| Where: | Sheffield, South Yorkshire, at the Cathedral on Church Street |
| When: | 27th December |
| Time: | 11 am for 11.15 service |
Every December, a special service takes place at the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul in Sheffield. It’s now run by the Sheffield Assay Office, and was founded by Mary Parsons in 1817. Mary left a bequest in her will in memory of her brother John, who was a retired silversmith and early craftsman in Sheffield plate; the generous sum she donated was to provide charity for retired or infirm silversmiths, and her memory lives on over two hundred years later. Todays silversmiths gather for the unique service, which lasts around an hour and includes well-known carols.
Helpful Hints
Mary Parsons is also commemorated at the Cathedral’s Christmas Tree Festival, where she has a dedicated tree on a silver theme(the festival ran from 5th December 2023 to 2nd January 2024- follow website link below for details- dates for 2024-5 are yet to be announced). The charity’s tree is always located beneath the memorial plaque to Mary on the south side of the nave.
All are welcome to attend – you don’t need to be connected to the trade- and refreshments are served at the conclusion of the service. As photography isn’t allowed during services, there are just a couple of snaps taken before and after, as well as some of the Cathedral interior all beautifully decorated for Christmas.
Click here for the cathedral website: https://www.sheffieldcathedral.org
here for their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SheffCathedral/
and here for the Assay Office: https://www.assayoffice.co.uk
Many thanks to John Roper for drawing my attention to the custom, and to Emma Paragreen for all her help.
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