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Wostenholm Memorial Hall/St. Peter's Parish School


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On the corner of Queen Street and Silver Street were two very old buildings which must have gone by now. Wostenholm Hall (I never knew it was called a "Memorial Hall" until years later) was principally on Silver Street but had a frontage on Queen Street. Does anybody know who's memorial it was and what it was used for?. In the years after WWII, either Walsh's or Cockaynes used the top floor as their restaurant. It was well patronized although obviously quite a way off the beaten track.

Next door to Hall, fronting on Queen Street was a building that I now know as St. Peter Parish School. It must originally have been the school for what we now call the Cathederal. When Sheffield Tech. was still in the pre-fabs on Pond Street, they used this old school for various night classes. I remember attending Maths classes there in 1953/54.

Does anybody have pictures of these buildings? There is a picture supposedly of Wostenholm Hall on Pictures Sheffield (Ref s19890) but you wouldn't be able to pick it out without knowing the property in advance. Its taken from Scotland Street and is really a good shot of Dobson's electrical shop which once stood on the corner of West Bar Green and Queen Street. On this photo, the school is the building facing onto Queen Street with the tower. Wostenholm Hall is building on the camera side of the school but you can only see the corner. The rest is hidden behind other buildings.

Regards

Link to photo, picturesheffield

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The hall was built with a bequest and the Parish Church Mission ( I think linked to the Cathedral) to help poor and working classes was run from ther in the early 1900s. Newspapers report many fund raising concerts on Saturdays. Joseph Ridge, an evangelical and great philanthropist, was Superintendent then. He provided prizes for children for regular and punctual attendance at the mission services. He was a silverplater. I have a picture of his second wife Catherine (Kate ) Rudd but would love to find one of him and his family. 

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