History and the Building

In 2004, we celebrated 125 years of worship by producing a booklet which chronicles the history of Ranmoor Church from its conception in 1877 to the present day.

The booklet is designed to appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of our very fine Church.

If you would like to purchase your very own copy, you should send a minimum donation of £3.00 (cheque please) together with an A5 size stamped addressed envelope to:

   St John's Celebration Booklet
   Ranmoor Parish Centre,
   5 Ranmoor Park Road,
   Ranmoor,
   Sheffield,
   S10 3GX

The name Ranmoor means on the edge of the moors. This was one of the areas chosen by the Steel Barons in the second half of the 19^th Century for the large houses in the area. Many of these houses are now in use as schools, flats, nursing homes and hospitals although several have been demolished.

The first church of St John's only stood for 8 years. It burned down on New Years Day, 1887. The Tower and Spire were saved and incorporated into the present church. The first church was of similar proportions but there were no aisles and a fine hammer-beam roof spanned the whole structure.

The present building dates from 1888. It is a very fine example of Victorian Gothic Architecture in the Decorated style. The church is 41 metres long, 18 metres wide (including the aisles) and 14 metres high. In 1888, the building cost approximately £20,000.

Outside, a strong visual impact is made by the elevated position from Fulwood Road and the fact that the Tower and Spire stand separate from the main body of the building. The Spire reaches to a height of nearly 200ft. The Floodlighting installed to celebrate the Millennium has heightened the attractiveness of the building. Set on one of Sheffield 's seven hills, the church can be seen, by day or night, from many vantage points in the south and west of the city.

The main points of interest inside are:

·         the use of pale Ancaster Limestone, with some excellent stone carving

·         the Triforium, which runs around the church at first floor level (usually only seen in cathedrals)

·         the good quality stained glass throughout the building (half by Clayton & Bell)

·         and the unusual painted and panelled ceiling

All these features are enhanced by the excellent proportions of the building, giving a sense of space and height.

Today, St John's is a suburban parish of about five and half thousand people. Our distinctive Victorian Gothic building provides an imposing setting for worship, as well as being used for concerts, and can seat up to 600 people.

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The Bells

The spire of the church rises to a height of close upon 200 ft and is the highest in Sheffield . If you look just below the spire, you can see some louvres: behind these St John's has ten bells. The largest weighs 16cwt 1lb 5oz. The foundations of the original church were laid in 1877 and William Smith of Hallam Head gave a peal of eight bells cast by James Barwell, a bell founder from Birmingham. The tower, spire and bells survived the fire of 1887 which destroyed the church and the eight bells were rung regularly.

In 1934 the bells were recast, two trebles added, and a new frame and ringing gear installed by Gillet and Johnston, bell founders and clockmakers of Croydon. Money for this work was raised by subscription from the parishioners. No further major work was done on the bells until 1992/93 when the fittings, (bearings and pullies) were renovated by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, the local band supplying the labour.

The bells are made of an alloy of 77% copper and 23% tin called "bell metal". They are rung by a band of ringers, one per bell, with the traditional "rope and wheel" from the ringing chamber, at the top of the spiral staircase behind the door to the left just inside the outside door from the porch.

'Full circle' change ringing has developed, mainly in England, over about 350 years. There are now over 5000 churches in the British Isles with rings of bells. Each time the bell sounds, it has swung from a mouth upwards position through a full circle until it is mouth upwards again, where it is controlled by the ringer's pull on the rope and held momentarily in this balanced position until allowed to swing in the opposite direction again to strike in its proper position among the other bells.

The St John's band of ringers consists of both people who were taught to ring at Ranmoor and those who learnt elsewhere and have moved into the area. Often visitors from other towers come and join in the ringing. New learners are always welcome and several people taught here now ring at other towers.

In addition to weddings, the bells are heard twice on Sundays for services, and at the ringers' Tuesday evening practice. To celebrate special events quarter peals are sometimes rung. These consist of 1250 changes rung without stopping and last for about 45 minutes. Occasionally they are rung continuously for 3 to 4 hours to complete a full peal in which each bell rings over 5000 times.

Visitors are always most welcome: please come up when you hear the bells ringing, but do open the door at the top of the stairs gently in order to avoid getting in the way of the ropes. There will be a notice on the door downstairs if there is a special performance when the ringers need to be left undisturbed to concentrate.

Ringing times

·         Sunday 9:30 to 10:00 and 5:45 to 6:30

·         Practice night: Tuesday 7:30 to 9:00

Tower Captain: Pauline Heath. For further detailed information please visit our website www.ranmoorringers.f9.co.uk