- St John's Church, Hartford
-
St John the Baptist Church,
Hartford
St John the Baptist Church, Hartford, from the southeastLocation in Cheshire
St John the Baptist Church,
HartfordCoordinates: 53°14′45″N 2°32′39″W / 53.2458°N 2.5441°W OS grid reference SJ 638 722 Location Hartford, Cheshire Country England Denomination Anglican Churchmanship Evangelical Website St John, Hartford History Founded 1824 Dedication St John the Baptist Consecrated 24 June 1875 Architecture Status Parish church Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade II Designated 18 July 1986 Architect(s) John Douglas Architectural type Church Style Gothic Revival Groundbreaking 29 October 1873 Construction cost £12,508 (£1.05 million as of 2011) Specifications Materials Buff and red sandstone,
red tile roofAdministration Parish St John, Hartford Deanery Middlewich Archdeaconry Chester Diocese Chester Province York Clergy Vicar(s) Rev Mike Smith
Rev James HughesMinister(s) Rev George Agar Laity Reader Dick Clague
David Charlton
Jeremy HunnsSt John the Baptist Church, Hartford is in the village of Hartford, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building,[1] and is the Anglican parish church of Hartford and Greenbank.[2] It is in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich.[3]
Contents
History
The first church on the site was consecrated in 1824. Following this the population grew and the church became too small. In 1873 it was decided that a new and larger church was needed. The new church was designed by John Douglas. The foundation stone was laid on 29 October 1873. The new church was consecrated by William Jacobson, Bishop of Chester, on 24 June 1875. At this time, the church consisted of the chancel and nave with its porches and the foundations of the tower. The tower, also designed by John Douglas, was then added and this was dedicated by William Stubbs, Bishop of Chester, on 14 April 1887. On 20 June 1897 a ring of six bells was dedicated. The total cost of the church was £12,508 (£1.05 million as of 2011).[4] In the 1920s a choir vestry was added to the east wall. In 1990 the church pipe organ was replaced by an electronic organ. In 1993 the roof was refurbished and during the following year the pews were replaced by chairs.[5] In 1997–98 an extension was added to the west end of the church to provide extra seating, toilets and a kitchen.[6]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in buff sandstone with red sandstone dressings and a red tile roof. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a two-bay chancel with a vestry to the south and a chapel to the north, north and south porches and a west tower. The tower is in four stages with a stair turret at the southwest corner which rises higher than the tower. The parapet is embattled.[1] The tower is around 70 feet (21 m) high.[7]
Interior
Internally the plaster and wooden reredos depicts the Last Supper in a Gothic gilded setting.[1] The authors of the Buildings of England series describe the interior as being "altogether interesting, with a primitive look", commenting in particular that the two sides of the chancel are different.[8] The main entrance to the church is now through the new west extension to the church.[7]
Present day
The church continues to be an active parish church in the Evangelical tradition,[2] and regular services are held.[9] The church runs a variety of groups.[10] In October 2009 work started to demolish and replace the church hall. It was replaced by St John's Church Centre, which opened in November 2010.[11]
See also
- List of new churches by John Douglas
References
- ^ a b c "Church of St John, Hartford", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1228363, retrieved 6 May 2011
- ^ a b St John's Church, Hartford, St John's Church, Hartford, http://www.stjohnshartford.org/, retrieved 10 March 2008
- ^ St John's Parish Church, Hartford, Church of England, http://www.achurchnearyou.com/hartford-st-john-the-baptist/, retrieved 3 January 2011
- ^ UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Lawrence H. Officer (2010) "What Were the UK Earnings and Prices Then?" MeasuringWorth.
- ^ St John's Hartford - origins, St John's Church, Hartford, http://www.stjohnshartford.org/about/history/historychurch, retrieved 10 March 2008
- ^ St John's Hartford - the Church Extension, St John's Church, Hartford, http://www.stjohnshartford.org/about/history/historyextension, retrieved 10 March 2008
- ^ a b St John's Hartford - a guided tour, St John's Church, Hartford, http://www.stjohnshartford.org/about/history/historytour, retrieved 10 March 2008
- ^ Hartwell, Claire; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 390, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
- ^ Service Times, St John's Church, Hartford, http://www.stjohnshartford.org/whatson/church, retrieved 10 March 2008
- ^ Church Groups at St John's, St John's Church, Hartford, http://www.stjohnshartford.org/whatson, retrieved 10 March 2008
- ^ "£1.4M Hall opens at church", Northwich Guardian (Newsquest Media Group), 6 September 2010, http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/8422132.__14_million_hall_opens_at_church/, retrieved 3 January 2011
Further reading
- Hubbard, Edward (1991). The Work of John Douglas. London: The Victorian Society. pp. 130–131. ISBN 0-901657-16-6.
Categories:- Religious buildings completed in 1875
- 19th-century Church of England church buildings
- Anglican congregations established in the 19th century
- Church of England churches in Cheshire
- Grade II listed churches
- Grade II listed buildings in Cheshire
- Gothic Revival architecture in Cheshire
- John Douglas buildings
- Diocese of Chester
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