St George's Church, Portobello

St George's

St George's Church from the south east
Basic information
Location Sheffield City Centre
South Yorkshire, England
Geographic coordinates 53°22′54″N 1°28′51″W / 53.3817°N 1.4808°W / 53.3817; -1.4808Coordinates: 53°22′54″N 1°28′51″W / 53.3817°N 1.4808°W / 53.3817; -1.4808
Affiliation Anglican
District Diocese of Sheffield
Country United Kingdom
Year consecrated 1825
Ecclesiastical or organizational status Redundant church
Architectural description
Architect(s) Woodhead and Hurst
Architectural type Church
Architectural style Gothic revival
Completed 1825
Construction cost £15,181 (equivalent to £1,120,000 in 2015)[1]
Specifications
Capacity 380
Length 122 feet (37 m)
Width 67 feet (20 m)
Height (max) 140 feet (43 m)

St George's Church, Portobello, was a Church of England church in the City of Sheffield, England. It is now part of the University of Sheffield and functions as a lecture theatre and student housing.

St George's was the first of three commissioners' churches to be built in Sheffield under the Church Building Act 1818 (the other two being St Mary's Church, Bramall Lane and St Philip's Church, Netherthorpe). The church was designed by Woodhead and Hurst at a cost of £15,181 (equivalent to £1,120,000 in 2015),[1] the whole cost being met by the Church Building Commission.[2] It was built in the Perpendicular style, 122 feet (37 m) long and 67 feet (20 m) wide, and consisted of a flat-ceilinged nave with six bays, a single-bay chancel, and a 140 feet (43 m) high tower.[3] Galleries extended the length of the north and south walls, and there was a two-tiered gallery on the west wall. In all, the church could seat 380 people. The foundation stone was laid on 19 July 1821,[4] and the church was consecrated by Archbishop Vernon Harcourt on 29 June 1825.

The church closed in 1981 and was unused for a number of years. It was acquired by the University of Sheffield, and in 1994 it was converted for use as a lecture theatre and student accommodation.[5] Prior to this it had been the last of the Commissioners' churches in Sheffield to retain its original form. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[6]

In 2010, a nesting box was placed on the church rooftop, which is now home to a breeding pair of peregrine falcons that can be viewed on live stream webcam.[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 UK Consumer Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Gregory Clark (2016), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth.com.
  2. ↑ Port, M. H. (2006), 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818-1856 (2nd ed.), Reading: Spire Books, p. 329, ISBN 978-1-904965-08-4
  3. ↑ Levesley, Gerald (1975). Third Jubilee: The History of the Church and Parish of St. George, Sheffield 1825—1975. Published by The Parochial Church Council of St. George, Sheffield.
  4. ↑ St George, Portobello. Sheffield & District Family History Society (accessed 11 February 2006).
  5. ↑ Harman, R. & Minnis, J. (2004) Pevsner City Guides: Sheffield, p88. New Haven & London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10585-1
  6. ↑ Historic England, "Church of St George, Sheffield (1247180)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 November 2013
  7. ↑ Sheffield University Estates & Facilities Management - peregrine falcons on St George's Church
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