The Joint Benefice of High Hoyland, Scissett and Clayton West. Deanery of Kirkburton
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The Joint Benefice of High Hoyland, Scissett and Clayton West. Deanery of Kirkburton, Archdeaconry of Halifax. St. Augustine’s Church, Scissett. All Saints’ Church, Clayton West. 1 The Location The view from above Scissett, looking North. The Joint Benefice is comprised of three villages – High Hoyland, Scissett and Clayton West. All villages adjoin each other; two are located alongside the A636 main road which runs along the Upper Dearne Valley between Wakefield and Denby Dale and onwards to Holmfirth. High Hoyland is a long established village, now a small farming and residential community, set on top of the hill looking over towards Barnsley, reached by minor roads. As the industrial revolution gripped the area, Clayton West and Scissett became industrialised with the arrival of textile mills and coal mines. While the coal mining has gone, the farming and industry remain. Housing ranges from 18th century farms, 19th century terraces, through to modern housing estates, the building of which is still ongoing in the area as the villages become increasingly popular amongst commuters to Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester. The transport links are particularly good, being less than ten minutes’ drive to the M1 motorway, and also having good bus services to Wakefield, Huddersfield and Holmfirth. Trains are available from Denby Dale, linking into the trans-pennine network. Many amenities exist within the villages, including a petrol station and MOT station, post office and mail delivery depot, small supermarket, village stores, hair salons and a number of other small businesses. A few small industrial estates and factories also provide employment in the villages. Recreational facilities exist - there are several playgrounds, a swimming pool and fitness centre, bowling green, football and cricket fields; public houses and eateries are available and there is the very local tourist attraction of steam trains at the The swimming baths, fitness centre, supermarket, petrol station Kirklees Light Railway. and post office are all located close together on the A636. 2 Within Clayton West and Scissett, there are nurseries taking children from the age of four months, two first schools, a school welcoming those children with behavioural, social and emotional difficulties (ranging from Key stage 2 to Key stage 4) and the middle school accepting children aged 10 to 13 years. There are also good community organisations: Rainbows, Beavers, Scouts, the community The primary schools in Scissett (above) and in Clayton West (below) choir, walking groups, book club, Darby and Joan Club, friends of Cliffe woods and several sport teams. In addition to the handy transport links and the availability of many local amenities, lovely countryside surrounds the villages, providing the opportunities for pleasant walks across fields and through woods, some detailed in the Denby Dale Parish Council leaflets; beautiful views are available from many doorsteps. 3 Desirable Qualities in Our New Priest Worship A person who is prayerful and spiritual; whose faith is lived out in their actions and ministry; someone who is willing to encourage lay ministry and its development. Communicator A person who is a good communicator; approachable, and who would be happy to join in aspects of village life and activities, including our Churches Together community, and to continue our good relationships with our village schools and nurseries. Leader A person with visionary leadership skills, able to inspire our congregations, to help us grow in faith and encourage new people into our church life, especially the younger generations. Outreach A person who is willing to work alongside our imaginative, enthusiastic teams to help us to continue the development of mission within the local community. Last, but not least, we need someone who has a good sense of humour and ready for a new challenge in their life, with a huge resource of energy. 4 St Augustine’s Church Scissett CHURCH HISTORY St Augustine’s church was built in1837, was consecrated in 1840 by Bishop Longley of Ripon, later becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury, to serve the spiritual needs of the new and growing industrial village of Scissett, as well as those of the neighbouring village of Skelmanthorpe. The new parish had been carved out of the ancient parishes of High-Hoyland and Emley. Through the strenuous efforts of the then resident vicars and their Parish Church councillors, Skelmanthorpe was enabled to build its own church (St Aidan’s) in 1894, leaving Scissett a parish in its own right, with a population of about 100 people. Through the influence of the Nortons (a devout, generous and benevolent local family) who owned a good proportion of the village and employed a greater part of its inhabitants there developed a strong