2011-04

St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats 

email: office@stchads.org 

Church Offices: 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB Page 1 website: www.stchads.org 

Tel: (0114) 274 5086




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Sheffield, as we are always being told, is Yorkshire’s 

greenest city. We are blessed with many sizable parks and 

a significant part of the city boundaries take in the moors 

and hills of the Peak District. And Sheffield – particularly 

the south and western parts – is also full of beautiful 

woodland, some of it extremely ancient. 

Woodseats itself is of course a very “woody” place – hence 

its name which means, in Old English, fold in a wood. From 

St Chad’s you can see the woods which gave the village its 

name – Cobnar Wood, Lady Spring Wood and Hutcliffe 

Wood. 

Woods have of course been in the news a lot recently as the 

government first proposed selling many of our woodlands off 

to private organisations and charities and then, in the face of significant 

public disquiet, backed down. Their embarrassment would have been 

spared had they been a little more familiar with English history and 

mythology. We are a people who live alongside woods and have great 

affection for them. Whereas in European fairy tales forests are dark 

places where witches and ogres live and where children get lost, for the 

English woods are places of freedom, of Robin Hood and his merry men 

and the enchanted forest of Arden. When the public heard about the 

proposed sale of our woods there was a sense that an important part of 

English liberty was at risk. 

Trees, woods and forests also play a crucial part in the global ecosystem. 

They capture and store carbon dioxide and they pump out life-giving 

oxygen. At the same time it is the decayed forests under the hills of South 

Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire that in the past have provided us with the 

coal that we now know contributes so much to carbon emissions. We 

have a complex relationship with our trees. 

Trees in the Bible are ambiguous as well. In the story of the Garden of 

Eden it is the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil which leads to 

humanity’s fall from grace. It is another tree, this time fashioned into a 

cross, upon which God completes his rescue mission through the death of 

his son. In St John’s last vision of the new heavens and the new earth the 

leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. 

As the long winter turns into spring we will see Sheffield’s trees once 

again burst into leaf and we can revel in the beauty of the woods that 

surround us. Take a moment to wander through one of them. Look at the 

grandeur of the trees and the life they give us. And give thanks to God. 

Rev Toby Hole 

Vicar 

St Chad’s Church 

Woodseats 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Bright Spark Electrical 

All types of electrical work 

Part P qualified 

Burglar alarms 

Telephone sockets 

Computer tuition, setup/ 

repair and upgrades. 

Malcolm Holmes 

77 Holmhirst Road 

Sheffield S8 0GW 

Tel: 0114 2490889 

Mob:07966 141780 

Email: msholmes1@yahoo.com 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

An old man passed his 

granddaughter's room one 

night and overheard her 

saying her alphabet. 

What are you doing?" he 

asked. 

"I'm saying my prayers," 

explained the little girl. 

The man looked 

puzzled. 

"I can't think of exactly 

the right words, so I'm 

just saying all the 

letters. God will put 

them together for me, 

because He knows 

what I'm thinking." 

The Judge said to 

the defendant, "I 

thought I told you I 

never wanted to see 

you in here again." 

“That's what I told 

the police, but they 

wouldn't listen!" 

A tourist asks a 

man in uniform, 

"Are you a 

policeman?" 

"No, I am an 

undercover 

detective," he 

replied 

"So why are you 

in uniform?" 

"Today is my day 

off!" 

What do you get 

if you cross an 

eel with a 

shopper? 

A slippery 

customer! 

“I signed up to this Facebook thing ages 

ago but I’ve still only got you and God as 

my friends!” said Adam. 

Little Matthew was in 

the bath tub, and his 

mum was washing his 

hair. 

She said to him, 

"Wow, your hair is 

growing so fast! You 

need a haircut again." 

Matthew replied, 

"Maybe you should 

stop watering it so 

much!" 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Send details of your event to impact@stchads.org or write to: Impact, 

St Chad’s Church Offices, 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB. 

Health Walks 

Mondays – 10am: Graves Park. 

Meet at the Animal Farm car park; 

Tuesdays – 10.30am: Ecclesall 

Woods. Meet at Abbeydale Industrial 

Hamlet; 

Thursdays – 10.30am: Lowedges. 

Meet at the Community Wing, 

Lowedges Junior School. 

Call 0114 203 9337. 

April 2 

Loxley Silver Band with soloists 

Michael and Kristina Hickman 

Woodseats Methodist Church 

7.30pm 

Loxley Silver Band in concert with 

soloists Michael Hickman on 

classical guitar and vocalist Kristina 

Hickman. Tickets are £8, 

concessions £6 and children £3 with 

proceeds going to the Motor 

Neurone Disease Association. 

Call 0114 250 0078 

April 3 

Discover Bishops' House 

Bishops House 

1-4pm 

Have a go at making butter, the 

traditional way, with a churn and 

some elbow grease. Activities will be 

preceded by a guided tour of the 

Bishops' House at 11.30am. This 

event is free and there is no need to 

book. 

