Brightside: All Saints
Overview
Grid reference: SK 364 890
The church was built from funds given by Sir John Brown for the benefit of the workers at his steel plant. The foundation stone was laid in May, 1866 and the church was opened in February 1869. It was built to designs by Flockton and Abbott of Sheffield.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Cruciform with west tower and spire, aisled nave of three bays, crossing opening into north and south transepts; chancel with organ chamber on south side, vestry on north.
Description of Archaeology and History
The church was built from funds given by Sir John Brown for the benefit of the workers at his steel plant. The foundation stone was laid in May, 1866 and the church was opened in February 1869. It was built to designs by Flockton and Abbott of Sheffield.
Exterior Description
The west tower is of three main stages and perhaps more than any other part of the church speaks of great former confidence. It is blackened with grime which adds something to its character but also adds very much to an air of gloom. This depressing aspect is increasedby the angular quality of the architecture and the lack of much decoration, the emphasis being placed firmly on the impact of mass rather than on any refinement of detail.
The tower is of two main stages, separated by a wide intermediate stage which houses the clock. The lower part is subdivided by. a stringcourse, having the doorway in the west front with a three-light geometrical window above it. The clock face survives on the west face above these two features, but has been removed from the side walls. The side walls are in any case plainer than the west, the south side almost entirely featureless and the north only having the small half- octagon attached turret for the stair to the gallery. The next stage is the belfry level and, as might be expected, this is uniform on each side, with paired louvred belfry openings each of two lights. At this point the buttresses which have so far been pairs of angle buttresses have small g.blets and become transformed into attached pinnacles of octagonal section.
The broach spire rises from within the parapet and is flanked at each corner by the sharp spirelots which cap the pinnacles. The spire itself is slender and is decorated with four quatrefoils, at the level of the broaches, then four attenuated lucarnes and finally, towards the top, four trefoils. The intermediate faces are blank.
The exterior of the nave is unpretentious in design, the windows in each bay of the aisles being of three lights with geometrical tracery while the clerestory windows are grouped together in pairs instead of being equally spaced. The main exterior feature apart from the tower and spire is the design of the gabled walls of the transepts. These are identical, and are powerfully buttressed at the corners with clasping buttresses decorated with gablets and having notable sloping off-sets. Between these at a low level are paired lancets to light the space under each gallery. The majority of the wall above this is taken up by a large arch within which are arranged the lights of the windows. The main feature is a group of three paired lancets, the centre pair much taller than the flanking pairs. Each pair has a quatrefoil in the head. In the spandrels between these are large sexfoils. The effect is of a combination of plateiracery with geometrical tracery. This is also seen in the east window which has five main lights with an octofoil surrounded by eight small trefoils.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
1869
The east window is of good quality representing ten scenes from the life of Christ. The colours are bright but restrained and the drawing is effective. It was given in 1869 by Lady Brown.
Interior
Interior Description
At the west end of the nave, a tall and elegant arch opens into the tower through which much light comes from the west window. At a very high level, an inner arch is corbelled out, echoing the chancel arch which also has an inner order carried on small corbels. Within the west arch is a gallery below which the doorway from the perch in the ground floor is under a gabled canopy between ten stalls for the churchwardens.
The arches of the nave arcades are tall and wide, carried on octagonal columns with moulded capitals. The small clerestory windows are grouped in pairs each side of the intermediate wall-posts. The main wail-posts of the roof which mark the bays come lower to a string-course which is interrupted by the corbels on which they stand. The roof itself is a sharply pointed structure, built of rather thin timbers with high arch-braced cross-beams. The aisle roofs are at a much lower pitch, the aisles being quite wide and abutting against the nave wall low enough to allow a clerestory above. The division between nave and crossing is marked by attached semi-circular colonettes which spring at the 40 level of the capitals of the nave arcade and reach up to support the roof timbers. The roof of the crossing is in one with the nave, of three half bays in depth. The arches to the transepts are particularly wide and tall, giving a good view even for people sitting in the galleries in the transepts. The organ chamber opens through an arch.into the south transept and a door in the east wall of the north transept leads to the vestry.
The chancel is divided from the nave by a low screen of English marbles, and the floor before this and in the chancel is covered with good nineteenth-century tiles given by Sir John Brown in memory of his wife who died in 1881. The walls in the chancel have been decorated with embossed paper to resemble polychrome decoration; this has since been whitened. The east window is the only one with any considerable quantity of stained glass in it, and has scenes from the life of Christ. The roof of the chancel is panelled and painted. The effect of the east window from the nave is particularly striking, the bright colours set in severe geometrical tracery making a strong impact. Most of the light in the chancel comes from windows in the lateral walls each side of the altar.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
The Altar is very stout, of oak with three panels carved with crowns super-imposed upon crosses.
Reredos
The Reredos covers all the lower part of the east wall and extends along the side walls for one bay of arcading. It is of oak, consisting of simple trefoiled niches with decoration painted on the metal which has been used to back them. The central five panels are heightened by the addition of two trefoils above each, and the middle panel is gabled, the gable enclosing an additional quatrefoil.
Organ (object)
The Organ was renovated by Willis in 1960 and has electric action with stop tabs. There are three manuals and pedals, and twenty-four speaking stops. The case appears to be roughly contemporary with the church, each front having three flats of which the central one is higher, arched and decorated with quatrefoils and daggers in the spandrels. The pipes stick up above the case, running inn parabolic curve.
Font (object)
The Font is octagonal, of marble, supported on a drum and four colonettes.
Font (component)
The Font cover is suspended from the ceiling on a chain and is sharply pointed, with tracery in the triangular panels and crockets along the arrisses.
Screen
The screen at the chancel steps is of English marbles of various colours. The lower part is arcaded and the upper part is pierced with trefoils.
Pulpit
The pulpit is of marble and alabaster and is the richest item in the church. It is octagonal, on a base of the sane shape, and is decorated with extravagant stiff-leaf foliage in a band above the stem and again at another round the top. The upper band runs at the same level as the capitals of the small colonettes which surround the upper part, and between these are arcadod openings of two 'lights' each with a quatrefoil above.
Lectern
The lectern is the work of a firm such as Jones and Willis, the desk being supported by a turned brass pedestal with three columns carrying angels clustered round it.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SK 364 890
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
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