Church Street is situated in the centre

Sheffield City Centre

Sheffield City Centre—often just referred to as town—is a district of the City of Sheffield, and part of the Sheffield Central ward. It includes the area that is within a radius of roughly of Sheffield Cathedral, and is encircled by the Inner Ring Road—a circular route started in the late 1960s...

 of Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

 at the grid reference of . It runs for approximately 450 metres in a westerly direction from its junction with Fargate

Fargate

Fargate is a pedestrian precinct and shopping area in Sheffield, England. It runs between Barker's Pool and High Street opposite the cathedral. It was pedestrianised in 1973...

 and High Street

High Street (Sheffield)

High Street is one of the main thoroughfares and shopping areas in the city centre of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England, located at the approximate grid reference of...

 to its termination at the crossroads formed by the junction with West Street, Leopold Street and Townhead Street.

History

Church Street was originally named Church Lane and was referred to as this by John Harrison's in his survey of the town centre streets for Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel

Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel

Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel KG, was a prominent English courtier during the reigns of King James I and King Charles I, but he made his name as a Grand Tourist and art collector rather than as a politician. When he died he possessed 700 paintings, along with large collections of sculpture,...

 in 1637. Ralph Gosling's map of Sheffield of 1736 shows the area around Church Lane as "extraordinarily narrow". Joseph Mather (1737–1804), the local songwriter and file cutter described Church Lane in the 1780s in his song "The Black Resurrection":

Proceed then up Church Lane, that poor narrow place,

With wood buildings projecting, twas quite a disgrace,

The roofs nearly meeting, a dark dreary street,

Might justly be styled, the robbers retreat.

In 1785 Church Lane was widened by taking a section of the nearby churchyard which resulted in the exhumation of several bodies and coffins. This produced adverse reaction from local inhabitants who directed their wrath against the vicar, the Reverend James Wilkinson.

Significant buildings

Church Street does not have any retail shops on it, but it does have some of the more significant buildings in Sheffield. Sheffield Cathedral

Sheffield Cathedral

Sheffield Cathedral is the cathedral church for the Church of England diocese of Sheffield, England. Originally a parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status when the diocese was created in 1914...

 and the Cutlers' Hall

Cutlers' Hall

Cutlers' Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Sheffield, England that is the headquarters of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire. It is located on Church Street opposite Sheffield Cathedral.-History:...

 both stand on Church Street. The Cathedral is a grade one listed building, construction started in 1430 although a church has existed on the site since the twelfth century. The Cutlers Hall was built in 1832 and is the headquarters of the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire

Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire

The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire is a trade guild of metalworkers based in Sheffield, England. It was incorporated in 1624 by an Act of parliament. The head is called the Master Cutler...

, it is the third Cutlers Hall on this site and was extended between 1865 and 1867.

Other listed buildings on Church Street are the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, HSBC

HSBC

HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...

 Bank and NatWest Bank buildings which stand on either side of the Cutlers' Hall and are built in a similar style. The premises of the Stone House Public house is also listed although the pub has been closed for a few years and stands empty. In August 2005, London & Associated Properties bought the Stone House for £2,500,000 and plan to incorporate it within the nearby Orchard Square

Orchard Square

Orchard Square is a small open-air court shopping centre located in Sheffield, England. It opened in 1987 and contains several stores, notably Schuh, Clarks, Waterstone's , River Island, Subway, The Body Shop and TK Maxx...

 shopping centre which they own. This will create 42000 square feet (3,901.9 m²) of redeveloped space.
A bronze Statue of James Montgomery

James Montgomery

James Montgomery was a British editor, hymnwriter and poet. He was particularly associated with humanitarian causes such as the campaigns to abolish slavery and to end the exploitation of child chimney sweeps....

 “The Christian Poet” stands on the Cathedral Precinct on Church Street just east of the Cathedral. Another significant building on the northern side of the thoroughfare is the Blood Donor Centre, a large building on the corner with Townhead street which was a Jobcentre

Jobcentre Plus

Jobcentre Plus was a government agency for working-age people in Great Britain. The agency was formed when the Employment Service, which operated Jobcentres, merged with the Benefits Agency, which ran social security offices, and was re-named Jobcentre Plus on 1 April 2002...

 in the 1980s. There is a Lloyds TSB

Lloyds TSB

Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...

 bank also on the northern side of the street at number 14. Further to the west up the street on the same side at number 20 stands Cairns Chambers built between 1894 and 1896. They were designed by Charles Hadfield in Tudor Gothic style for the solicitors Henry & Alfred Maxwell, the chambers have decorative exterior stonework by Frank Tory including a four foot statue of Earl Cairns

Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns

Hugh McCalmont Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns PC, QC was a British statesman who served as Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom during the first two ministries of Benjamin Disraeli. He was one of the most prominent Conservative statesmen in the House of Lords during this period of Victorian politics...

, a former Lord Chancellor

Lord Chancellor

The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...

. St. James Row joins Church Street on its northern side and features the buildings known as No. 1 St. James Row. Although officially on St. James Row the buildings have a substantial frontage onto Church Street and are an integral part of the thoroughfare. They were built in 1885 by Hemsoll & Smith as the Gladstone Buildings and were used as the Reform Club and offices. The buildings are grade two listed and were saved from demolition in 1976 with the interior being re-designed as offices and the exterior facade left intact.
Church Street has its own Sheffield Supertram

Sheffield Supertram

The Supertram, officially called the Stagecoach Supertram, is a light rail tram system in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England...

stop directly in front of the Cathedral and it carries that name. Other businesses on Church Street include an armed forces recruiting centre and several employment agencies.