Call 0114 278 2600 

April 23 

Afri-Cuban Drumming Workshop 

Meersbrook Park United Reformed 

Church 

1.30-4pm 

A fun and practical workshop that will 

include playing in a percussion 

ensemble. Admission £12.50 

Places can be booked on 07913 

892027 or by emailing 

errol.francis@ymail.com 

April 2 

Introduction to Green 

Woodworking 

Ecclesall Woods Sawmill 

10am-5pm 

An introduction to green 

woodworking and the chance to 

make finished items. 

Cost £60 - tickets available from 


April 17 

Sheffield Ship Model Society 

Spring Open Day 

Millhouses Park 

10am-4pm 

This is the society's first of two open 

days of 2011. Go along and watch 

the many model boat and ship 

sailing on Millhouses Lake. There is 

a "have a go" boat for people to try 

their skills and there will be steering 

competitions and a mini yacht race. 

Call 01246 209966 

April 21 

Easter Lambing and Open Day 

Whirlow Hall Farm 

11am-3pm 

See the new born lambs at Whirlow 

Hall Farm. 

There will be two Easter hunts, pony 

riding, free craft activities for children 

and new lambs in the barn. 

The farm shop and cafe will be open 

throughout the day and there will be 

the Whirlow Hall Farm barbecue. 

Admission £2.50 

Call 0114 235 2678 

Beauchief Abbey holds a variety 

of services and anyone is 

welcome to attend. For more 

details see the Abbey notice 

board. 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

May 2 

Highland Fling 

Graves Park 

A family day out with Highland Cattle 

Show, craft market and food stalls, 

fun fair rides, Shire Horse cart rides 

and scarecrow making. 

Call 0114 250 0500 

May 7 

Book Sale 

36 Crawshaw Grove, Beauchief 

10am-12pm 

Good quality second-hand books for 

sale in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society. 

May 14 

Introduction to Willow Hurdle 

Making 


10am-5pm 

A course including woodland 

management and leaving with your 

own ‘hurdle’ Cost £60. 

0114 235 6348 

May 15 

Introduction to Woodworking in 

the Home 


10am-5pm 

A basic woodworking course for 

beginners. Cost £60. 

0114 235 6348 

May 20 

Sheffield Folk Chorale Concert 

St Peter's Church, Greenhill 

7.30pm 

Songs drawn from the folk tradition 

arranged and conducted by 

Graham Pratt. Tickets £5. 

0114 236 1213 

May 21 

Afri-Cuban Drumming Workshop 

Meersbrook Park United Reformed 

Church 

1.30-4pm 

For details, see April 23 listing. 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

F 

or many years people used 

whatever material was 

around them to make 

whatever they needed. 

For most of our history wood was 

the material of choice because there 

was so much of it around and it was 

so easy to work. We used wood to 

make houses, boats, household 

implements, weapons; in fact almost 

anything and everything. 

Take the humble wheel for 

instance. In spite of what Fred and 

Barney would have us believe, stone 

was too heavy for making wheels 

whilst wood is light, flexible, springy 

and easily shaped. Wheels made of 

wood were gradually phased out after 

the turn of the last century but the 

oldest complete spoked wheel is in 

the National Museum of Iran and 

dates from about 4000 BC, so 

wooden wheels have a long history. 

Whilst there have been many new 

and modern materials created in the 

last 50 years or so wood is still the 

best material for making many things. 

For some sports equipment wood is 

still an essential material. Take 

the cricket bat for instance. It is 

still made of willow and has 

been around since at least 

1624. The method of 

manufacture may have 

changed but the basic 

material has not. Willow is 

used because it is tough 

and resilient with the right 

amount of strength and 

flexibility. There is 

something evocative 

about hearing the striking 

of leather on willow. 

Sadly other sports have 

seen greater changes. 

Take golf for instance. 

Originally golf clubs 

were made completely of 

wood because of its strength and 

flexibility. It was only when balls 

stopped being a bag stuffed with 

feathers that metal heads could be 

used. Eventually wood stopped being 

used for the shaft and head of 

‘woods’ which are now mostly made 

of lighter metals such as titanium 

alloys. Whilst a metal head may make 

swinging easier and produce a more 

accurate shot the tinny sound of the 

head hitting the ball is nowhere near 

as satisfying as that of wood on ball. 

Musical instruments are another 

example of wood still being best. 

Every violin will contains several 

types of wood – each used because it 

has specific properties which are 

needed in different parts of the 

instrument. Some parts of the violin 

need to be solid and strong whilst 

others need to be free to vibrate. The 

bulk of it might be maple, but spruce, 

ebony, willow, rosewood and 

boxwood are also used for some of 

the smaller parts. I have an acoustic 

guitar which has a plastic back and 

sides but it still needs a wooden face 

to vibrate. A friend of mine has an 

electric violin. It looks more like the 

skeleton of a violin but its sound is 

equal in quality and tone to a more 

regular violin. However, the bow is 

made of wood as it produces a better 

quality sound than any other material. 

