A History of Richmond Church

Prepared for 150th Anniversary Celebrations, May 2002

In 1852 there was a new development in the quiet village of Richmond. A Wesleyan Reform Chapel was being built. It was a small church with an entrance porch, built close to the road. Built of red brick it was almost square in shape with a frontage of only 20ft and partly hidden by two trees nearby. The Daily Independent described it as one of the quaintest chapels in the country. It was only a single room, the walls were panelled with polished wood and the pews arranged in two separate tiers, 4 on one side and 5 on the other. At the front were a pulpit, a communion table, communion rail, choir stalls and 2 harmoniums.

One of the people remembered from those times was a lady called Mrs Bell who was a member of the church for 65 years and caretaker for more than 40. A newspaper cutting of January 1931 described it as a “tiny Wesleyan Reform Chapter with seats only 50 people.” Wesleyan Reform Union records, however, state that it accommodated 100. A news report describes this as an achievement of which its members were very proud, though it is confessed that there was hardly an inch to spare. Inevitably we know little detail of the life of the church over the early decades. It is interesting to be reminded of how things were in those days.

The population of Sheffield was just 150,000. Gaslight was the order of the day. There was no electricity in use when the church opened. Street lamps were lit by a lamplighter who carried a ladder around with him and lit each lamp with a Lucifer match. Next morning he went round to turn them off. Only two years before, the Town Council had established a new Company to supply gas at 3 shillings per 1,000 cubic feet. This angered the United Gas Company, so when the new company dug up the roads to lay mains (at least that bit hasn’t changed), the old company employed workmen to fill in the trenches.

At the time the church opened there were no telephones in Sheffield and the first issues of the Sheffield Daily Telegraph did not appear until the following year. In 1854 the fields at Bramall Lane were purchased by the Duke of Norfolk and the Sheffield United Cricket Club was formed. Three years afterwards the Sheffield Football Club - reputedly the world’s first Football Club - came into being. Sheffield United and Wednesday were to follow later.

Many children were uneducated in those days. Some education was provided by Church groups and some were taught in small Dame Schools where children were taught by old ladies in a room in a private dwelling house. The cost to parents was a penny a day.

For health care, the Sheffield Infirmary was in use and the practice of treating people with leeches was carried on until 1859. In one year alone 35,000 leeches were used and the dispensary accounts would read for example: “To Mrs Meadows’ bill for applying 600 leeches £1.10s”. It is interesting to note that the Great Ormond Street Hospital was built in the same year as the Church and opened with 10 beds. It now treats 100,000 patients a year.

Not everything was sweetness and light in those “good old days”. Charles Peace, a notorious Sheffield criminal, had first appeared in court in 1851. In and out of prison, on the run using false names and disguises and leaping from a speeding train to try and escape arrest, the stories of his crimes were known nationwide. He was finally hanged for murder. The Police Force in Sheffield at that time consisted of an Inspector, a Sergeant, a clerk and 28 Constables. There was also a CID with one Inspector and three Constables. Inspectors were paid the princely sum of 25 shillings a week.

An old Year Book from 1899 gives a glimpse of the size of the Church at that time. There were two Services each Sunday at 3 o’clock and 6 o’clock. There were 12 Church members and the premises were valued at £300. Sunday School had 39 pupils and 2 teachers.

In November 1931 the Church building was demolished to allow for road widening through the village. Henry Tatten, a Sheffield historian, described it as “a narrow, beautiful, country road being widened to a broad moto road with villas and bungalows on each side”. There was a stone-laying ceremony for the new church, which cost £1,452.

The building was finished and ready for use only 6 months later, which was considered something of a record in Church building. The cost of the building with furnishings finally reached £1,752. Of this £250 had been paid by the Corporation when the old chapel was demolished. £1,000 was raised in the course of one year, which was quite an achievement at the time.

The church was opened in May 1932. The builder was called J.Moir and along with the joiner, foreman and painter left his name scratched on the back of a plaque in the church. There were a total of 36 foundation stones, of which one was laid by a Mr H. Strange of Adelaide. The opening ceremony itself was performed by Mrs E. Butterfield and Rev. P Medcraft preached the dedicatory sermon. Mr J.A. Hardy who was Secretary of Richmond Church reported on the progress and paid tribute to the enthusiasm of the members.

The Master Cutler, who presided at the meeting, commented on how men and women had been won to God through the instrumentality of the old church. The new one was built on the old foundations. He believed that work among children was the greatest asset the church could have. Another speaker on that occasion was Mr J.H. Freeborough. He had first preached at Richmond in 1881 and was to continue to preach for some years after the new church was opened. He declared that there was only one way for people to go, and that was the way God had revealed in the Scriptures.

The 70 years since the re-building of the Church have been full of activity and witness. During this time the Ravenscroft and Stradbroke Estates were built. Those were the days when many children attended Sunday School. There was a Morning Sunday School and Afternoon Sunday School, each with its own Superintendent and with almost 200 children on the register.

From 1942 onwards there was a Sunday School Queen and Captain each year until the early ’60s. They were installed at a special three-night event in May of each year and led the procession each Whit Monday. That was a valuable witness in its own right. The children marched from the Church with the banner via Mansfield Road and Prince of Wales Road to Hollinsend PArk, where there was a Service with other Sunday Schools. Apparently, they still had the energy to join in games in the Richmond Park followed by tea, provided of course you remembered to bring your own mug, plate and spoon.

Another big event in the Sunday School year was the Anniversary, when the children filled the tiered platform at the front of church, presented songs and poems, and received their rewards for good attendance. Besides Sunday School there was at one time a weekly Sunshine Corner for younger children and various other mid-week groups.

Another important development was when Ray and Doreen Beeley came to work at the Church in 1951. There had been no pastor previously and Ray served as full-time pastor for three years before returning to teaching and continuing to pastor the Church for some 40 years. During this period Ray preached most Sundays, let the Bible Study and Prayer Meetings and played the organ when needed. His clear Bible teaching and keen missionary interest were crucial to developing Richmond as a Church with firm evangelical belief and a strong devotional basis. He was ably supported by Doreen, whose tireless service contributed much to the running of the Church and the work amongst women and children.

The premises have been much expanded during this period. The Sunday School was clearly too big for the space available and for one period a house across the road was used for a Bible Class. In 1957 the Hall was built at a cost of more than £2,000. Later the toilets and Bible Classroom were added with a corridor connecting the Hall to the main premises. Last of all, the Fellowship Room was built on. The life of the adult church has continued steadfastly over this period

There have been missions for children and for adults, especially latterly with Roger Carswell. The whole Church family would come together for outings or rambles during the Summer. It seemed that every night of the week there were some activities, including a table tennis team. As in most churches, Christmas and the New Year were very special times. There was carol singing around the area at the homes of older members, with supper at two or three houses and finishing after midnight. On New Year’s Eve, there was a social event followed by a Watchnight Service taking the church into the new year. There were at one-time hockey matches in the park on Boxing Day. Perhaps we should be thankful that not every tradition from the past has survived to present.

After 150 years and at the beginning of a new millennium, we look forward confidently to the continued work of God here at Richmond. The church is placed in a well-populated neighbourhood to which we are called to present the Gospel. In preparation for this Anniversary, the premises have been renovated and improved, including re-styling the front of church and re-seating many of the rooms at a total cost of £11,000. The church’s life and witness are based on the absolute truth of the Word of God, the faithfulness and power of our sovereign Lord and faith in the life-changing message of Christ and Him crucified. We look forward with a sense of the privilege and responsibility. Most of all we are confident because God is with us.