Catholic cathedral’s renovations open up its heritage to everyone
VISITORS ARE being welcomed back to a Yorkshire city’s Catholic cathedral as a six-year programme of renovations nears its conclusion.
The ambitious project is being carried out at St Marie’s Catholic Cathedral in Sheffield and is aimed at making its heritage more accessible.
The main attraction at the historic building on Norfolk Row in the city centre is a set of seven alabasters, described as “rare survivors of the Reformation period”.
The tablets were discovered in 2012, after being forgotten for decades. They were in a very poor condition, but will now be unveiled to the public for the first time and displayed in the cathedral’s cloister.
Six of the seven carvings date from the 1400s, and are believed to have been donated to the church when it was being built in the 1840s.
Heritage engagement and learning officer Laura Claveria said: “Most Catholics are familiar with this space. We want to make sure that everyone in Sheffield knows that we are here and we are open to everyone.
“It’s an amazing building full of history.”
The building features examples of Catholic art, design and architecture. The stained glass window above the entrance is one of the jewels of the cathedral, designed by Matthew Hadfield, the architect behind the Wicker Arches viaduct in Sheffield.
Part of the restoration project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which covered the renovations of the alabasters, the revamp of hand-painted tiles around the mortuary chapel and the repair of the organ.
The 19th century organ is the only Lewis and Co organ left to still include the original keys, meaning it produces the same sound it did more than a century ago.
The building has also had its leaning spire fixed, all of the original gilding cleaned and new furniture brought in. Before the renovation, the cathedral had not had any work carried out since the 1960s.