Friends of Chesterfield Parish Church

The Friends’ is a registered charity founded in 1942 with the objective of promoting “the restoration, maintenance, repair and improvement of the fabric, ornaments, vestments, furniture and furnishings of Chesterfield Parish Church”.

The Friends of Chesterfield Parish Church was formed in 1942 by the Venerable T. Dilworth-Harrison (Archdeacon and Vicar of Chesterfield) after he had been the incumbent for eight years. Over two hundred people supported the organization at its inception. The original minimum subscription was half-a-crown (2s 6d) -or 12½p in today’s money. The initial aims were “to bind together all those who love the Parish Church of Chesterfield with its crooked spire, and to bring others to appreciate and enjoy it also”. It was hoped to arrange meetings and activities to achieve this and to help maintain and enrich both the fabric and furnishings of the church.

In its early years, The Friends assisted with the purchase of furnishings for the church, including chairs for the East End, altar frontals, curtains, priests’ vestments, material for kneelers in the Lesser Lady and Holy Cross Chapels, and the memorial brass to Archbishop Clayton (a former Archdeacon & Vicar) in the Lady Chapel.Contributions from The Friends also enabled the rood screen to be re-decorated, the priests’ vestry to be renovated, and repairs made to some of the figures on the Foljambe tombs.

In the early 1970s, The Friends made a large donation towards the cleaning of the exterior of the church. The Friends was also responsible for launching the general appeal fund for a memorial to its founder, Talbot Dilworth-Harrison.

Patron: The Duke of Devonshire

President: The Bishop of Derby

Vice President: The Vicar of Chesterfield

Chairman: Nigel Swann