St. Mary's Churchyard in Ecclesfield

Entering St. Mary's churchyard by the lychgate

As with most of the ancient villages that I had previously visited, during my exploration of the mediaeval churches in and around South Yorkshire, Ecclesfield has grown up around St. Mary's church, with later development alongside the brook that flows down from the high ground near the village of Grenoside.

Views of the churchyard from the porch of St. Mary's church

St. Mary's church itself occupies high ground above the brook and the northern part of its churchyard is effectively an extension to the gardens of Ecclesfield Priory and its adjoining manor house; however, it is a wide open space to the south, west and east and, although it is full of graves, part of it has the character of a village green.

The Jeffcock Memorial Fountain

Walking down Town End Road, having explored an old quarry and taken a good look at the buildings along the way, the Jeffcock Memorial Fountain caught my eye – not least because it is made from various polished granites, which contrast strongly with the drab Lower Coal Measures sandstones that have been used in the rest of the village. 

A detail of the Jeffcock Memorial Fountain

Looking closely at this Edwardian memorial, it is built of two types of granites that were very fashionable at the time. The bulk of the structure is a green/grey variety of larvikite or a similar labradorite rich rock, which has both hammered and polished finishes – the latter showing the schiller effect in the feldspar crystals – but I think polished Tranas Red granite from Sweden may have been used for the elongated panels on the chamfered corners.

The Thomas William Jeffcock horse trough

Nearby, a horse trough dedicated as a memorial to Thomas William Jeffcock provides another example of granite, this time a white variety with clots of biotite mica or hornblende, but on this occasion I didn't examine its texture or mineralogy closely. Although Cornish and Devon granites, emplaced during the Hercynian orogeny at the end of the Carboniferous period were extensively used by Victorian and Edwardian architects, other white granites formed during the geologically older Caledonian orogeny were also widely imported from Ireland.

Carboniferous sandstone posts in the village stocks

The old village stocks are notable for the use of local Carboniferous sandstone for its posts and walking towards to the church, Ecclesfield War Memorial provides a good example of the use of Portland limestone from Dorset. Unveiled in 1921, this unusual monument with a four-sided wheel-head cross was designed by R B Brook-Greaves, who is also known for the isometric projection that shows the construction details of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Ecclesfield War Memorial

Except for taking a quick look at the pet cemetery and details of a grave slab, I didn't look at any of the gravestones, but the Rev. Dr. John Scott, chaplain to Admiral Horatio Nelson at the time of his death at the Battle of Trafalgar is buried here.

A coat of arms adorning a gravestone

Geology & Architecture in Ecclesfield

A geological map of the area around Ecclesfield and Grenoside

Although I had essentially completed my survey of the mediaeval churches built of Rotherham Red sandstone, when visiting St. Mary Magdalene in Whiston – 9 months after starting in Treeton - and I had since visited the Tower of London, the weather was still fair and I made the most of a fine mid-October day to explore the "Minster of the Moors".

An information board in Ecclesfield

The parish of Ecclesfield, a few miles north of Sheffield, has been fully explored by archaeologists and even though a church was not mentioned in Domesday Book, various Romano-British finds indicate the village has an ancient history. Several listed buildings can be found in and around the village and, in addition to St.Mary's church, the old Ecclesfield Priory provides another good example of a mediaeval ecclesiastical building in South Yorkshire.

A general view of Ecclesfield Hall and Ecclesfield Priory

Set upon a sandstone within the Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation, the old village has grown alongside a brook that once had sufficient power to drive a local industry – as seen in innumerable other places in Sheffield. 

An old quarry in Ecclesfield

An old quarry, now used as a shooting range, displays a section of mainly thin bedded and laminated sandstones and siltstones, with the more massive and competent beds providing the best building stone and the flaggy stone used for dry stone walling.

A few examples of vernacular architecture in Ecclesfield

A quick walk around the village reveals a wide variety of vernacular buildings, using the local buff/brown stone for the walling and boundary walls but with a massive and generally more uniformly buff coloured sandstone for the stone dressings.

The old Quaker Meeting House

The stone for these dressings and the ashlar masonry to the more substantial buildings is likely to have been quarried from the higher ground around Grenoside, where the sandstone was once extensively quarried for building stone and grindstones.

