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Sheffield Cathedral is a parish
church cathedral.
Between 1836 and 1927 20 new
cathedrals were created in England and Sheffield's parish
church was designated the cathedral of a new diocese in 1913.
It still serves as a parish church and because of this the
head of the cathedral Chapter, who is also an incumbent, is
called the provost and not the dean.
Like most of the 12 parish church
cathedrals, the building was too small to adequately serve
the important and heavily populated new diocese and Sir Charles
Nicholson was commissioned to enlarge the church.
Most of this work was completed
by September 1939 but the outbreak of war meant that the plans
for the new nave were abandoned the day before building was
due to begin. After the war the nave was extended rather
than being rebuilt, as originally planned, and the enlarged
cathedral was rehallowed in November 1966.
Sheffield has been a place of
worship for over 1,000 years. The
shaft of a 9th century Saxon cross found on the site is now
held at the British Museum in London.
The present church is a mixture
of Perpendicular and 20th century work and contains a 15th
century black oak sedile (a seat used by the celebrant during
High Mass), one of only 3 portable ones in the country.
Other features include stalls created by Sir Ninian Comper
and a small treasury. There are also some tombs in what
was formerly the Shrewsbury Chapel, including the monument
of George, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury and his two countesses.
The tomb of the 6th Earl, one of the husbands of Bess of Harwick
and the guardian of Mary Queen of Scots when she was imprisoned
in Sheffield Castle, is set against the south chapel.
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