Architecture in Burngreave Cemetery

 

A headstop at the Burngreave Cemetery Chapel

For my next walk, a week after my exploration of the geology and archaeology of Wincobank Hill and Sheffield Board Schools at Newman Road and Grimesthorpe, I took the bus from Sheffield to the top of Spital Hill, where I photographed the Burngreave Vestry Offices for the British Listed Buildings website, before having a look at the site of the demolished Ellesmere Board School.

 

A geological map of the area around Burngreave Cemetery

Making my way up the steep dip slope of the Parkgate Rock, I eventually arrived at the southern boundary wall to Burngreave Cemetery and followed the path down to its entrance, where I took a few photos of the Grade II Listed lodges and gate piers.

 

The lodges and main gates at Burngreave Cemetery

These were built in 1860-61 to a design by Flockton and Son, one of the architectural practices established by the eminent architect William Flockton in Sheffield, who were also responsible for the very imposing Gothic Revival style twin chapels.

 

The twin chapels in Burngreave Cemetery

I didn’t take a good look at the sandstones used here, noting only that local Coal Measures sandstone of unknown provenance has been used for the walling and more massive sandstone, from Derbyshire or West Yorkshire, for the dressings.

 

Headstops on the Burngreave Cemetery Chapels

On the front elevation, however, the surrounds to the arched doorways to the chapels on the west elevation seem to be quite gritty in nature, which I observed when taking several photographs of the headstops and other architectural details.

 

Gargoyles and figurative sculptures on the cemetery chapels

Looking up, the eaves is seen to be decorated with wolf head like gargoyles and various figurative and floriated sculptures, which are in varying condition and, up on the central tower, there are further winged grotesques and carved heads.

 

A winged grotesque on the tower

Although not obvious when seen with the naked eye, views with a telephoto lens reveal that the ashlar, which is used for the upper stages of the tower, is in quite poor condition and has delaminated in several places.

 

The upper stages of the tower

Walking anti-clockwise around the chapels, I was very interested to find that headstops or angels – one of which is playing a musical instrument - decorate nearly all of the windows; however, as with most Historic England listing descriptions, there is no mention of the materials used or the sculptors responsible for the stone carvings.

 

An angel with a musical instrument

In the latter part of the C19, Frank Tory developed a great reputation for his architectural sculpture on many of Sheffield’s finest buildings, which was continued by his twin sons Alfred and William, but most of the excellent figurative carvings that I have seen on very many Victorian churches in Sheffield seem to go unrecognised.

 

A headstop carved in coarse gritstone

At another time, I may go back and have another look at the chapels, to further investigate the stonework. Having taken plenty of photographs, I made my way up the main path, which runs along a vale underlain by the undifferentiated Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation strata between the steeply tilted Silkstone Rock and Parkgate Rock, to look at the war memorial. 

 

The north elevation of the Burngreave Cemetery Chapels