Mourner's 'disgust' at state of Gothic chapel in Sheffield cemetery

Essential repairs could be made to a crumbling Victorian chapel in Sheffield, as council bosses weigh up options for the building's future.
The Catholic chapel at City Road Cemetery (photo: Paul Sargeant)The Catholic chapel at City Road Cemetery (photo: Paul Sargeant)
The Catholic chapel at City Road Cemetery (photo: Paul Sargeant)

The Grade II-listed Roman Catholic chapel at City Road Cemetery has lain disused for many years, during which it has deteriorated badly.

The windows are now boarded up and the Gothic-style building is surrounded by metal fencing.

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Grade II-listed chapel at Sheffield cemetery in disrepair
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Sheffield Council says a condition survey has been carried out and it is now 'assessing options and associated costs' for potential repairs, with a decision expected 'in due course'.

But Paul Sargeant, who highlighted the sorry state of the chapel is not holding his breath.

Two years ago, when he first complained about its condition, the council said it had identified £100,000 for essential repairs to some of the vacant buildings it manages and would be looking into how best to use this 'limited funding' over the coming months.

He was appalled to find it had since been allowed to slide even further into disrepair when he visited the cemetery on Mother's Day with his wife Susan, whose parents are buried there

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"It's disgusting. So many people were paying their respects and to have this derelict building there is horrible," said the 67-year-old plumber from Rotherham.

"It could be a café or a visitor centre where people can go to sit and reflect.

"It's a lovely stone building and the craftsmanship that's gone into it is incredible, so it's such a shame to see it left like this.

"It doesn't seem right, because if you let your property get into that condition the council would slap an order on you."

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Mr Sargeant added that while he realised council finances were stretched, money spent on new sculptures which he claimed were of dubious merit and sometimes well off the beaten path could have been better used to repair the chapel.

The Roman Catholic mortuary chapel of St Michael, to give the building its full name, was built between 1898 and 1900, according to Historic England. It was originally finance by the Duke of Norfolk and was identified as far back as 2002 as being in 'poor condition'.

The council said any works to the chapel would respect the 'sensitive nature' of its surroundings in a working cemetery with a war memorial and recently-dug graves nearby.