, the Revd Nicholas Lattimer took over as Priest in charge.
Church Design and Features
The church is built from rough gritstone blocks, which are a type of strong stone. It has a balanced Gothic style, which means it looks like churches from the Middle Ages. There is a low, square bell tower with a weather vane on top. Below the weather vane, there is a three-faced clock and openings called louvres.
Some interesting parts of the outside of the church are the seven embattled turrets. These are small towers with a special top that looks like the top of a castle wall. They stand on the corners of the church. The lychgate at the front entrance to the churchyard was built in July 1940. It was put there by Rebecca Nichols to remember her husband, John. The churchyard, where people are buried, was made bigger in 1919. However, it is now almost full.
The outside of the church has not changed much over time. But the inside has been changed several times. The church originally had seats for 1,000 people. Now, there are far fewer seats. Two long balconies on the sides, which made the church very dark, were removed in 1964. A third balcony is still at the back of the church. This balcony used to hold the organ, and the choir sang from there.
The original font (a basin used for baptisms) was brought from Bradfield in 1927. It was replaced by the Angel Font in 1945. The old font was then placed outside in the churchyard. Sadly, it was stolen in 2001.
A big update to the inside of the church happened in 1992 and 1993. The old pews (long benches) were taken out and replaced with chairs. A new floor was put in and carpeted. The church also got new electrical wiring. At the same time, a new vestry (a room for clergy) was added. The font was moved to the front of the church. The baptistery (the area for baptisms) at the back was made bigger to create a narthex (an entrance hall). A large open space was also made at the front of the church by removing the choir stalls. Inside the church, there is also a wooden roll of honour. This lists the 70 people from the parish who died in the First World War.
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