Hadfield was born at Lees Hall in Glossop, Derbyshire, the son of Joseph Hadfield and Mary Hadfield (née Ellison). He attended Woolton Grove Academy in Liverpool, and subsequently, between 1827 and 1831, he worked for his uncle Michael Ellison (his mother"s brother), agent of the estates of the Dukes of Norfolk in Sheffield.
He is chiefly known for his work on Roman Catholic churches, including the cathedral churches of Salford and Sheffield. From 1831 he was articled to the architectural firm of Woodhead and Hurst of Doncaster, and then to P. F. Robinson of London. Practising as an architect in Sheffield from 1834, Hadfield"s first commission was the design of the Cholera Monument in Sheffield, a memorial to the 402 victims of the cholera epidemic of 1832 in the city.
As an architect, Hadfield was an early follower of the Gothic revival movement led by A.W.N. Pugin.
Hadfield designed numerous Catholic churches, including All Saints, Glossop, Saint Bede"s, Rotherham, Street Hilda"s, Whitby, Street Catherine"s Church, Littlehampton and Street Chad’son His largest and most significant work was Street John"s Church in Salford (1844–1848) which in 1850 was elevated to cathedral status upon the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales.
Street John"s was in the decorated style, as was Street Marie"s Church in Sheffield (1847–1850. Elevated to cathedral status in 1980).
A further cathedral commission, in the form of the Cathedral of the Annunciation and Saint Nathy, Ballaghaderreen, in the diocese of Achonry, Ireland, came in 1855 (completed 1860).
Hadfield also designed railway stations, including that at Glossop, together with the Wicker Arches viaduct, in the neo-classical style, in Sheffield in 1848. Street Joseph"s Church, Stockport
Street Mary"s Church, Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy (restoration 1847, Weightman and Hadfield)
Street Mary"s Church, Grimsby
Street Vincent"s Church, Sheffield (Chapel-school)
Chapel at Street Michael"s Cemetery, Sheffield
Sheffield United Gas Light Company Offices
Thornbury, Sheffield
Monastery of The Holy Spirit, Sheffield
Sacred Heart Church, Hillsborough (CMHadfield).
