Cemetery Road Baptist Church

A large Victorian building with a rose window and twin towers, similar to London’s Bloomsbury Baptist Church, with refurbished refurbished welcoming entrance spaces and hall windows with etched glass co-designed with the community.

Sheffield, Yorkshire

Opening times

Access by pressing the Napier Street entrance doorbell to attract the caretaker or other staff or users. Normal opening times:
· Sundays: from 10am to 5pm for worship and fellowship (see separate details)
· Weekdays: from 9am to 12noon
· Saturdays: normally closed.
· Heritage Open Days: 10am to 4pm, normally on the second Saturday each September
To arrange a visit, contact the Administrator on 0114 272 757.

Address

Cemetery Road
Sheffield
Yorkshire
S11 8HA

The church was founded in 1839 and members soon built a chapel in the city centre in 1841. As the membership grew, in 1859 they moved to a new three storey building constructed of stone, brick and slate on the edge of the city (at that time), a mile away on Cemetery Road. Further buildings were added in the 1860s and in 1900, providing a wide range of teaching accommodation. The whole complex was listed Grade II in 1993 and features in Pevsner’s Guide. The church became the mother church for several smaller Baptist churches in the suburbs of the city.

The church building is situated at the interface between the relatively affluent suburbs of southwest Sheffield and the economically and socially deprived parts of the Sheffield’s inner city. In recent years, apartment blocks have been built on previous industrial and housing land near the church. Most of the now small congregation, of around 100 adults and 30 children, commute to the church.

The church has a long history of welcoming immigrants, notably the 'Windrush' generation, whose descendants are a core part of the church fellowship. It has hosted Karen refugees, from Burma/Myanmar; and Congolese refugees, who contribute their own vibrant style of worship and meet for services in their own language. It has pastored a considerable number of refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Iran who attend the church’s Sunday services and hold their own fellowship meetings in the Farsi language. Many of these have been baptised at Cemetery Road over the past few years.

During the pandemic the church was without a lead minister and lost members and friends through death, or by people moving away. Some are still too cautious to return to worship on a regular basis. In March 2023, the church welcomed a new minister.

  • Enchanting atmosphere

  • Famous connections

  • Social heritage stories

  • Accessible toilets in church

  • Accessible toilets nearby

  • Bus stop within 100m

  • Car park at church

  • Dog friendly

  • Level access to the main areas

  • On street parking at church

  • Parking within 250m

  • Space to secure your bike

  • Steps to enter the church or churchyard

  • Walkers & cyclists welcome

  • Wifi

  • Weekly Groups: Munch Club for over 55s (up to 25 people): A great chance to get out and meet people. Three course set meal every Tuesday in school term time. Come for Coffee, chat, speakers, games, etc. (Contact 07548262637 to Book); Worship, fellowship, Bible study and prayer meetings for 150 adults and 50 children (mainly English, African and Iranian) for two separate churches; English Classes for Farsi speaking refugees and asylum seekers (20); Sheffield Foodhall’s ‘Food Delivery Project’ to reduce food poverty (100); Sheffield Bach Choir and Giving Voices Choir (120); and Al-Anon (12).

  • Occasional Groups: Weddings and Funerals (15 to 300); Heritage Open Day Exhibitions (50); Election Polling Station (10,000); Church Anniversary Celebrations (150); Community Festival Lantern Building (40); and Sheffield City Council Local Area Committee meetings (50); Video Film Making, Exhibitions

  • Baptist Church

  • Cornerstone Grant, £17,500, 2021

  • Our Cornerstone Grants fund urgent repairs and essential community facilities such as toilets and kitchens to help keep churches open.

  • Project Development Grant, £10,000, 2016

  • Our Project Development Grants funded churches developing building projects to help keep churches open.

Contact information

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