Sheffield is a small township surrounded by a large and prosperous agricultural and pastoral district. It lies thirty-eight miles north-west from Christchurch, on the Springfield railway line. The climate is remarkably bracing and invigorating, as the district is 964 feet above the sea level. Originally it formed part of the Homebush run, and was then covered with its native tussock. The late Mr. John Jebson, the earliest settler at Sheffied, named the township after his native place in England. He bought land, which he cut up into building sections, and erected a small Methodist chapel, which was used as a public school for some time, and is now known as the Oddfellows' Hall. The opening up of the railway to Sheffield in 1874, promoted the growth of the township, as it was the terminus of that line for some years. Other settlers of that period were Messrs George Willis, Thomas Askew, Robert George Fleming, Walter Taylor, William Tresidder, and Hugh Wright, who all took up land in the neighbourhood. Prior to the advent of the railway, Mr. George Willis had built an accommodation house, known as the Malvern Arms Hotel, in the district then designated Little Racecourse Hill, between Sheffield and Annat. In 1875 he built the first hotel at Sheffield, to which he transferred his license. A public library was afterwards erected, but through the apathy of the residents it was subsequently sold. Practically, the whole of the district has been under cultivation. Large areas have been laid down in oats and wheat, and oats yield an average of from thirty-five to forty bushels, and wheat, twenty-five bushels, to the acre. Turnips are also grown on a large scale, and numerous flocks of sheep are raised. An efficient supply of water, fed from the Kowai river, is led by races through every paddock in the district. Sheffield now possesses two churches—Anglican and Methodist—a commodious Town Hall, Oddfellows' Hall, saleyards, a large hotel, two stores, and a blacksmith's shop. The offices of the East Malvern Road Board are also in the township. There is no public school, as the Malvern school at Waddington, and the school at Annat, are sufficiently near at hand. A public domain of twenty acres is planted round with shelter trees. Sheffield is the headquarters of the Malvern Mounted Rifles, page 764 and of the Malvern Trotting Club. The post and telegraph office is at the railway station, and mails arrive and depart twice daily.

The Parish Of Malvern, which is one of the largest in the South Island, was originally worked from Christchurch. Archdeacon Harper, now of Timaru, was in charge. Malvern was formed into a separate district in 1880. The first vicar was the Rev. H. Collins, and for several years the Rev. Walter Bean was vicar. He was succeeded by the Rev. T. Hodgson, the Rev. H. H. Hamilton, and the present vicar. Malvern parish extends from the Waimakariri river to the Rakaia, and from the Courtenay parish to the summit of the Southern Alps. Sheffield is the headquarters, and the residence of the vicar. Springfield, Kowai Bush, the Midland Railway works, and the West Coast road, up to the Bealey; also Waddington, part of Race-course Hill, Coalgate, Hororata, Glentunnel, Glenroy, Windwhistle, and Murchison's run, Glenthorne, are also included in the parish. St. Andrew's church, Sheffield, has accommodation for 110 worshippers; St. Peter's, Springfield, accommodates 140; and St. John's, Hororata, has seats for 120. A new church is (1903) being erected at Glentunnel. Services are held in the schoolrooms at Kowai Bush, at the Midland Railway works, and Glenroy.

The Rev. John Henry Rogers, Vicar of Malvern, was born in Bristol, England, in 1843. He was educated at Harrow, and afterwards studied at Oxford, where he graduated with honours. After being ordained for the Church, by the present Bishop of Gloucester, he was appointed curate of St. Paul's, in Gloucester. Subsequently he became vicar, successively, of the parishes of St. Paul's, Leamington, St. George's, Brighton, St. Matthew's, Thorpe Hamlet, Norwich, and St. John's, Pendeen. In April, 1902, he arrived in New Zealand to take up his present charge. Mr. Rogers is married to a daughter of Dr Shephered, of Clifton, Bristol, and has a family of one son and four daughters. Mrs Rogers was an art student of repute in the Old Country, and exhibited at the Exhibition for Water Colours, London, and also at the Dudley Gallery. Since her arrival in New Zealand, she has exhibited at the Canterbury Society of Arts, in Christchurch.

