Church of St John the Divine, Holme Chapel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St John the Divine, Holme Chapel
St John the Divine, Holme-in-Cliviger
West front of the church
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SD 876 285
Location	Holme Chapel, Cliviger, Burnley, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St John, Holme Chapel
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint John the Divine
Consecrated	29 July 1794
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	1 April 1953
Architectural type	Church
Style	Neoclassical
Groundbreaking	1788
Completed	1897
Construction cost	£780
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone
Administration
Parish	St John the Divine, Holme-in-Cliviger
Deanery	Burnley
Archdeaconry	Blackburn
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

The Church of St John the Divine is a beautiful old church located in Holme Chapel, a village near Burnley, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it's a local church for the community. This church is special because it's listed as a Grade II building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's an important historical building.

The church was built a long time ago, between 1788 and 1794. It replaced an even older, smaller chapel. The church is designed in a simple Classical style. Above the front entrance, there's a bell tower with a cool octagonal (eight-sided) top. Inside, you can see amazing carved oak seats that were moved from another church that was taken down. These seats have special carvings called poppyheads and misericords.

History of the Church

The current Church of St John the Divine replaced a much smaller chapel. That old chapel was only about 42 feet long and 18 feet wide. People described it as a "rude but picturesque little building." It was probably built when King Henry VIII was on the throne.

This older chapel belonged to the Whitaker family, who lived at Holme Hall, Cliviger. By 1788, the chapel was falling apart, so it was taken down. The new church was then built on higher ground. It cost £870 to build, and a man named Dr. T. D. Whitaker helped pay for it.

The new church could seat 400 people. It was officially opened on July 29, 1794, by Bishop William Cleaver. Dr. Whitaker became the church's leader in 1797. Later, in 1897, the back part of the church, called the chancel, and a small room for the clergy, called the vestry, were added.

Church Design and Look

Outside the Church

The church is built from squared sandstone, which is a type of rock. It has special dressed stones at the corners called quoins. The roof is probably made of slate, but you can't see it because of a low wall around the top called a parapet. The church's style is simple Classical.

The church has a rectangular shape. It has a main area called the nave with three sections, and a chancel with two sections, plus a vestry. Around the outside of the church, there's a decorative band called a string course. At the very top, there's a fancy moulded cornice and a plain parapet.

The front of the church, called the west front, has two levels. In the middle, there's an entrance with a Tuscan archway. This doorway is round at the top and is inside a larger, round-headed arch. Next to the entrance are two windows, also round at the top, with circular patterns inside. There are two similar, but smaller, windows on the level above.

On the roof, there's a bell tower with an octagonal (eight-sided) dome-like structure called a cupola. The sides of the church have windows that look like the ones at the front. The east wall of the chancel has a special three-part window called a Venetian window.

Inside the Church

Inside the church, there's a screen between the nave and the chancel. This screen has a large, round-headed arch in the middle, with smaller arches on either side. At the back of the church, there's a gallery (a raised seating area) supported by three rounded arches. The front of the gallery has carved columns called pilasters that create four panels. These panels show the Ten Commandments.

The pulpit, where the preacher stands, is from the 16th century. It's eight-sided and has a top that looks like castle battlements. It has detailed carvings. The church also has two pairs of old oak seats, called stalls. These were moved here from a church in Blackburn that was taken down in 1820. One pair of stalls has a beautiful poppyhead carving at the end. The other pair has two misericords, which are small ledges on the underside of folding seats. One misericord has leaf carvings, and the other shows a mermaid holding a mirror, with fish on either side.

Some of the wooden panels inside the church are carved in a style called linenfold, which looks like folded cloth, with a vine pattern. There are also memorials inside the church. These include one for Lawrence Ormerod, who passed away in 1793, which has a flaming urn. Another is for John Hargreaves, who passed away in 1825, made by George Webster. There are also memorials to the Whitaker family, including a bust (a sculpture of the head and shoulders) of Dr. T. D. Whitaker. You can also see a painting of General Scarlett in the church.

Churchyard and Burials

To the south of the church, there's an archway with parts of a very old stone cross from the medieval times.

General Sir James Yorke Scarlett, who passed away in 1871, is buried here. He was famous for leading a brave charge in a battle called the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. His nephew, Sir John Thursby, 1st Baronet, who passed away in 1901, is also buried here.

What Makes the Church Special

The Church of St John the Divine was officially recognized as a Grade II listed building on April 1, 1953. Grade II is the most common level of listing. It means the building is "nationally important and of special interest."

Experts Clare Hartwell and Nikolaus Pevsner wrote about the church in their Buildings of England series. They thought that the additions made in 1897 were done "tactfully," meaning they fit well with the original design. They also said the bell tower is "handsome." However, they felt the west front was "rather bitty" and that the inside, apart from the west gallery, was "decidedly disappointing."

The Church Today

St John's is still an active church today. It is part of the Burnley deanery, the Blackburn archdeaconry, and the diocese of Blackburn. Its work is combined with that of St John, Worsthorne.

See also

• Listed buildings in Cliviger
• Holme Hall, Cliviger

Images for kids

• 

  West front of the church