Wood may become a scarcer 

resource as time goes on but we have 

an affinity with it that we do not have 

with any other material. This is 

brought home to me every time when 

out walking with my wife. Whenever 

we cross a stile or bridge with a 

wooden handrail which has been 

smoothed by numerous hands over 

many years my wife will caress it 

fondly and always says ‘ooh, I wonder 

how many people have touched this’. 

Maybe we love wood because we 

have a long history with it, but more 

likely because it was once a living 

thing and we respect that. 

Kevin Wests 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

S 

heffield is a very green place 

to live in. It has more 

woodland than any other city 

in the country and the 

Woodseats, Beauchief and Chancet 

Wood area is a prime example of 

this. 

Our community boasts many 

woodlands and green spaces where 

you can walk, play or relax. 

Take Graves Park for example. As 

well as being parkland, there are 

many areas of woodland. These are 

in three sections — Cobnar Wood, 

Summerhouse Wood and Waterfall 

Wood. Cobnar Wood is the closest 

to Woodseats bordering onto Cobnar 

Road and covering the steep 

embankment near the lower play 

area. It merges with Waterfall Wood 

where the stream runs through from 

the lakes above. Summerhouse 

Wood was originally named after a 

shooting house near the site of the 

Rose Garden Café. 

Chancet Wood is another well 

known area at the heart of St Chad’s 

parish along with Hutcliffe Wood 

where the crematorium has stood 

since the mid-1970s. Over the other 

side of Hutcliffe Wood Road is 

Marriott Wood. 

These are ancient woodlands 

where trees have stood for centuries 

along with Ladies’ Spring Wood 

near Beauchief Abbey which is 

thought to date back to Anglo Saxon 

times and is part of the ancient 

parish boundary between Sheffield 

and Norton. 

Just outside the parish are 

Ecclesall Woods. They cover 140 

hectares (about 350 acres) and are 

the largest ‘semi-natural woodland’ in 

South Yorkshire. The earliest history 

of the woods is unclear but it lies 

where the Sheffield/Norton boundary 

follows the River Sheaf and the Limb 

Brook. This is an ancient boundary, 

separating Yorkshire and Derbyshire 

and before that it was the boundary 

between the kingdoms of 

Northumbria and Mercia. 

The woods are designated as a 

Local Nature Reserve for wildlife and 

also contain a number of prehistoric 

and early historic monuments. There 

are also a wealth of other heritage 

features, such as charcoal heaths, 

which relate directly to the wood's 

past timber management. 

One well known attraction at 

Ecclesall Woods is Ecclesall 

Sawmill. It is now home to several 

wood-based businesses and a new 

Woodland Discovery Centre is 

planned — named after JG Graves. 

There are also various events 

which take place at the site which are 

listed in each edition of Impact. 

As you walk around these woods, 

don’t forget the history and memories 

these areas of our city have — the 

generations that have passed along 

their paths and the changes which 

have taken place during the 

woodlands’ lifetimes. 

And let’s make the most of the 

nature we see around us. We are 

blessed to live in such a green city — 

so enjoy it if you can and take a walk 

through the woodlands of Sheffield. 

Tim Hopkinson 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

I 

recently spent 

a most 

interesting time 

with a local 

artist, Jason 

Thompson, in his 

studio in Sheffield. 

We were 

surrounded by some of 

his works of art and I 

was so fascinated by 

them, it was quite 

difficult to focus on the 

reason I was there – 

namely to find out more 

about him. 

Jason was brought up in 

Leicestershire. He enjoyed spending 

time in the countryside, taking home 

sticks and pieces of wood which he 

used to transform into “weird and 

wonderful” objects. 

A love of Art was an interest he 

shared with his mother. His teachers 

recognised his talent and they, and 

his parents, encouraged Jason. At 

the age of 18, he embarked upon a 

year's foundation course in Art and 

Design in Leicester, which enabled 

him to experiment with all kinds of 

artistic 

mediums. It was 

sculpture which 

caught his 

imagination 

most and he 

went on to 

complete a 

three year 

degree course 

at Sheffield's 

Psalter Lane 

College. His 

love of the 

countryside 

drew him to 

choose wood 

first and 

foremost - he 

loves the feel, the “physicality” as he 

calls it, of wood and finds it an 

intensely satisfying medium with 

which to work. I asked Jason how he 

found the raw material – apparently 

he began by sourcing discarded 

wood anywhere he could find it and 

bringing it back on his bike. Sounds 

quite a challenge but he delights in 

self-sufficiency. When beginning 

work, depending on the size of the 

wood, Jason uses a chainsaw to 

make the larger cuts, then he 

changes to smaller tools like 

hammers and chisels, and eventually 

uses dentists' tools to complete the 

most delicate carving. 

At the start of his career, he made 

show pieces to exhibit. In order to 

place himself in the public eye, he 

even tried his hand at woodcarving 

“busking”! Gradually Jason became 

known and the commisions began to 

roll in. He has produced sculptures 

and reliefs for councils, schools, 

hospitals, churches and private 

clients and, though public funding has 

dwindled recently, he is busy with 

other commissions – but is always 

happy to accept more! 

