In Chesterfield

The old market square in Chesterfield

Following on from my brief investigation of Wakefield Cathedral, having still been unable to gain access to the mediaeval churches in Aston and Whiston, both of which are built out of Rotherham Red sandstone, I took another trip to Derbyshire – this time on the X17 bus from Sheffield to Chesterfield, which is set on Deep Hard Rock of the Lower Pennine Coal Measures Formation.

A geological map of the area around Chesterfield

Although Chesterfield has its origins in the Roman fort that was built here in 70 AD and a market has been established since 1165, apart from the ancient street names and a mediaeval street plan, the town only developed after the building of the Chesterfield Canal in 1777 and the vast majority of its historic buildings date from this time onward; however, given that the town is surrounded by outcrops of Carboniferous sandstone, very few of these are built in stone, except for the mediaeval church, and the oldest building in the town centre – the Royal Oak public house – is timber framed and its external fabric dates from the 16th century.

The Royal Oak public house has 12th century origins

The principal reason for my visit was therefore to have a good look at the church of St. Mary and All Saints, which I had passed very many times before when working as a surveyor in the town centre, and is best known for its crooked spire, which forms a very distinctive landmark rising above the town and is known nationally.

The "crooked spire"

Before exploring the exterior and interior of the church, I had a quick look at the nearby museum where, much to my interest, I discovered a mediaeval builders' windlass – one of only a handful remaining in England and which was formerly located in the church tower.

The builders' windlass in Chesterfield Museum & Art Gallery

Wakefield Cathedral - Memorials

Volcanic green slate

Looking at the fabric and principal structural elements of the exterior of Wakefield Cathedral, the main interest to the geologist is the variation in colour and texture of the various Carboniferous sandstones used in different phases of building and essential restoration and – in the interior – there are many opportunities to observe the physical characteristics of the sandstones that were chosen by the mediaeval builders.

White marble

Although my continuing investigation of the mediaeval churches in and around South Yorkshire was essentially planned as a way to revive dormant professional skills that have previously proved very useful to architects, archaeologists and specialist contractors involved in their conservation, all of the church interiors that I have seen to date contain magnificent examples of art and craftsmanship that are worth seeing just for pleasure.

Alabaster

Obviously, as a geologist, I am always interested to know which stone comes from where – in the British Islands, mainland Europe or from much further afield - and when walking around this cathedral, examples of volcanic green slate, black slate, Carboniferous limestone and alabaster from England can be seen, along with various marbles and serpentinite from Italy.

Serpentinite

Wakefield Cathedral - The Interior

A view to the east along the Nave

The exterior of Wakefield Cathedral, completely restored and extended by Victorian and Edwardian architects respectively, shows none of its mediaeval masonry but, once inside, the various arcades, arches and clerestory reveal stonework from the 12th to the late 15th century – as seen in very many of the mediaeval churches that I had previously visited.

A view to the west along the Nave

Without a basic plan/guide to direct me around the interior, which is normally available in the smaller parish churches, I just spent half an hour walking around to get a general appreciation of the architectural styles used in the nave, choir and the modern east end and to take a quick look at the lavish details that can be seen all around the church – formed from a variety of materials.

A view to the east along the Choir

Starting in the Nave, various experts have been able to determine that the columns of the arcades – which are variously circular, octagonal and quatrefoil in section – range from Norman and Early English to Decorated Gothic in architectural style and that all of the overlying arches and masonry above them were built in the early part of the 14th century.

A view to the west along the Choir

Moving into the Choir, the chancel arch is considered to be of the same early 14th century date but its arcades are 1450-75 – according to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner – and the clerestory to the mediaeval church was apparently built at the same time.

 A view of the  lierne-vaults in the Sanctuary

In the Sanctuary, built in 1904, it is the magnificent lierne-vaults that really catch the eye, along with various decorative stones that have been used in a fine array of monuments and memorials.

A monument in Wakefield Cathedral

Wakefield Cathedral - The Exterior

A general view of the east end of Wakefield Cathedral

After taking a quick look at the exterior of the Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin, which has has been extensively restored over the years, a 10 minute walk took me to the Cathedral Church of All Saints, where the highest spire in Yorkshire dominates the old town centre of Wakefield.

The east end of the cathedral

Founded on a Saxon church and subsequently rebuilt and extended at various times during the mediaeval period, the exterior is essentially the product of another extensive restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott between 1858-1874 and the addition of the east end in 1904 by F L Pearson, based on designs by his father - John Loughborough Pearson.

A general view of the south elevation

When approaching from the east, there is a clear difference in the colour of the ashlar masonry between these two periods and, from a distance, both appear to be built out of stone that is generally uniform and without obvious variations in colour or texture. It is only when looking closely at the aisles that it is clear that the stones used to build the walls and dressings are very different.

Different sandstones used for walling and dressings

The 1941 edition of the British Geological Survey memoir for Wakefield mentions that Wakefield Cathedral was restored using stone from the Woolley Edge Rock, but it is only the walling – with its distinctive cross-bedding and pink/brown colouration – that bears any resemblance to the stonework seen in the chapel of St. Mary the Virgin on the bridge.

The north aisle

Although the means of transport available to mediaeval builders restricted their choice of building materials, by the time that Sir George Gilbert Scott undertook his restoration of very many churches, an extensive network of canals and railways had already been established and the building stone used here could have been brought in from anywhere in Yorkshire - where the best quality sandstones were being extensively quarried.

