A Catholic cemetery chapel has been added to the Victorian Society’s 2026 top 10 list of endangered buildings.
St Michael’s Chapel is a Grade II listed building located in Sheffield’s City Road Cemetery and was built in 1898. The chapel has been unused for some time and is in a dilapidated and unstable state.
According to the Victorian Society, it is simply one of many such chapels that have fallen into disrepair and neglect. In 2009 the group conducted a national survey to highlight the issue, however little has been done to rectify the situation.
Many chapels are no longer in use and do not even have clear custodians.
In the case of St Michael’s there is currently no clear plan to resolve the many issues with the building. The condition of the roof is extremely poor, with blue sheets being used to cover some of the gaps in the tiling. The growth of vegetation within the stonework of the building has compromised its structural integrity.
The Victorian Society said “urgent action” is required to repair not just St Michael’s but many other such buildings up and down the country.
Last year’s endangered buildings list included Edgerton Cemetery Chapel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The chapel, as well as suffering years of neglect, had also been the subject of arson attacks.
A collapsed roof and out of control vegetation left the building “a tragic ruin”. In March of this year a fence was erected around the ruin for safety purposes and a survey conducted to estimate the cost of repair and maintenance works. Both restoration and demolition are being considered.
Griff Rhys Jones, President of the Victorian Society, said of St Michael’s, “This is a sad story. People are still dying. Cemeteries are getting over full. We need space to bury our dead. And yet we have so many decaying and neglected Chapels of Rest on our books.
“A report comes. It is in a poor state. The roof is getting dangerous. But reports must be a call to arms. We still value proper burial. We all want proper respect. Some of that value must be turned into action to keep this fine and leading example of a garden cemetery alive and well. The graves and the Catholic community deserve no less.”