You have most probably seen 

some of Jason's work. Sheffield City 

Council commissioned many pieces 

of public art in the late 1990s. Who 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

has seen the huge frog in Endcliffe 

Park? Perhaps your children climbed 

on it or you traced to intricate carving 

with your own 

fingers ? Have you 

seen the large 

salmon at Salmon 

Pastures on the 

Five Weirs Walk in 

town or the fish 

bench nearby? 

Maybe you haven't 

yet caught sight of 

the gigantic 3 

metre high 

sculpture of 

“Parkway Man” as 

you drive down the 

A61 towards the city centre, but 

that's one of Jason's, too – he works 

with metal and glass, as well as 

wood. You may have seen him at 

work during the South Yorkshire 

Wood Fair or “Art in The Gardens” at 

the Botanical Gardens. So, watch 

out, Jason's about – one of 

Sheffield's finest artists! 

You can find him at his studio – 

Yorkshire Art Space, Persistence 

Works, 21 Brown Street, S1 2BS or 

contact him on 07930 471549. He'd 

love to hear from you. 

Chris Laude 

THE BEAUCHIEF SCHOOL OF 

SPEECH TRAIIG 

Pupils trained in the art of perfect 

speech and prepared for examination 

and stage work 

BARBARA E. MILLS, L.G.S.M.,A..E.A. 

(Eloc) Gold Medal 

31 Cockshutt Avenue, Sheffield 8 

Phone: 274 7134 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Touch Wood 

Meaning - a superstitious expression 

used in the hope that it will prevent 

something unwanted from happening. 

Derived from - an early pagan belief that 

trees had spirits who needed to be 

appeased to prevent ill fortune and, 

later, a medieval custom of warding off 

bad luck. Christian relics were hawked 

about the country including splinters of 

wood, believed to be from the “True 

Cross”. Those too poor to be able to 

buy such items were allowed to touch 

them — this was thought to be a gesture 

of piety which would bring them a 

blessing and good luck. 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

B 

ack in the days when car 

stickers were popular one 

of my favourites was: 

“Carpenter from Nazareth 

seeks joiners”! 

We know very little about Jesus’ 

early years but we do know that his 

earthly father Joseph was possibly a 

carpenter by trade, so it is almost a 

given that Jesus would have learnt 

his father’s trade and trained as a 

carpenter himself. In the Gospel of 

Mark, chapter three tells us how 

Jesus went back to his home town 

and someone said, “Isn’t this the 

carpenter?” (Mark 6:3). 

This certainly reminds us of how 

Jesus was a man just like us, 

learning and growing as we do, but 

as well as being fully human He was 

also fully God. 

It also reminds me of one of my 

favourite stories called “The Three 

Trees”. It goes something like this. 

There were once three young trees 

growing together on a mountainside, 

and they were dreaming about their 

future. The first tree said, “I want to 

be made into a treasure chest, and 

hold the greatest treasure in the 

world!” The second tree said, “I want 

to be made into the mightiest sailing 

ship and carry kings across the 

oceans.” The third said, “When I 

grow up I want to be the tallest tree in 

the world and point to the sky, so 

when people look up at me they will 

look to heaven and think of God.” 

Then one day the woodcutters 

came and chopped all three trees 

down. The first tree was taken to the 

carpenter’s workshop, but was 

fashioned into a humble feeding box 

for animals. 

The second tree was taken to the 

shipyard, but no ships were being 

built that day, and it was made into a 

simple fishing boat. 

The third tree was chopped into 

planks and left in the lumberyard. 

Many years later a mother and 

father had nowhere else to stay but 

with the animals in a barn, and they 

laid their precious newborn baby in 

the feeding box made from the first 

tree. And the tree realised that it held 

the greatest treasure in the world. 

Much later still, some friends were 

travelling in the fishing boat made 

from the second tree, when a terrible 

storm arose. Yet one of the travellers 

stood up and said “Be still!” and the 

sea calmed and the storm 

disappeared. And the second tree 

realised that it was carrying the King 

of Kings. 

One Friday morning a year or two 

later, the third tree was surprised 

when its planks were taken from the 

lumberyard. It felt cruel when a man 

was made to drag it past angry 

crowds. It shuddered when the hands 

and feet of the man were nailed to it. 

The tree cried when it was lifted up to 

hold the man to his death. 

Yet on the morning of the third day 

all was made new, and all three trees 

realised that their dreams had come 

true. So when people look up to the 

third tree, they will look to heaven 

and think of God. And that was better 

than being the tallest tree in the 

world. 

