History
Loxley Independent Chapel was built by Reverend Benjamin Greaves, the curate of Bradfield, in 1787. The chapel is located in the small village of Loxley, one of several proclaimed birthplaces of Robin Hood. Although the area is theoretically a village, it is now considered to be a suburb of the City of Sheffield rather than an external hamlet. Once the building was completed, consecration was immediately repudiated, because the builders failed to place a window on the eastern side. Thereafter the chapel was sold at auction, for £315. By 1799, however, under independent ownership, a reverend was able to perform baptisms; the first officer aboard the Titanic, Henry Tingle Wilde, was purportedly christened at Loxley Chapel. The expansion of the city, and the slow subsequential demise of village life inside Loxley, caused the parishioners numbers to decline to an unsustainable amount. Originally, according to the religious census compiled in 1851, the average number of attendees at congregation was two hundred. The chapel, now a grade II listed building, closed its doors for the final time in 1993; it was placed on the English Heritage at risk register in August 1985.
Our Version of Events
Determined to mop up the last few abandoned dregs in and around Sheffield, we decided to pay Loxley Chapel a quick visit one afternoon. We had anticipated that access would be a little challenging, but we ended up getting inside effortlessly. Since the building has had many visitors over the years; some more respectful than others we might add, the chapel has had its fair share of deterioration. Much to our disappointment, most of the interesting things, such as the organ and bookshelves which were once filled with religious scripts and testaments, have been ruined. There were a few interesting bits and pieces still to be found, though. The surrounding balcony is an interesting feature, and on the bottom level our attention was drawn to number of tributary and memorial stones which are, remarkably, still attached to the walls. After spending half an hour or so in the chapel, we’d seen everything there was to see, so left to quickly check out the overgrown graveyard. Judging by the headstones we found, the people in this churchyard have been there a long time. Feeling a little uncomfortable, gawking at the headstones of individuals who are likely to have been forgotten over the years, we decided to make a move and head back into Sheffield: onto the next explore.
*I've been meaning to post this up for the past... 8 months or so. Better late than never, as they say in Spain. It's been reported on a lot since then, so I wasn't going to post. But, having decided that we were quite happy with the way some of these shots came out, we've posted it anyway.
**We found the brolly inside, just so you don't get any wrong ideas that we carry broken umbrellas around.
Explored with Ford Mayhem.
Loxley Independent Chapel was built by Reverend Benjamin Greaves, the curate of Bradfield, in 1787. The chapel is located in the small village of Loxley, one of several proclaimed birthplaces of Robin Hood. Although the area is theoretically a village, it is now considered to be a suburb of the City of Sheffield rather than an external hamlet. Once the building was completed, consecration was immediately repudiated, because the builders failed to place a window on the eastern side. Thereafter the chapel was sold at auction, for £315. By 1799, however, under independent ownership, a reverend was able to perform baptisms; the first officer aboard the Titanic, Henry Tingle Wilde, was purportedly christened at Loxley Chapel. The expansion of the city, and the slow subsequential demise of village life inside Loxley, caused the parishioners numbers to decline to an unsustainable amount. Originally, according to the religious census compiled in 1851, the average number of attendees at congregation was two hundred. The chapel, now a grade II listed building, closed its doors for the final time in 1993; it was placed on the English Heritage at risk register in August 1985.
Our Version of Events
Determined to mop up the last few abandoned dregs in and around Sheffield, we decided to pay Loxley Chapel a quick visit one afternoon. We had anticipated that access would be a little challenging, but we ended up getting inside effortlessly. Since the building has had many visitors over the years; some more respectful than others we might add, the chapel has had its fair share of deterioration. Much to our disappointment, most of the interesting things, such as the organ and bookshelves which were once filled with religious scripts and testaments, have been ruined. There were a few interesting bits and pieces still to be found, though. The surrounding balcony is an interesting feature, and on the bottom level our attention was drawn to number of tributary and memorial stones which are, remarkably, still attached to the walls. After spending half an hour or so in the chapel, we’d seen everything there was to see, so left to quickly check out the overgrown graveyard. Judging by the headstones we found, the people in this churchyard have been there a long time. Feeling a little uncomfortable, gawking at the headstones of individuals who are likely to have been forgotten over the years, we decided to make a move and head back into Sheffield: onto the next explore.
*I've been meaning to post this up for the past... 8 months or so. Better late than never, as they say in Spain. It's been reported on a lot since then, so I wasn't going to post. But, having decided that we were quite happy with the way some of these shots came out, we've posted it anyway.
**We found the brolly inside, just so you don't get any wrong ideas that we carry broken umbrellas around.
Explored with Ford Mayhem.
1: The Graveyard
2: Overgrown
3: Barely Visible
4: Loxley Chapel
5: Good Old Noah
6: Various Books and Papers Lying Around
7: Bingo Anyone?
8: Loxley Chapel (Balcony View)
9: Balcony Seating
10: The Brolly Blends in with the Surroundings Nicely
11: The Remnants of the Organ
12: Follow Jesus
13: Downstairs
14: The Pulpit
15: Example of One of the Memorials on the Wall
16: No Choir Practice Today
17: The Backroom
18: The Biblecase
19: The Chapel's Stash
2: Overgrown
3: Barely Visible
4: Loxley Chapel
5: Good Old Noah
6: Various Books and Papers Lying Around
7: Bingo Anyone?
8: Loxley Chapel (Balcony View)
9: Balcony Seating
10: The Brolly Blends in with the Surroundings Nicely
11: The Remnants of the Organ
12: Follow Jesus
13: Downstairs
14: The Pulpit
15: Example of One of the Memorials on the Wall
16: No Choir Practice Today
17: The Backroom
18: The Biblecase
19: The Chapel's Stash
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