A general view of typical stone walling in Ecclesfield

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene

A general view of the south elevation

The oldest building in the village of Whiston is the church of St. Mary Magdalene, which dates back to c.1180, and although my attempts to gain access to the exterior were unsuccessful, I continued my exploration of the village by having a look at its exterior.

A general view of the north elevation

Although the restoration of 1881-83 by the architect John Oldrid Scott has drastically altered the original church, with the whole north elevation, the chancel, porch and the upper parts of the tower being added at the time, there are substantial parts of the mediaeval structure remaining.

A general view of the tower

Starting at the tower, although the remaining Norman masonry is obscured by a thick growth of ivy, which largely covers the south elevation, the irregularly coursed and squared rubble walling to the west and north is 13th century and contrasts strongly with the Victorian masonry to the castellated parapet and the buttresses.

A detail of the parapets to the tower

The porch, with fine grotesques and a niche with a statue of the Virgin Mary, has been built onto the north aisle, which has 12th century foundations but is otherwise 13th and 15th century in date, with the style of the windows and parapets reflecting the later period of building.

Details of the Victorian porch

The south chapel, also of 15th century date and with very similar architectural details, is constructed partly in Rotherham Red sandstone and buff coloured sandstone - which comprises the entire parapet and large sections of walling - and the condition of the stonework to the walling indicates that large sections have been refaced.

The south chapel

Looking closely at the walls, there are various examples of conservative repairs using stone slips – a method of repair which is no longer fashionable, but which was considered a good alternative to a whole stone being replaced in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Examples of conservative repair with stone slips

Geology & Architecture in Whiston

Whiston

Having spent a very busy weekend exploring the mediaeval churches in Handsworth and Aston - and Sheffield Town Hall - during the Heritage Open Days festival, I finished my investigation of the mediaeval churches set on the Rotherham Red sandstone by visiting the church of St. Mary Magdalene in the ancient village of Whiston. 

A few views of Whiston Brook

Most of the old part of the village sits in a fault bound trough, into which Whiston Brook flows, having previously cut a small steep sided valley through an escarpment of Rotherham Red sandstone, but St. Mary's church is set on the highest point of the village.

"Rotherham Red" sandstone around Treeton and Whiston

With the church overlooking Whiston Brook and its old quarries, it is extremely likely that the builders of the Norman church took their building stone from here, although the escarpment that forms Canklow Woods and Boston Park - a short distance to the north - was also widely exploited for building stone.

General views of an an old quarry in Whiston

A quick examination of the old quarry adjoining the churchyard of St. Mary's reveals that the exposures of Rotherham Red sandstone here are strongly cross-bedded and flaggy – as also seen in a roadside exposure on Chaff Lane – and this natural structure is emphasised in the upper sections of the quarry, where the bedrock at the surface is being weathered into subsoil.

Outcrops of "Rotherham Red" sandstone in Chaff Lane

Although much of the old quarry face is obscured by a scree of rock waste and soil and is heavily vegetated in places, there are various exposures of massive bedded sandstone that would have been selectively quarried for the best building stone. Like so many other disused quarries, it is a haven for teenagers and is littered with bottles, cans and associated debris and, while it is a potential field trip site, care needs to be taken when visiting it.

The Manorial Barn

Dating back to the time of Domesday Book, there are a handful of listed buildings scattered throughout the old part of the village, including the 17th century Whiston Hall and the 13th century thatched Manorial Barn, as well as numerous vernacular and agricultural buildings - where Rotherham Red sandstone is used as the principal building stone.

Whiston Methodist Church

Although surprisingly not protected with listed status, Whiston Methodist Church and Lychgate Hall also have some very interesting features. The external walls of the former are entirely constructed of uncoursed angular blocks of sandstone and the latter – which was built as the Church Institute in 1913 - contains a Gothic style window with elaborate tracery.

Lychgate Hall

Sheffield Town Hall - The Interior

A fireplace with various imported marbles

Although the reception area in the Main Hall of Sheffield Town Hall is generally open to the public during working hours, access to the staircase and beyond is restricted; however, on the Heritage Open Days event, the various council chambers are accessible and these provide many fine examples of ornate woodwork, plastered ceilings and various uses of ceramic tiles.

A corridor on the first floor of Sheffield Town Hall

Continuing along the corridors that run from the top of the staircase in the Main Hall, the same variety of decorative stones line their walls and are used for various columns and associated details, with the floors being covered with mosaic tiles.

