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Woodseats Methodist Church,
Holmhirst Road, S8 0GU,
Norton Woodseats, Derbyshire.

Cemeteries

We believe the Church does NOT have a graveyard.

Note: any church within an urban environment may have had its graveyard closed after the Burial Act of 1853. Any new church built after that is unlikely to have had a graveyard at all.

Church History

This Place of Worship was founded in 1911, and we understand it is still open.

The year of writing this account, 2016, coincides with Woodseats Methodist Church centenary celebrations, and the Church's website is a goldmine of information on its history. Their account describes how from October 1911, services were held in the former Woodseats Picture Palace on Chesterfield Road (now a branch of Wetherspoons restaurant chain, which retains the name of "Woodseats Palace"), whilst preparations were made for its building. Work began in 1915, and was completed the following year, with the first service being held on 12th December 1916 - making "Woodseats Wesleyan Church" "the only new church in Methodism to be completed during the latter half of the First World War".

The following notice in The London Gazette of 8th January 1918 (p.521) recorded its registration for marriages:

A Separate Building, duly certified for religious worship, named WESLEYAN METHODIST CHURCH, situated at Holmhirst-road, Woodseats, in the civil parish of Ecclesall, in the county borough of Sheffield, in Ecclesall Bierlow registration district, was, on the 3rd January, 1918, registered for solemnizing marriages therein, pursuant to 6th and 7th Wm. IV, c.85. Dated 4th January 1918.

It is notable that its original denomination was Wesleyan Methodist. At the time, there were already 2 other Methodist Chapels in the area - in Chantrey Road, and in Derbyshire Lane (Mount View), one New Connexion, the other Free Methodist, so one might imagine there would be no confusion over which was which. This situation must have altered somewhat after 1932, however, when most Methodist congregations joined the Methodist Church of Great Britain; and this seems to have been resolved by distinguishing them by their location, as for example on Maps of 1969, they are referred to as "Holmhirst Road Methodist", "Chantrey Road Methodist", and "Mount View Methodist". All three Chapels had attached Sunday Schools.

Denomination

Now or formerly Wesleyan Methodist.

If more than one congregation has worshipped here, or its congregation has united with others, in most cases this will record its original dedication.

Maps

This Church is located at OS grid reference SK3465182839. You can see this on various mapping systems. Note all links open in a new window:

• Woodseats Methodist Church, Norton Woodseats shown on a Google Map.
• Places of Worship in Norton Woodseats shown on a Google Map.
• Streetmap.co.uk (arrow on map shows the Place of Worship's location) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Bing (Ordnance Survey option) (verified 2018-10-13)
• Bing Maps ('Bird's Eye' View) (verified 2018-10-15)
• Ordnance Survey "getamap" (NB some of the 'Change Map' options may require a subscription) (verified 2018-10-15)
• OpenStreetMap (Maps © OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA) (verified 2018-10-15)
• A Vision of Britain Through Time - useful for Boundary Changes (verified 2018-10-15)
• www.magic.gov.uk (Modern Maps with various overlays) (verified 2018-10-15)

Resources

I have found many websites of use whilst compiling the information for this database. Here are some which deserve mention as being of special interest for Norton Woodseats, and perhaps to Local History and Places of Worship as a whole.

• Notices of Civil Registration of Places of Worship for marriages are published in the London edition of The Gazette. Hint: search for registrations from 1998 by choosing 'Church' notices, and the option 'Registration for solemnising marriage'. (verified 2018-12-11)

The above links were selected and reviewed at the time I prepared the information, but please be aware their content may vary, or disappear entirely. These factors are outside my control.