Christmas Carols in Sheffield City Centre

[Sheffield History]

 

A few old Sheffield buildings in this video

What do we know about the Brown Bear, the building next to it, and the church opposite?

[boginspro]

4 hours ago, Sheffield History said:

A few old Sheffield buildings in this video

What do we know about the Brown Bear, the building next to it, and the church opposite?

I am sticking my neck out here after a few Christmas drinks so will probably be told I am wrong but here goes. The Brown Bear is one of the oldest buildings in the area built late 18th or first half of 19th century. The building below it was the Sheffield Savings Bank, established 1819. Across the road I think you must mean Upper Chapel which in recent times is/was a Unitarian chapel which I think when first built faced on to Fargate but later was turned around to face on to open fields, I think Alsops Fields.

[Sheffield History]

Yeah Upper Chapel is the one

Thank you!

[LeadFarmer]

That video is of great picture quality, must have been quite a decent camera?

[Keith_exS10]

On 25/12/2017 at 17:54, boginspro said:

I am sticking my neck out here after a few Christmas drinks so will probably be told I am wrong but here goes. The Brown Bear is one of the oldest buildings in the area built late 18th or first half of 19th century. The building below it was the Sheffield Savings Bank, established 1819. Across the road I think you must mean Upper Chapel which in recent times is/was a Unitarian chapel which I think when first built faced on to Fargate but later was turned around to face on to open fields, I think Alsops Fields.

   A small correction. For " was" only read "is" and forget "recent times."

In 1662 the Rev. James Fisher was ejected from the Parish Church (Cathedral now)  because he could not accept the Act of Uniformity's 39 Articles as required if he were to remain in office. He set up a Nonconformist Congregation in Bridge Street which moved to the New Chapel in Norfolk Street in 1700 which must be a contender for oldest in the area. Later the congregation split and this became the Upper Chapel.   The monthly journal  "Chapel Record" for as long as I can remmber has had the statement  on the front to the effect that it has been a Unitarian Chapel continuously. The Congregationalist faction  built their original  Chapel  further down the slope, hence the name Nether Chapel.

As usual stating my interest, the family attended regularly from about the turn of the century. If there are any members watching, Grandma bolt upright, right hand aisle second pew from the back on the left till 1960.  Scout and guide troops, members of course. The family got married there and supported all the various activities. Once again my father was well in, one of my happier memories was sitting with him whilst he played the organ. Ultimately he ended up as Chapel Secretary after WW2 which ended when the Bennett College moved south. Our last gathering was in 1995 for my aunt's funeral. 

In the present context I will guess these are Chapel members  in action in the gateway, a long standing  activity. My parents went carolling round the  congregation in their teens with the Bible Class. Later the Young People's  Club did the same in the late 1940s  and 1950s. By appointment, having once gone to Nether Edge and  done our thing and then found they were out. 

  We had an elderly member who had looked into the Chapel history  and always insisted that there was a mounting stone at the rear of the Brown Bear which rightly was Chapel property. We never got round to checking it out.  Nice thought, going to Chapel on horseback. Where were they tethered during the service? By the mounting stone perhaps, convenient for  a quick one before riding home.

Just for the record, the only interior  photo to come my way, locally posted 1905 and only mildly different today. So far as I know, much as it was built ecxept that  gas light has been fitted and later superseded by electricity. Also the two tall windows were certainly replaced sometime after the photo and again in about 1950. Picture Sheffield has ten or so exterior views but only one recent limited interior view. 

Thanks for an interesting post.