St John the Evangelist's Church, Lancaster
Encyclopedia
St John the Evangelist's Church, Lancaster, is a redundant
Anglican
church in North Road, Lancaster
, Lancashire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
to Lancaster Priory
at a time when the town was growing rapidly. It is thought that the architect was Henry Sephton
. In 1784 a tower and spire designed by Thomas Harrison
were added. This was paid for by a legacy
from Thomas Bowes. A south porch was built in 1874. In the 1920s an apse
with a chapel to the north and a vestry
to the south were added. The interior of the church was restored in 1955 by Sir Albert Richardson
. The church closed in 1981, and was vested
in the Redundant Churches Fund (the forerunners of the Churches Conservation Trust) in 1983.
ashlar
with a slate
roof. Its plan consists of a five bay
nave
, a semicircular apse with a north chapel and a south vestry, a south porch and a west tower. The body of the church measures 77 feet (23 m) by 49 feet (15 m). It has projecting quoins
and a cornice
over which is a parapet
. On the sides of the church are tall round-headed windows with keystones
. In the west bay on the north side of the church is a blocked doorway. This contains a window, and there is a round-headed window above it. The east bay on the south side has a similar door and windows. The west bay of the south side contains a porch, over which is another round-headed window. In the apse are two curved windows flanked by round-headed windows, and there are similar windows on each side of the tower on the west front.
The tower is in three stages. On its west side is a door, there are lunette
windows on the north and south sides, and a rectangular window on the north side. The middle stage has clock faces on three sides. The top stage contains rectangular louvred
bell openings. On the top of the tower is a rotunda
consisting of rectangular openings and Tuscan
columns carrying a curved entablature
with a triglyph
frieze
. On top of this is a drum with a spirelet.
galleries on three sides, with Ionic
columns rising from the galleries to the ceiling. The central part of the west gallery is supported by two timber Doric
columns. The galleries are reached by two staircases. In the body of the church are oak box pew
s. On the south side the pews have been modified to form a double pew for the use of the Corporation
. The mahogany
communion rails have turned baluster
s. The iron pulpit
dates from 1875 and the plain stone font
from 1858. The stained glass in the north aisle and the chapel dates from the late 19th or early 20th century and is by Shrigley and Hunt
. The stained glass in the apse windows dates from about 1870 and depicts scenes from the life of Christ. The wall of the apse is painted with the Ten Commandments
and the Creed
. The three-manual
organ was built in 1784 by B. Langshaw. It was rebuilt by Brindley & Co
of Sheffield
in 1868, and again in 1934 by Henry Ainscough of Preston. Further work was carried out by Victor Saville of Carnforth
in 1983. The organ case is in mahogany in Robert Adam
style, and was made by Gillow's
of Lancaster in about 1785. The clock mechanism was made by Bell and Atkinson of Lancaster in 1866, and occupies a glass case in the middle stage of the tower. The tower also contains two bells, one dated 1747 cast by Rudhall of Gloucester
, and the other from 1846 by Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in North Road, Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
.
History
The church was built in 1754–55 as a chapel of easeChapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to Lancaster Priory
Lancaster Priory
Lancaster Priory, formerly St Mary's Church, Lancaster, is the parish church of the city of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It is located near Lancaster Castle and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican church in the deanery of...
at a time when the town was growing rapidly. It is thought that the architect was Henry Sephton
Henry Sephton
Henry Sephton was the leading mason and architect in Liverpool, England during the second quarter of the eighteenth century, the architect-builder of Ince Blundell Hall and Halton Court House, Halton, Cheshire , who worked in both classical and Gothic revival styles.-Notes:...
. In 1784 a tower and spire designed by Thomas Harrison
Thomas Harrison (architect)
Thomas Harrison was an English architect and engineer. He built a number of bridges, including Grosvenor Bridge in Chester. He also rebuilt parts of Chester and Lancaster castles...
were added. This was paid for by a legacy
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
from Thomas Bowes. A south porch was built in 1874. In the 1920s an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
with a chapel to the north and a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
to the south were added. The interior of the church was restored in 1955 by Sir Albert Richardson
Albert Richardson
Sir Albert Edward Richardson K.C.V.O., F.R.I.B.A, F.S.A., was a leading English architect, teacher and writer about architecture during the first half of the 20th century...
