Story by Nikky Wilson
Passing by Verdon Street, you could easily mistake The Furnival for a 6O’s pub: from the outside it is just a dreary, characterless brick box. Inside, however, a different story is told by the people who use it, of faith, determination and hope that turned the building into a church.
It started with the decline of Lopham Street Methodist Chapel. For decades the chapel had featured in the lives of many Burngreave people, as a place of worship but also in song, sport and other community activities.
It had a popular choir and outstanding football and cricket teams plus a very active group of ‘Home Fires’ – the ladies who kept alive domestic skills. However, as houses were demolished in the 1990s and people moved out of the area, the congregation fell so dramatically that they started to hold services in their own homes rather than waste money heating the chapel. In the meantime the fabric of the building deteriorated irreversibly and finally a decision was made to sell it and seek an alternative place of worship nearby. So in April 1996 Anne Digby, Mary Pilgrim and Jack Simmerson found themselves going to an auction on Verdon Street, with the intention of buying a pub to convert it into a place of worship.
“We were terribly anxious about the auction itself,” said Anne. “The Methodist Property Section had given us a limit of £50,000 and we couldn’t bid above this. When it became clear we were competing against a businessman who wanted to keep the place as a pub, we didn’t hold much hope. However when we got to £49,500, he stopped and so the Furnival became ours!”
“But the relief didn’t last long,” added Frank, Mary’s husband. “In fact that night the place was broken into and stripped, right down to the copper piping and the carpets. It was in a terrible mess… and we had absolutely no money to renovate it!” Despite this setback, a dedicated congregation of four worked hard to overcome the shock of the break-in and make the place welcoming. “We decorated the place ourselves and then people started to offer us things as donations,” said Anne. “We were given furniture, carpets, cutlery and even a cooker! That was really important as we have always tried to share food with others.”
Gradually, the place took shape and, with the emphasis on hospitality, a decision was made to keep the name of the pub and call it ‘The Furnival Ecumenical Centre’. The centre developed a welcoming café in what was the public bar and the floor in the beer cellar was lowered to create space for The Cellar Space, a successful education project for excluded young people (running for ten years and still thriving today). The Sunday service is held in the lounge bar.
Although the congregation has declined in recent years, the centre still plays an active role in the local community. Anne told me: “We offer meeting space to many groups in the area and we always leave the door open on a Sunday afternoon during the service so that anyone can join us. You don’t have to follow a particular religion – we welcome everyone!”
Listening to the story of the evolution of the building from pub to church and community centre, I was struck by the dedication and perseverance of everyone involved in The Furnival. It made me realise how much their commitment is reflected in the atmosphere inside the building: as a place of welcome and hospitality, it certainly succeeds!
A big thank you to Anne and Frank Digby, Mary Pilgrim and Annie from The Furnival for sharing their stories with me.
Burngreave Voices: Our Stories Celebrated is a Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust project in partnership with Sheffield Libraries and Information Service. It is generously supported by Sheffield City Council and Burngreave New Deal for Communities