A detail of a recurring architectural motif

The Chantry Chapel of St. Mary

A general view of the Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin

Having already explored most of the mediaeval churches that I could easily get to by bus from Treeton – and had to use a train to get to Worksop - I decided to take another train to Wakefield in West Yorkshire, where I would find a cathedral and one of only four remaining chantry chapels in England that are built on a bridge.

A general view of the Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin

The Chantry Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin, built along with the bridge between 1342-1356, with a hiatus in construction following the Black Death, is largely constructed of sandstone, with the windows and string courses being built of what appears to be dolomitic limestone.

A general view of the lower section of the south elevation

The upper half of the chapel, however, was originally over-restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott, including the whole west front, which has been reported as being rebuilt in Caen stone - a Jurassic limestone that was extensively imported from Normandy to build castles and cathedrals in the south of England after the Norman Conquest of Britain in 1066. This proved to be a costly error, as the whole of the west front was again restored in sandstone less than 100 years later.

A detail of the north elevation

Looking at the sandstone that has been used to build the bridge, and parts of its chapel, it is strongly cross-bedded, with gradations in the sediment from medium to fine, with the latter being of quite a different colour. Furthermore, its differential weathering gives the stone a very distinctive appearance, which I had recently seen in the remains of the barbican at Sandal Castle - and several years ago when briefly visiting Nostell Priory, as part of my investigation of the building stones of All Saints church in Pontefract.

New headstops carved out of dolomitic limestone

The geology around Wakefield comprises a series of Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation sandstones - including the Oaks Rock and the Woolley Edge Rock – with the latter being cited in the British Geological Survey memoir as a major source of building stone in the area; however, with the River Calder providing access to quarries near to Huddersfield, it is not easy to determine the provenance of the sandstones without the benefit of documentary evidence.

A British Geological Survey map of the area around Wakefield

Worksop Priory Gatehouse

A general view of Worksop Priory Gatehouse

When I set off to Worksop, with the intention of visiting Worksop Priory, it was a spur of the moment decision and I didn't expect to be able to gain access to its interior. Having taken a good look at its exterior, I then explored the nearby Worksop Priory Gatehouse, which I wasn't aware of until I had talked to a local resident about the opening times of the church.

Various architectural details on the front of Worksop Priory Gatehouse

Dating back to the early 14th century, with several phases of restoration between 1814 and 1974, it has suffered from vandalism and misuse over the years and has been placed on the Buildings at Risk Register but, when I arrived, I discovered that the finishing touches were just being applied to the recent restoration of the shrine to St. Mary the Virgin.

The shrine to St. Mary the Virgin

The gatehouse is built entirely in pale yellow Permian dolomitic limestone, topped with a pantiled roof, with coursed rubble used for general walling and irregularly coursed ashlar reserved for the principal south elevation, which has also been ornamented with niches and statues.

A shelter coat applied to the shrine of St. Mary the Virgin

After briefly discussing the merits of the shelter coat, which the stone conservators had just applied to some of these details, I took a few photos of various architectural details before taking advantage of an opportunity to take a quick look at its upper floor, which was once used as a school and is now only currently open to the general public on formal Heritage Open Days.

An ogee arch and fire reddened limestone walling

The Restoration of Worksop Priory

A view along the south elevation of Worksop Priory

According to a contemporary account, before the restoration of 1854-59 by the local architect, Richard Nicholson, Worksop Priory was in a dangerous state, with the whole of the south arcade severely leaning - due to its undermining by excavations for intramural graves – and that this was remedied by structural jacking to bring the arcade back to the perpendicular.

A general view of the south aisle and clerestory

It is further recorded in Kelly’s Directory for 1848 that “the north and south sides have been pulled down and rebuilt, the east end taken out” and, when quickly walking around the modern church, the profiles of the mouldings to the windows and associated details along the nave look very sharp – when compared to those seen on the Norman west front.

A detail of the masonry to the tower (left) and the south aisle

Having previously seen Permian dolomitic limestone in numerous natural outcrops, quarries and historic buildings, on this occasion I didn't examine the building stones closely but, at a distance, the condition of the walling to the aisles – especially their patina and general blackening – suggests that only essential repairs were carried out to the pre-existing mediaeval walls during the Victorian restoration.

The south transept

The next “restoration” to Worksop Priory took place when the previously detached ruins of the 13th century Lady Chapel were rebuilt in 1922, with the further addition of the transepts between 1929 and 1935 – the latter containing rubble walling in its fabric, together with fine ashlar.

1970's additions to the east end in White Mansfield stone

Walking further around the church to look at its southern parts, the change in architectural style from the inter-war period to the 1970's is very abrupt and the stone used to build the latest addition to the church is White Mansfield – which I once sawed and hand dressed for 3 months, along with Ancaster and Chilmark, in the last known source of this unique building stone, before the quarry was closed and sold off for redevelopment.

A general view of the 1970's additions and the north transept

The White Mansfield stone was quarried from a sandy facies of the Cadeby Formation, formed as a sandbank at the mouth of a river and, being classified as a dolomitic sandstone, it is very different to the dolomitic limestone of the same formation, which is found further to the north in Derbyshire and South Yorkshire.

Walling to the 1970's extension built in White Mansfield stone

In appearance it is generally honey coloured with discontinuous partings of pale green clay, which differentially weather to give historic masonry a distinctive texture that looks like old leather and which is very difficult to match with building stones that are currently in production.

A detail of weathered clay in White Mansfield stone