The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul, Sheffield, also known as Sheffield Cathedral, is the cathedral church for the Church of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status when the diocese was created in 1914. Sheffield Cathedral is one of five Grade I listed buildings in the city, along with the Town Hall, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, and the parish churches at Ecclesfield and Bradfield. The cathedral is located on Church Street in the city centre, close to the head of Fargate. Construction of the earliest section of the cathedral dates back to c. 1200, with the newest construction completed in 1966; the building is an unusual mixture of medieval and modern architecture. Cathedral tram stop, located outside the front churchyard, opened in 1994 and is today served by all four lines of the South Yorkshire Supertram network. Most recently, the cathedral underwent an interior and exterior refurbishment in 2013–2014. Sheffield Cathedral was damaged in a fire on 14 May 2020, an investigation into which is ongoing; a 40-year-old woman has been arrested and charged with arson. The fire destroyed a portion of the cathedral used by a homelessness charity. A previous fire caused damage to the cathedral belltower in 1979.
History
The site of the cathedral has a long history of Christian use. The shaft of the 9th-century Sheffield Cross, believed to have formerly been sited here, is now held by the British Museum. It is probable that Sheffield's parish church, a satellite of Worksop Priory, was constructed here in the 12th century by William de Lovetot at the opposite end of the town to Sheffield Castle. This established the area of the parish of Sheffield, unchanged until the 19th century. This church was burnt down in 1266 during the Second Barons' War against King Henry III. Another parish church was completed in 1280, but this church was mostly demolished and rebuilt about 1430 on a cruciform floor plan. The Shrewsbury Chapel was added in the next century, and a vestry chapel (now the Chapel of Saint Katherine) was added in 1777. The north and south walls of the nave were rebuilt in 1790–93 and a major restoration by Flockton & Gibbs, which included the addition of new north and south transepts, was completed in 1880. The church was originally dedicated to Saint Peter, but from some time after the reformation into the 19th century it was dedicated to Holy Trinity; it has since been dedicated to both Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The parish of Sheffield was subdivided into smaller parishes in 1848. The church is still the parish church for the smaller Parish of Sheffield, but in 1914 it was also made the cathedral church for the newly created Diocese of Sheffield. Plans were drafted by Charles Nicholson to extend the church and reorient it on its axis, but due to World War II these were greatly scaled down. The resulting additions leave the church an awkward shape in plan, but with an impressive south elevation.
1979 fire During the early hours of 17 July 1979, a major fire broke out in the belltower of Sheffield Cathedral. The fire began inside the belfry, and subsequently spread down the tower to the ground floor and upwards to the clockroom. At least 35 firefighters from Division Street fire station tackled the fire, narrowly preventing the destruction of the cathedral spire and containing the lower portion of the fire to the belltower and surrounding structures. Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused by the fire, but Cathedral's bells cast in 1970 survived. Additionally, burst water pipes caused flooding of the choir stalls, adding to the damage. In the Ringing Room, fire damage was severe, with all records of the cathedral's bellringers dating back 600 years completely destroyed. Despite severe damage to the contents of the belltower, the structure of the cathedral ultimately suffered only mild damage and the building was never in danger of collapse. The cathedral was back operational by 26 July 1979 at the latest, according to photographs showing the ringing of the remaining bells on this date. Following police investigation of two phone calls made to the Sheffield Star newspaper the previous evening, warning that the cathedral was being set on fire, the cause of the fire was determined to be arson, although no perpetrator was ever found.
2015 Royal Maundy On Thursday 2 April 2015, the Royal Maundy service was held inside Sheffield Cathedral. As is tradition, the Queen (aged 89 at the time) distributed specially-minted Maundy money to 89 men and 89 women from the Sheffield area of state pension age or above. Recipients were handed two leather pouches, containing Maundy money equivalent in value to 89 pence. It was the first time the Royal Maundy service had ever been carried out in South Yorkshire. More than 12,000 people travelled to Sheffield to witness the service.
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