Daren Craddock 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Sunday Services 

The 9am Service 

● Traditional in style 

● Includes Holy Communion, a sermon & hymns 

● Includes refreshments afterwards 

● Taken from Common Worship: Holy Communion 

Lifted, the 11am Service 

● Informal and relaxed in style 

● An emphasis on families 

● Includes music, led by a band 

● Refreshments served from 10.15-10.45am 

Weekday Services 

Morning Prayers 

• Monday to Thursday at 9am 

Evening Prayers 

• Monday to Thursday at 5pm 

The Thursday 10am Service 

• Traditional in style 

• Taken from Common Worship: Holy Communion 

• Includes Holy Communion, a sermon & hymns 

• Held in the Lady Chapel at the back of church 

Other Services 

REFLECTIVE WORSHIP 

• The third Wednesday of the month starting on 

May 16 at 7.15pm with the theme Seeking Stillness 

with Jesus. 

• A contemplative and meditative form of worship. 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

WORSHIP AT ST CHAD’S 

EASTER 2011 

Thursday 21st April Maundy Thursday 

7.30pm 

A service of Holy 

Communion remembering 

the events of 

Maundy Thursday 

Friday 22nd April Good Friday 

10am 

Good Friday 

Family Service 

(especially for children) 

1pm 

Meditations Around the 

Cross 

Sunday 24th April 

Easter Sunday 

9am 

11am 

Easter Celebration 

with Holy Communion 

Family Service with 

Holy Communion 

Come and celebrate the risen Jesus! 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Wood: A hard fibrous substance 

under the bark of trees. 

W 

ood is such a versatile 

material. You can bend 

it, turn it, stain it, paint it, 

sand it and smell it. You 

can build so many different projects 

with it. I speak 

from experience 

because my job 

involves working 

with wood. 

Trees are 

arguably the most 

prominent 

members of the 

plant kingdom. 

They form a vital 

part of the natural 

biological cycle 

that keeps this 

planet alive. 

Like all plants 

they depend on a 

process called 

photosynthesis to harness the sun’s 

energy, combine it with carbon 

dioxide – CO2 – from the air and 

produce the nutrients they need to 

grow. 

In return oxygen is emitted in the 

atmosphere and vast quantities of 

water evaporate from the leaves. 

As someone who works with 

wood, I would encourage anyone 

reading this article to have a go at 

woodworking. 

A useful way to begin is to join a 

beginners woodwork class where you 

will be shown the right/wrong way to 

use hand tools in a safe environment. 

You can also learn quite a lot from 

each other. 

Once you get a feel for wood it 

never leaves you. A sense of 

satisfaction and reward can be 

achieved when you make something 

you need or that you find attractive. 

So what is stopping you from having 

a go at a new trade or a new hobby 

in wood? 

Malcom Savory 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

T 

wo thousand years after the 

event we are too accustomed 

to the sight of them to see the 

scandal of Christianity’s most 

recognisable symbol. 

Crosses stand in every church. 

Some are ornate, some are simple. 

Some (crucifixes) contain a figure of a 

dying man, others are so stylised that 

we perhaps mistake them for what 

they are. They are worn around 

people’s necks, sometimes fashioned 

in the form of a Celtic roundel cross or 

an Egyptian ankh. Yet despite our 

cultural accommodation of them, they 

remain a representation of an 

instrument of execution. 

It was the Romans who introduced 

crucifixion (although previous cultures 

had similarly grisly forms of death). 

The purpose of crucifixion was to 

inflict a lingering death in full public 

view. After the slave revolt of 

Spartacus, 70 years before Christ, 

6,000 slaves were crucified. Jesus 

would have grown up familiar with this 

demonstration of Roman power. 

When he told his disciples that in 

order to follow him they would have to 

pick up their cross, they would have 

known exactly the image he was 

referring to. And they would have 

been shocked. 

Crucifixion was reserved for the 

lowest form or slaves and for those 

who deliberately defied Roman 

power. That Jesus was crucified tells 

us that he was executed primarily 

because he was seen as confronting 

Roman authority by his supposed 

claims to being the Jewish Messiah. 

The gospels tell us that he was 

crucified along with two other 

“bandits” which might mean robbers 

or might mean people involved in 

leading a public riot. 

Crucifixion did not always involve 

nails. Sometimes the condemned 

men were simply tied on to the 

crosses in order to die slowly of 

dehydration. In Jesus’ case nails 

were used for added pain. The loincloth 

which later painters used to 

preserve Jesus’ modesty would 

almost certainly not have been there. 

Jesus died stark naked. Humiliation 

was a key part of the ordeal. 

That their leader died on a cross 

would have been a considerable 

embarrassment to the first Christians. 

The Roman orator Cicero said that 

even to speak of crucifixion in polite 

company was unacceptable. How 

could the first Christians, spreading 

the gospel of the Jewish God in 

Roman society face up to the fact that 

Jesus had died the death that he did? 

St Paul speaks of the cross as a 

scandal to Greeks and a stumbling 

block to Jews. A message based on 

a crucified leader should not have 

survived the first few years. 