. The church closed in 1981, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Redundant Churches Fund (the forerunners of the Churches Conservation Trust) in 1983.
Exterior
St John's is constructed in sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
with a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its plan consists of a five bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, a semicircular apse with a north chapel and a south vestry, a south porch and a west tower. The body of the church measures 77 feet (23 m) by 49 feet (15 m). It has projecting quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
and a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
over which is a parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. On the sides of the church are tall round-headed windows with keystones
Keystone (architecture)
A keystone is the wedge-shaped stone piece at the apex of a masonry vault or arch, which is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allowing the arch to bear weight. This makes a keystone very important structurally...
. In the west bay on the north side of the church is a blocked doorway. This contains a window, and there is a round-headed window above it. The east bay on the south side has a similar door and windows. The west bay of the south side contains a porch, over which is another round-headed window. In the apse are two curved windows flanked by round-headed windows, and there are similar windows on each side of the tower on the west front.
The tower is in three stages. On its west side is a door, there are lunette
Lunette
In architecture, a lunette is a half-moon shaped space, either filled with recessed masonry or void. A lunette is formed when a horizontal cornice transects a round-headed arch at the level of the imposts, where the arch springs. If a door is set within a round-headed arch, the space within the...
windows on the north and south sides, and a rectangular window on the north side. The middle stage has clock faces on three sides. The top stage contains rectangular louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
bell openings. On the top of the tower is a rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
consisting of rectangular openings and Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
columns carrying a curved entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with a triglyph
Triglyph
Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze, so called because of the angular channels in them, two perfect and one divided, the two chamfered angles or hemiglyphs being reckoned as one. The square recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric...
frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. On top of this is a drum with a spirelet.
Interior
There are panelledPanelling
Panelling is a wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials....
galleries on three sides, with Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
columns rising from the galleries to the ceiling. The central part of the west gallery is supported by two timber Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
columns. The galleries are reached by two staircases. In the body of the church are oak box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s. On the south side the pews have been modified to form a double pew for the use of the Corporation
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
. The mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
communion rails have turned baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s. The iron pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
dates from 1875 and the plain stone font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
from 1858. The stained glass in the north aisle and the chapel dates from the late 19th or early 20th century and is by Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt was the name of an English firm which produced stained glass windows and art tiles.The business began in the 1750s when Shrigley's was a painting, carving and gilding firm in Lancaster, Lancashire....
. The stained glass in the apse windows dates from about 1870 and depicts scenes from the life of Christ. The wall of the apse is painted with the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
and the Creed
Creed
A creed is a statement of belief—usually a statement of faith that describes the beliefs shared by a religious community—and is often recited as part of a religious service. When the statement of faith is longer and polemical, as well as didactic, it is not called a creed but a Confession of faith...
. The three-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1784 by B. Langshaw. It was rebuilt by Brindley & Co
Brindley & Foster
Brindley & Foster was a pipe organ builder based in Sheffield who flourished between 1854 and 1939.-Background:The business was established by Charles Brindley in 1854. He was joined by Albert Healey Foster in 1871 and the company acquired the name Brindley & Foster.Charles Brindley was born in...
of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in 1868, and again in 1934 by Henry Ainscough of Preston. Further work was carried out by Victor Saville of Carnforth
Carnforth
- References :...
in 1983. The organ case is in mahogany in Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
style, and was made by Gillow's
Robert Gillow
Robert Gillow was an English furniture manufacturer.Born in Singleton, Lancashire he served an apprenticeship as a joiner and cabinet maker. He joined with a family of traders called Sattersthwaite and sailed with them to the West Indies as a ships carpenter. In Jamaica he became interested in...
of Lancaster in about 1785. The clock mechanism was made by Bell and Atkinson of Lancaster in 1866, and occupies a glass case in the middle stage of the tower. The tower also contains two bells, one dated 1747 cast by Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester
Rudhall of Gloucester was a family business of bell founders in the city of Gloucester, England, who between 1684 and 1835 produced over 5,000 bells. The business was founded by Abraham Rudhall and the earliest ring of bells he cast was for St Nicholas' Church, Oddington in 1684. He came to be...
, and the other from 1846 by Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
.