family-like bond which embraced both church and village which served both of them well for the next century. This is in evidence even today as Bagden Hall Hotel (The Norton family home) is the ideal wedding venue for the reception after the church service It was from the church at this period that almost every village organisation, society and co-operative event sprang – many of which still survive, nothing was done which did not incorporate church involvement and the church’s goodwill. In 1983 all this was to change to some degree, when the parish was enjoined to the parish of High Hoyland and Clayton West with one Priest-in-Charge and one curate to serve the joint parishes. In 1985 the curate was withdrawn, leaving the Priest-in-Charge to continue alone. At present there is a curate at St Augustine’s, who shares her duties with those at All Saints’, Clayton West. One notable feature that has remained constant throughout the church’s history has been the strong ties between the church and the Church Aided School, now the lead school in a newly formed academy trust. Around 2004 the church was re-ordered with regard to the interior layout, this new look gave scope to widen the church’s involvement in local parish affairs, and has enabled the space in church to be utilised in a much better way. In 2014, the church had a devastating theft of lead from the roof. This caused £50,000 plus in damages to both the inside and outside of the church, resulting in it being temporarily closed due to health and safety issues. In the darkest times there were talks that the church may never re-open as raising such a substantial amount of money seemed impossible, but as they say every cloud has a silver lining and this led to the formation of the Friends of St. Augustine’s Group, which set out to raise funds to repair and re-open the church. 5 With the dedication of the congregation, the community and the ‘Friends of St Augustine’s’ to ‘raise the roof’ - the goal was achieved through many fundraising events in the community, a sponsored walk up Snowdon, coffee mornings, November Fair, Film Nights, and a large grant from ‘Listed Places of Worship’. In September 2016 there was a celebration weekend, which started on the Saturday morning with a coffee morning, giving the community an opportunity to look around the church. In the evening there was a concert featuring The Yorkshire Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and two youth music groups from Shelley Musica. On the Sunday a service of Thanksgiving and Dedication was held, with Rt Revd Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Huddersfield, taking the lead. The Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication FRIENDS OF ST. AUGUSTINE’S The group was formed when the devastating ‘lead theft’ happened as previously mentioned. They meet once a month and organise events throughout the year to raise the church’s profile and to raise money for various items, so far they have helped to raise monies for the church roof repairs – and funded the purchase of folding tables for use at various events. They also are actively working to get the church back to the heart of the community. CHURCH BUILDING The church is located at the top end of beautiful and spacious grounds set well back from the main road. Vehicular access to the building is along an un-adopted narrow lane off Busker Lane. There is a fairly new tarmac path leading from the main Wakefield Road up to the rear and front door of the church. Handrails have been provided on the steeper sections. There is a small tarmac area at the end of the church providing parking for up to 8 cars. The graveyard is closed and is maintained by Kirklees Council. There is a small area designated for the burial of cremated remains. At the back of church approx. 1400sq. m. of land has recently been acquired by the church, with possibilities for development. The building itself is 180 years old and is built in the Gothic style. The interior consists of a narthex, the ‘Kent’ room, where refreshments are served after each service, and it is also used as a meeting room. 2WC’s with facilities for the disabled, a kitchen, a 6 gallery (mainly used for storage), the main worship area which can seat 150 on non-fixed chairs, a chancel and a small vestry (mainly used for storage). The stained glass windows are colourful and beautiful. One in particular, has been of keen interest to researchers. .. that by Henry Payne, a famous artist and stained glass window maker. There is a wrought iron screen ,designed by Mr. Hodgson Fowler, the Durham Cathedral architect, and was given by Mr. J. Waites, one time organist, in memory of his wife.. The church is fully equipped with a modern sound system and hearing loop. The building is in quite a good state of repair although the stonework is showing signs of weathering and will need to be attended to in the near future, and the tower is in need of immediate work, which is planned for late summer 2017.