And yet it did. Of all the arguments 

for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 

one of the most powerful is the 

scandal of the cross. Within a 

generation of his death non-Jewish 

Romans were praising this man Jesus 

as equal to God himself. To get from 

the scandal of crucifixion to the 

extravagance of worship it seems to 

me that we must travel by the way of 

Jesus’ resurrection. Nothing else 

seems to me to be able to account for 

this transformation. Nothing else 

seems to explain why St Paul and the 

other early Christians proclaim the 

cross rather than bury it. 

Rev Toby Hole 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

T 

here has never been a 

time when wood has not 

been available for 

mankind to use for either 

building materials, to make 

practical and decorative pieces of 

furniture, for instruments of torture 

and killing or simply as pieces of 

jewellery or art to appreciate from 

one generation to the next. 

For hundreds of thousands of 

years wood has been at mans 

disposal to defend, fortify, hunt and 

destroy or paradoxicly to create 

exceptional pieces of beautiful art and 

sculpture. You could say that wood 

has been, and is still just as important 

as the air we breathe, O yes and it 

also plays a fundamental part in 

providing that as well. 

For this article I want to look at 

wood as art and furniture combined - 

misericords, beautiful wooden 

sculptures that have stood the test of 

time and are just as beautiful today if 

not more so than when they were first 

commissioned. 

Misericords are carvings, often 

grotesque and fantastic, on the 

underside of oak seats in medieval 

churches. 

According to monastic rule, monks 

were required to observe holy offices 

several times a day. They were also 

required to stand while doing so, in 

individual stalls in the part of the 

church known as the choir (or quire). 

As a concession to elderly or 

otherwise infirm monks, who found 

standing for long periods difficult, the 

stalls were modified to include a small 

shelf on which the monks could lean, 

thus allowing them to sit while 

appearing to stand. The shelf was 

called a misericord or mercy seat, 

from the Latin word for mercy, 

misericordia. 

The earliest misericords appeared 

around the eleventh century, and 

continued to be made into the 

sixteenth century. They are found all 

over northern Europe, though they 

were most popular in England. Many 

English misericords were destroyed 

or removed during king Henry VIII's 

Dissolution of the Monasteries, but 

many remain. 

The earliest misericords were 

simple shelves, without much 

decoration. Later ones were 

elaborately carved with scenes and 

images of all kinds; bestiary, fable, 

and other animal images were 

especially popular. The stall bench 

and the misericord with its 

decorations was usually carved from 

a single piece of oak, and attached to 

the stall sides with pivot pins. 

The carvings are highly variable in 

content and quality. Some are crudely 

carved; others are finely finished and 

polished. The subject matter includes 

simple foliate decorations; narrative 

or allegorical biblical scenes; bestiary 

animals and narratives; scenes of 

everyday life; satire, usually at the 




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expense of clergy; monsters and 

grotesques; scenes from fables and 

secular tales; scatalogical images; 

and even scenes of profane love, 

romance and sex. 

The tales of Reynard the Fox were 

a popular source for misericord 

carvings. The adventures and 

downfall of the trickster fox are shown 

in narrative scenes on several 

misericords; Bristol Cathedral has a 

series of them, and they also appear 

individually elsewhere. 

Additional sources of animal 

images on misericords include the socalled 

"scenes of everyday life" which 

often include domestic animals; 

Classical mythology and stories from 

the east, including depictions of 

Alexander the Great's griffin powered 

flight; and animal scenes from the 

Bible, such as Daniel in the lion's den 

and Samson fighting a lion. 

Robin Lockwood 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

I 

n Ecclesall Woods there is a 

gravestone in memory of 

George Yardley, a 

‘woodcollier’, or charcoal 

burner, who was burnt to death in his 

cabin on 11 October 1786. 

It was put up by his friends, who, 

touchingly, have their names and 

occupations inscribed on the stone – 

William Brooks, salesman, David 

Glossop, gamekeeper, Thomas 

Smith, besom maker, and Sampson 

Brookshaw, innkeeper of the Rising 

Sun on Abbey Lane. 

Charcoal burning could be a 

dangerous business, when burners 

lived in huts right next to the charcoal 

hearths where they did their work. 

But charcoal was an important fuel 

then, as it is now in 

many parts of the 

developing world, and 

risks were evidently 

worth taking to produce 

it. It burns hotter and 

more cleanly than 

wood. And it has other 

uses, too – including as 

an artist’s material for 

drawing with. 

To make charcoal, 

wood is reduced to 

carbon in heated 

chambers from which 

oxygen is excluded to 

prevent the wood 

combusting. The result looks – and 

works – a bit like coal. It seems ironic 

that wood is subjected to this 

seemingly destructive process in 

order to produce such a useful 

substance. 

In art, one way in which charcoal 

is used is for an entire piece of paper 

to be covered in black, and which is 

then gradually removed, with a 

rubber, to indicate the lighter parts of 

a still life. 

The result can be strikingly 

effective. The artist is able to reflect 

the exact pattern of light and shade 

on the object by rubbing out the black 

charcoal to whatever degree is 

required. It’s a kind of ‘wrong-wayround’ 

sort of art – an image of a 

three-dimensional object is produced 

not by creating, but, ironically, by 

taking away. 