The Sheffield Town Hall is a large building, erected on modern lines, and situated in the centre of the township. It was built by the late Mr. T. C. Hickson, in 1901, and for size, convenience, and general appearance, it may be described as one of the best town halls in the country districts of Canterbury. There is a raised stage, and the body of the hall has seating accommodation for about 400 persons. Cloak and dressing rooms for ladies and gentlemen adjoin the main hall, and there is also a large supper room. The local public meetings, concerts, and dances are held in the building, and travelling theatrical companies also give entertainments there. The Sheffield Town Hall is the property of Mr. D. J. Mahar, proprietor of the Sheffield Hotel.

Cordial And Aerated Water Factory (Fred Cox, proprietor), Sheffield. This prosperous business was started by the late Mr. Henry Milsom in 1880, and bought by its present owner in 1885. The factory, one of the largest country businesses of its kind in Canterbury, supplies the district of Sheffield, Castle Hill, Darfield, Coalgate, Glentunnel, Hororata, Oxford, and Springfield. The output amounts to 1000 dozen bottles per month, and the cordials have a reputation for their purity and tone. The factory is supplied with the latest machinery, and the water is obtained from a depth of thirty feet, and is thoroughly filtered before it is used.

Mr. Fred Cox is a son of the late Mr. William Cox, who was foreman engineer of the Great Eastern Railway, with which he was connected for over forty years. He was also a Freemason of high standing and a member of Lodge Garibaldi. Mr. Cox was born and educated in London, and came to Dunedin in 1877. In the following year he moved to Canterbury, and was for two years employed in the factory of the late Mr. H. Milsom at Christchurch, and afterwards went to the Ashburton branch. In 1885 Mr. Cox went to Sheffield to manage the Sheffield branch, which, owing to the death of Mr. Milsom, was then owned by his widow, from whom Mr. Cox afterwards bought it. Since settling at Sheffield, Mr. Cox has identified himself with the advancement of the place, and has always taken a keen interest in local and other sports. He is a shareholder in the Sheffield Saleyards Company. Mr. Cox married Miss Bartlett, and there is a family, of three sons and three daughters.

Mr. and Mrs F. Cox and Family.

The Sheffield Hotel is a commodious two-storied building, and stands near the railway station. It was erected in 1882, by Mr. Michael Flanagan, and subsequently passed through several hands. Mr. D. J. Mahar, the present proprietor, bought the property in June, 1902, and since that date it has been conducted as a first-class country hotel. The bedrooms and sitting rooms are clean, comfortable, and well furnished, and the bath is provided with hot and cold water. Wines and spirits of the best quality are served, and a good table is kept. The billiard room contains a full-sized modern table. There is ample stable accommodation, and there are also paddocks for travelling sheep. Sheffield is a noted health resort, and visitors may depend upon receiving every kindness and attention from Mr. and Mrs Mahar.

Mr. Dennis John Mahar, Proprietor of the Sheffield Hotel, is a son of Mr. Daniel Mahar, draper, of Lyttelton. He was born at Pendalton, near Manchester, and was brought out by his parents as a child, in the ship “Duke of Edinburgh,” which arrived at Wellington in 1871. The family went to the West Coast, and six months later removed to Lyttelton, where Mr. Mahar, senior, started in the drapery business, which he has since successfully conducted. For sixteen years Mr. D. J. Mahar was engaged in his father's business, and during that time he became president of the Lyttelton Young Men's Club, and was connected with rowing and other clubs. In 1898 he took over the Harewood Arms Hotel, at Oxford, which he conducted for four years, when he bought the Sheffield Hotel. Mr. Mahar married a daughter of Mr. William Rodgers, of Sydenham, and has a family of one son and two daughters.