Features

Archways at St John's, Cadeby

Churches, chapels, mosques, gurdwaras, synagogues and other faith sites are literally treasure houses of history.

They contain ancient carvings both in stone and timber, traces of wall paintings, green men, wonderful roof bosses, gargoyles and dripstone heads, tombs and monuments, stained glass and more.

From Adwick to Worsbrough with Silkstone and Sheffield in between, South Yorkshire has a wonderful heritage of faith buildings peppered across the countryside and nestling in our towns.

Heritage Inspired is a South Yorkshire project which works with heritage sites and buildings of all faiths across the county. We want to increase access to these places, so more people can experience them.

Click on the links above to look at some of the sites in our galleries.

Painting at All Saints church, Babworth

The Heritage InSPIREd project

There are around 10,000 faith sites of medieval origin in the UK. They were all built for the same purpose, but no two are the same.

The Heritage Inspired project works with 208 listed faith buildings and more than 400 non-listed buildings. 32 of the listed buildings are Grade 1, 32 are Grade 2* and 144 are Grade 2. Three buildings are in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, and two are English Heritage Sites.

Very few ancient sites are built in the style of one architectural period, and their history can be traced through the jigsaw of architectural styles.

Faith sites are the keepers of community heritage. Churchyards in particular are a veritable "who's who" of the area and are also keepers of traditions and rites that may have been practiced for generations.

Gargoyle at St Peter's, Barnby Dun

Each site offers a new experience, and further visits often reveal new secrets. Perhaps this is why visiting heritage faith sites is one of the most popular pastimes in the country, and such sites also attract foreign visitors. The potential for faith sites to attract visitors is huge.

The Heritage Inspired project is unique - the only project of its kind in the country. It is independent, run by three staff and a volunteer steering group, funded by grants and donations, with core funding coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

The project has grown steadily since 1998 and is considered to be a national leader in the field of faith site tourism.

Explore the sites!

Explore our wonderful heritage faith sites at any time, on your own or as part of one of our tours. To receive the Heritage Inspired newsletter, or if you're interested in being involved with Heritage Inspired as a volunteer, phone 0845 6529634 or email info@heritageinspired.org.uk.

Sarah Arthur, December 2008