Such light-and-dark pictures are 

sometimes a puzzle for the eye. You 

can’t always make out what the 

picture is of straight away, but once 

your brain makes the connection, you 

can never again not see it. Take this 

picture, apparently based on a 

photograph taken by a man of a 

pattern made by black earth showing 

through snow: 

Can you see what it’s of? If not, 

stare at it for a while. 

Here’s a clue. It’s of someone 

who, like the wrong-way-round art, 

was taken away in order to show who 

he was. And who, like the wood that 

becomes charcoal, was destroyed in 

order to become the fuel in people’s 

lives. And whose name, like that of 

George Yardley, lives on after his 

death, alongside those of his closest 

mates. See it yet? 

Amy Hole 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Looking for a room 

to hold your 

meeting or party? 

St Chad’s church has two 

rooms available for hire at 

56 Abbey Lane. 

Call 0114 274 5086 for details 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

CALL IN FOR A CUPPA 

At Church House 

(56 Abbey Lane) 

10am to 12 noon 

On the last Saturday of each month. 

Bring & Buy (new items) 

Handicrafts Home Baking 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

"T 

he trees are singing my 

music - or have I sung 

theirs?" was one of Sir 

Edward Elgar's famous 

sayings; but I wonder if even he 

realised just how true it was? 

When he was very small Elgar 

attended Spetchley village school and 

here, during lessons, he would listen 

to the sound of the wind in the pines 

on the Berkley Estate across the 

road. This sound was later evoked in 

his oratorio The Dream of Gerontius. 

Elgar was a violinist and also 

played the piano, organ and bassoon 

- all made of wood. His favourite 

instrument was the violin and it was 

into his violin concerto that he poured 

his very soul. As a little boy, Elgar 

lived a stone's throw from Worcester 

Cathedral and, just around the 

corner, an old violin maker worked in 

a shop with pebble-glass windows, 

like a Beatrix Potter illustration. Elgar 

would, no doubt, have watched the 

old craftsman at work and learned 

from him that the violin is made from 

pine - the very tree that sang to him 

at school. The old violin makers (like 

Stradivarius) would sometimes 

deliberately select wood with knots or 

faults, knowing that this produced a 

superior sound in the finished 

instrument. These old violins are 

labelled inside with the maker's name 

and sometimes a poem. One such is 

translated here from the Latin: 

"I was living in the forest; The cruel 

axe did slay me. 

Living, I was mute. Dead, I sweetly 

sing." 

The Singing Tree is another name 

for a strange hybrid instrument called 

an Aeolian harp, which is basically a 

wooden sound box with tuneable 

strings stretched across it. It is 

played, not by human hands, but by 

the wind. Elgar had one and Billy 

Reed (a violinist friend) described it in 

Elgar As I Knew Him: 

He "left it in the crack of a partly 

opened window, so that the breeze 

blowing across the strings set them in 

vibration. This produced a 

shimmering musical sound of elfin 

quality, the strings being tuned to 

concordant intervals ... and Elgar 

never tired of listening to its fairylike 

improvisations." 

The influence of the Aeolian harp 

can be found in many of Elgar's 

works, among them the String 

Quartet and the Piano Quintet, which 

were written in a remote cottage in 

Sussex. His wife Alice called these 

pieces "wood magic". 

The traditional harp is made from 

willow and dates back into ancient 

history - around 3,000BC or earlier. 

The most famous harpist of all time 

has to be King David (c1,000BC). 

King David was a poet, musician and 

warrior king - Israel's Singer of 

Songs; but as a man he had many 

flaws - but then so did the wood 

chosen by the master craftsmen to 

make the best violins. Sometimes 

King David got it wrong, like we do. 

And at these times he must have felt 

like an Aeolian harp, mute and 

forgotten is a dusty corner - the music 

of his life grown faint of eluding him 

all together. 

Here is part of the last prayer in 

Eddie Askew's book about King 

David: 

But then "Your music comes again. 

Your hand plays gently on the taught 

strings of my life 

Offering me the chance to sing again. 

Fine tune me Lord, To hear the 

faintest note you play 

And help me finally to recognise the 

tune I play is Yours. 

There all the time if only I had 

listened" 

Eddie Askew, Music on the Wind 

Sylvia Bennett 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Baptisms 

January 

9 Louie George BULLAS 

Archie James BULLAS 

February 

20 Edward James HEYES 

Weddings 

January 

6 Gerald William ROE and 

Iris ANDERSON 

Funerals 

January 

10 June CALLUM (80) 

19 Joyce RIDLEY (85) 

For Weddings & Funerals 

Y 

ou 

don’t have to be a churchgoer to 

have a wedding in church, nor do 

you have to be ‘religious’ to have a 

dignified and meaningful funeral 

service at St Chad’s. 

