Church of St. Nicholas, Bradfield
| Church of St Nicholas, Bradfield | |
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| 53°25′42″N 1°35′46″W / 53.42844°N 1.5961°WCoordinates: 53°25′42″N 1°35′46″W / 53.42844°N 1.5961°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Administration | |
| Parish | High Bradfield |
| Diocese | Diocese of Sheffield |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | The Revd Alan Isaacson |
The Church of St. Nicholas, Bradfield is situated in the small village of High Bradfield, (Grid Reference SK268924) which is located 6 miles (10 km) north west of the centre of the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of only five Grade One Listed buildings in Sheffield. Apart from its historic architecture, the church is situated in a charming setting, 260 metres (850 ft) above sea level, giving fine views over the northeastern moors and valleys of the Peak District National Park.
Christian worship in the Bradfield area dates from at least the 9th century, as a Saxon cross discovered in 1870 in the nearby village of Low Bradfield was dated by specialists to that time. Local historian John Wilson (1719–83) believed that the original Norman church was founded in 1109 when deciphering ancient writing in the church's original east window. The Normans regarded the area around Bradfield as strategically important and had built a motte-and-bailey fortified keep in the area after the conquest. William de Lovetot, Lord of Hallamshire, had built the Church of St. Mary, Ecclesfield, nine kilometres to the east, at the end of the 11th century, to which St. Nicholas, Bradfield became a chapel of ease until 1868 when it became a parish of its own.
The original Norman church was an uncomplicated two cell building. A square bell tower was added in the 14th century before it was largely rebuilt in the Gothic Perpendicular style during the 1480s, using some of the original masonry which consisted of local gritstone. The interior of the church changed drastically under the influence of the Puritans during the English Civil War, when statues, wall paintings and stained glass were destroyed and the walls whitewashed.
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