A detail of a hand basin

Everywhere you go, even in the toilets, there are examples of the finest materials and craftsmanship – with the details still being maintained in their original state. I particularly liked the Royal Doulton hand basins, set in yet another polished stone that I don't recognise, with their original taps, chains and plugs.

A fireplace with ceramic tiles

Although the various council chambers and meeting rooms are mainly notable for their woodwork, there are also some very fine fireplaces, where there are further examples of imported decorative stone and colourful ceramic tiles. 

A detail of a mosaic floor

Sheffield Town Hall regularly participates in the Heritage Open Days event and, with a bit more research to identify the various marbles and other stones used throughout the accessible parts of its interior, a tour of the building could easily form part of an urban geology trail.

Cork Red Marble used in a column

Together with the adjoining Peace Gardens, where various other stones have been used around the fountains, a full range of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks can be used to demonstrate a wide variety of geological processes.

The fountains in the Peace Gardens

Sheffield Town Hall - The Main Hall

A general view of the staircase and wall panelling

I remember when walking into the Main Hall of Sheffield Town Hall for the first time, I was astounded by the array of fine decorative stones, and I can't think of another historic building that I have visited in England where they have been used so lavishly; however, although it is the wide variety of decorative stones that initially most caught my eye, the details of the archway to the entrance doorway are quite spectacular.

 The ornate arch to the entrance and the balustrade and arcade above

Depicting the local legend of the Dragon of Wharncliffe, and including the coats of arms of the City of Sheffield and the Earl of Wharncliffe, I have been puzzled by the stone which has been used here, along with that seen in the upper arcades. I have only seen it at a distance but it appears so uniform in colour and texture that I have often thought that it must have been painted.

The coats of arms of the City of Sheffield and the Earl of Wharncliffe

Without the opportunity to closely examine the stone and to undertake some very simple non-destructive tests that are second nature to a geologist – rubbing with the fingers and closely examining with a hand lens – I can't make further comment at this time.

A general view of the wall panels and arcades

That said, the colours and textures of the various polished stones used in the staircase, balustrades, wall panels, door surrounds and various other details that are repeated along various corridors that lead off it, are just there to be appreciated on a Heritage Open Day.

A detail of the wall panels and stair treads

From my own experience of surveying various quarries in England and Ireland, as well as acquiring an extensive collection of stones that formed the basis of the Triton Stone Library, I could identify a few of these - although I am by no means an expert on decorative stones.

The staircase with the statue of the Duke of Devonshire

Hopton Wood limestone, Ashburton marble and Cork Red marble, along with a couple of others that I didn't recognise, form the panelling to the walls, with Sicilian marble, Connemara marble being used for the staircase, together with alabaster for the balusters. White Carrara marble are used for the statue of the Duke of Devonshire and for the bust of Queen Victoria, with a green serpentinite used for the pedestal of the latter.

The bust of Queen Victoria

Sheffield Town Hall - The Main Entrance

A detail of the ironwork to the main entrance of Sheffield Town Hall

Having taken a few photographs of the sculptural details on the exterior of Sheffield Town Hall, before taking advantage of the opening of its interior to the general public during the Heritage Open Days event, I had a quick look at some of the very interesting architectural details that can be found inside the main entrance.

Work while it is day for the night cometh

Although I had been into the reception area of the town hall a couple of times to briefly look at the main staircase, I had never really taken much notice of these before, but there are some further examples of the work of J.W. Pomeroy – a series of six frieze sculptures depicting the virtues.

A general view of the main entrance

The aspect of the main entrance is such that it is generally quite dark inside and, with the stonework being quite dirty, it is not easy to identify the various stones that have been used here and this ideally needs further investigation and a close examination of the stone, using a hand lens, hydrochloric acid and a scratch test.

Strength and temperance shall enforce the law

I had always assumed that the stone here was Stoke Hall gritstone, as used for the fabric, based on its general colour but there also appears to be a grey limestone and a pink 'marble' used for pilasters and columns, as well as others used in the floor.

Various stones have been used in the main entrance

Having subsequently managed to acquire a brief guide to Sheffield Town Hall, I have since discovered that Coxbench stone, from near Belper, and Ancaster limestone have also been used in the interior, but no specific locations have been identified.

The entrance to the Main Hall