- Upper Chapel
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Upper Chapel 
Facade of the Upper Chapel
Shown within SheffieldBasic information Location Sheffield City Centre
South Yorkshire, EnglandGeographic coordinates 53°22′51″N 1°28′06″W / 53.3808°N 1.4683°WCoordinates: 53°22′51″N 1°28′06″W / 53.3808°N 1.4683°W Affiliation Unitarian Architectural description Architectural type Church Completed 1700 Specifications Materials Brick Upper Chapel is a Unitarian chapel lying on Norfolk Street in Sheffield City Centre. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians.[1]
James Fisher was the vicar at Sheffield Parish Church during the Commonwealth of England. He was expelled for refusing to sign the Act of Uniformity, and in 1662 around a tenth of his parishioners followed him in becoming Dissenters.[2]
Several splits ensued, but by the 1690s, the dominant group of non-conformists was led by Timothy Jollie. His congregation constructed Upper Chapel[3] as the first non-conformist chapel in Sheffield in 1700.[2] It was built of brick and faced on to Fargate. The chapel originally boasted a congregation of about 1,000 people, a sixth of the population of Sheffield at the time.[4] The side walls survive from this period.[2]
In the 1840s, the Chapel was turned round to face across fields. The roof was raised and the interior reconstructed. The alterations by John Frith were completed in 1848, while the interior has several later additions, including several stained glass windows.[2] Nine on the ground floor are by Henry Holiday.[4]
Nineteenth century ministers included George Vance Smith, Brooke Herford, Thomas Hinks and John Edmondson Manning, who wrote a history of the chapel in 1900.[5]
The Chapel is linked to Channing Hall, which faces on to Surrey Street. Designed by Flockton and Gibbs and completed in 1882, the hall is of Italianate design and is named for William Henry Channing, who served at the Chapel in 1875.[2]
The Chapel is Grade II listed.[4]
References
- ^ Find a Congregation: Sheffield, The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (Great Britain), http://www.unitarian.org.uk/findcong.shtml?cong=Sheffield%20Norfolk%20Street, retrieved 23 January 2011
- ^ a b c d e Ruth Harman and John Minnis, Pevsner Architectural Guides: Sheffield
- ^ "Jollie, Timothy", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ^ a b c Upper Chapel: History
- ^ "Manning, John Edmondson", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
External links
Churches in Sheffield Cathedrals Pre-19th century All Saints, Ecclesall · Attercliffe Chapel · Beauchief Abbey · St James, Midhopestones · St James, Norton · St Mary, Bolsterstone · St Mary, Ecclesfield · St Mary the Virgin, Beighton · St Mary, Handsworth · St Nicholas, Bradfield · St Paul, Pinstone StreetCommissioners' churches Christ Church, Pitsmoor · Christ Church, Stannington · St George, Portobello · St Mary, Bramall Lane · St Matthew, Carver Street · St Thomas, BrightsideNon-conformist chapels Other churches Hillsborough Trinity · Sacred Heart, Hillsborough · St John, Ranmoor · St Mark, Broomhill · St Mark, Grenoside · St Paul, Norton Lees · St Peter, Greenhill · St Paul, Wordsworth Avenue · St Thomas, Crookes · St Vincent, Solly Street · WadsleyCategories:- Religious buildings completed in 1700
- Churches in Sheffield
- Grade II listed buildings in Sheffield
- Grade II listed churches
- Unitarian chapels in England
- 1848 architecture
- Protestant congregations established in the 17th century
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