St Thomas, Brightside facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Thomas, Brightside |
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St Thomas, seen from the north west
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Sheffield |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Church |
| Year consecrated | 1854 |
| Location | |
| Location | Brightside, Sheffield South Yorkshire, England |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Flockton & Son |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1853 |
| Construction cost | £1600 (£110,000 in 2021) |
| Capacity | 400 |
St Thomas is an old church building in Brightside, Sheffield, England. It used to be an Anglican church, which is a type of Christian church. Today, it has a new and exciting purpose: it's a training school for the circus!
Contents
Building a New Church
In the 1800s, the area of Brightside in Sheffield was growing fast. Many people moved there because of new factories and the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway, which opened in 1838. Even with more people, Brightside didn't have a proper Anglican church. People who wanted to worship had to meet in a small room that could only hold about 70 people.
To help build a new church, the Church Commissioners gave £100. The total cost to build St Thomas was £1600. The rest of the money was collected from people who wanted to support the project.
Design and Opening
The land for the church was given by the Earl Fitzwilliam. Building started in 1852, and the church was finished in 1853. It was officially opened, or consecrated, in 1854 by the Archbishop of York, Thomas Musgrave.
The church was designed by Flockton & Son, a famous team of architects from Sheffield. They had designed many other buildings in the city. St Thomas was built in the Gothic Revival style. This means it looked like older, grand Gothic churches, but it was built in the 1800s. It has a main hall called a nave and a tower with a tall, pointy spire at one corner.
Changes Over Time
When it first opened, St Thomas was part of a nearby church area called Grimesthorpe. But in 1864, it became its own separate church area, or parish. In 1873, a special memorial was put up for William Mannifield. He had sadly died in an accident at the nearby Brightside Colliery, which was a coal mine.
Later, in the 1950s and 1960s, a person named George Pace did a lot of work on the church. He added new decorations and new important items like the altar (a table used for services), a reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar), and a lectern (a stand for reading).
In 1973, St Thomas Church was given a special status called Grade II listed. This means it's an important historical building that should be protected. However, the church closed in 1979 and was no longer used for religious services.
From Church to Circus School
After closing as a church, the building had a few different uses. In the 1980s, it was used as the Sheffield School of Gymnastics. Then, in 1995, it was featured on a TV show called Challenge Anneka. The show helped to restore the old church building.
Thanks to this restoration, St Thomas found its new purpose. It became a training center for Greentop Circus, where people can learn exciting circus skills like acrobatics, juggling, and trapeze. It's a great example of how old buildings can be given new life!
See also
- Listed buildings in Sheffield
