St Vincents, Sheffield, April 2013

HughieD · May 10, 2013

Don't think this place has appeared on DP before which is surprising given its relatively easy accessibility. Here’s a brief history of the place courtesy of a re-hash of Wikipedia:

As a result of the Irish Potato Famine in the mid 1840s many emigrants left Ireland to try to find a better life. Sheffield attracted many of these emigrants who settled in the back-to-back housing in the "The Crofts" area of the town which was the then centre of the Sheffield steel, cutlery and filemaking industries. Most of the emigrants worshipped at St Marie’s church in Norfolk Row which was the only Catholic church in Sheffield. In the early 1850s Father Edmund Scully of St Marie’s pledged to build a school-chapel for The Crofts area which was duly completed in July 1853. The chapel was greatly expanded in 1856 and was officially recognised as a church although it had no tower or spire. In 1870 a church tower was built up to a height of 40 feet and raised up to its present day height of 93 feet in 1911.

In the 1920s the area around the church was still mostly slum housing including one of the gangs involved in the Sheffield Gang Wars of the mid 1920s. The Great Depression eventually resulted in a programme of slum clearances in 1929 and continued up to 1938. A Second World War Blitz raid by German bombers in December 1940 resulted in the destruction of the original 1853 chapel when a parachute mine landed on the roof. The newer part of the church from 1911 escaped serious damage. A fund raising programme enabled much re-building to be done on the damaged church in the 1950s, including a new chapel, replacement roofs and choir gallery. However, post-war the church had lost much of its congregation. In 1998 it closed as a place of worship. The interior of the church is currently used for storing furniture while much of the land round the church used for car parking.

The church itself is worth a look but pretty much sealed and the adjoining Catholic Boy's club still in semi-use. However the two main buildings that make up the former Church School that formed the basis of the explore are in a very poor stage and probably haven't got long before they get knocked down.

Overall, a relaxed mooch with the added bonus of some lovely examples of Phlegm's work.

img8974_2 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8976_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8975_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8971_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8970_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8968_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8967_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8965_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8960_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8957_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8956_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8954_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8953_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8952_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8951_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8950_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8822_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8808_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

img8811_1 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!

vanburen · May 11, 2013

Good work you, for the pics and not falling through the floor ! The art in there by Phlegm is very good but he's got much better AND bigger now and theres plenty of it to see in Sheffield and Doncaster. As you say its a shame that the building is in such a bad condition and probably wont be around much longer,theres some fantastic white tiled bricks down near the stairs/toilet block if you noticed them.
Bit of useless info for you here,the building 20yards up the hill from this one is where the actor Patrick McGoohan started his acting career in amateur plays ( he of Dangerman, the Prisoner, Scanners, Silver Streak, Columbo and Hell Drivers fame )

ZerO81 · May 11, 2013

Nice set of shots, I heard this place is death on a stick floor wise, so you did well to come back!

HughieD · May 12, 2013

Cheers both. Yes, was careful re: the floors which ultimately meant I didn't go in the downstairs of the larger building. Saw the glazed bricks, yes, but didn't know about the nearby McGoohan connection!

Think the two buildings will get knocked down soon. A real shame it will be. The complex survives the blitz but fails to stave off neglect.

Just up the hill is the Grade II listed part of the old Jessop maternity hospital. Sheffield Uni has disgracefully found a way round this and will soon be knocking it down as they couldn't incorporate the building into their new built. Couldn't or wouldn't, Sheffield City Council have been complict in accepting it. Shameful.