The Life of Job Stone and other Stonemasons of Ranmoor
St John's Ranmoor, 5 Ranmoor Park Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 3GX
Records reveal the ‘great men’ who paid for St John’s, who donated the land and who designed the church, but there is no trace of the men whose strength and skill raised the walls and tower of this splendid Victorian church high on its hill. This event was inspired by the superb workmanship of the stonemasons who built St John’s. It will not be a technical discussion about stonemasonry so much as a look at the lives of stonemasons themselves. Who were they? How and where did they live? What was their working life like?
Tracing the masons and uncovering their stories has been a detective story. The first clue lies in a set of initials, some carved, some scratched, left by the masons high up in the roof of the church. In a sense, they signed their work. We have been able to identify some of the masons behind the initials, and make informed guesses about others, using census and other official records, family papers, newspaper reports and the files of the Operative Stone Masons Guild revealing the hardship, injuries and fatalities frequently suffered by its members. There is no plaque recording the masons’ achievements in the church but perhaps there is no need for one. St John’s itself is their monument and their stories can be read in its fabric.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 07 September:
- Open from 16.00, talk at 17.30
Location & directions
St John's Ranmoor, 5 Ranmoor Park Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 3GX
- Directions:
- There is parking onsite and nearby in the church drive and Ranmoor Park Rd. The church is on the 120 bus route.
- Contact on day:
- Mary Grover
- Telephone number:
- +447966501612
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
Accessibility details
Unfortunately there are no accessible toilets in church though there are some in the Parish Centre over the road.
Additional information
- Est. tour duration:
- 1 hour(s)