If you live in the Woodseats or 

Beauchief area, St Chad’s would be 

delighted to help you, whether it is 

planning the Big Day or saying goodbye to 

a loved one. For weddings please contact 

St Chad’s church office. For funerals 

please tell your funeral director that you 

would like to have a church service. 

February 

2 Terence BUCKLEY (69) 

If you have recently had a new baby 

and would like to celebrate that baby’s 

birth with a service in church then please 

come to our thanksgiving and baptism 

morning at St Chad ’s on Saturday 9 th 

April. 

The morning will explain the difference 

between the two services and give parents 

an opportunity to ask any questions they 

might have. Please call the church office 

on 0114 274 5086 if you are interested in 

attending. 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

Our last edition of Impact had a 

theme of books. Following on from 

that we thought we’d tell you a bit 

about one of the groups associated 

with St Chad’s Church. 

T 

he St Chad's Book Club was 

the "brain-child" of Chris 

Carr, born out of the Third 

Age Ministry in January 

2009. There are 11 members and so 

far 26 books have been read. 

The Library provides a list of books 

which are available and the members 

take it in turn to choose them. Chris 

orders copies for everyone and then 

kindly fetches and distributes them. 

Members endeavour to meet from 

time to time to discuss the books but, 

with busy lives, it's sometimes quite 

difficult although, to date, there have 

been five extremely lively gettogethers! 

Here's what some 

members had to say: 

"My love of books comes from 

when I was about 10 years old, 

when my brother bought me two classics 

'Good Wives' and 'Little Women', and a 

poetry book which I still have today. My 

first full-time job was in a bookshop 

which I loved. Being involved with St. 

Chad's Book Club from the start gives me 

lots of excuses to find time to read. You 

can't replace a beautifully bound book 

with an iPad or a laptop. One book 

made a lasting impression - 'The Kite 

Runner' by Khaled Hosseini". 

Chris C 

"I haven't been a member very 

long, but I've really enjoyed the 

diversity of the books chosen and the 

reviews". 

Linda 

"I enjoy being in the Book Club - it 

makes me read books I wouldn't 

choose normally. Some I would have 

dismissed, but I've persevered and, in 

most cases, I've enjoyed them. It's also 

interesting to hear other people's 

comments at our get-togethers". 

Mary 

" I haven't belonged to a Book Club 

before, but I was glad I joined, 

partly because it's given me an 

opportunity to read those books I've 

wanted to read for a long time but never 

got around to them. Being in the Book 

Club means I have to make time and I get 

to read novels, particularly by 

contemporary authors, which I wouldn't 

usually come across. Two books made a 

great impression on me - 'Birdsong' by 

Sebastion Faulks and 'Fingersmith' by 

Sarah Waters. 

Mike 

"I joined the Book Club at the 

beginning of 2010 and have found 

it an excellent way to read a variety of 

books whilst having a great social time 

with friends. Members choose books 

perhaps because they have read them 

before and recommend them, or because 

they have heard about them and want to 

read them themselves. Some books have 

been "unputdownable" adventures and 

some old favourites, such as 'I Capture 

The Castle' by Dodie Smith who wrote 

'101 Dalmations'. Some novels had 

historical content, such as 'The Island', 

about a former leper colony in Greece, 

by Victoria Hislop and 'The Return', 

which takes place in the Spanish Civil 

War. This has made some members of 

the group want to know more about those 

times and places. Reading is both an 

exciting and educational pastime". 

Vicki 

"It's been great having books 

chosen for me, though some titles 

would have definitely been left on the 

shelf if I'd been choosing! It's been quite 

a revelation listening to the viewpoints of 

other members, too. It just goes to prove 

that we're all different. 

Chris L 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

CHURCH OFFICES 15 Camping Lane 274 5086 

S8 0GB 

Term time office hours: 

Mon & Thurs - 10am-1pm; 

Tues - 10am-12pm; Fri - 9.30am-11.30am 

Church Office Administrator 

Helen Reynolds 


Vicar Toby Hole (Vicarage) 274 9302 

email: toby@stchads.org 

Reader/Assistant Minister Yvonne Smith 274 5086 

for the elderly 

Besom in Sheffield 

Steve Winks and 

Darren Coggins 07875 950170 

Publishing and Communication Nigel Belcher 274 5086 

Impact magazine Tim Hopkinson 274 5086 

email: impact@stchads.org 

Church Wardens Nigel Belcher 281 1750 

email: nigel@stchads.org 

Malcolm Smith 274 7159 

Church Warden Team Tim Hopkinson 274 0198 

Jane Jones 274 6805 

Linda Jones 07930 936067 

Caretaker Mark Cobbold 274 5086 

Uniformed Groups 

Group Scout Leader Ian Jackson 235 3044 

Guide Leader Jemma Taylor 296 0555 

CHURCH HOUSE 56 Abbey Lane 274 8289 

Bookings Helen Reynolds 274 5086 

Visit our website: www.stchads.org 




Tel: (0114) 274 5086




Tel: (0114) 274 5086




Tel: (0114) 274 5086

2011-04

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