Church of St John the Divine, Morecambe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St John the Divine Church, Morecambe
View from the southwest
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OS grid reference	SD 420 628
Location	Draycombe Drive, Sandylands, Morecambe, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Facebook
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	20 January 1993
Architect(s)	Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1898
Completed	1901
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone
Administration
Parish	St John Sandylands
Deanery	Lancaster and Morecambe
Archdeaconry	Lancaster
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

St John the Divine Church is located in Draycombe Drive, Sandylands, a part of Morecambe, Lancashire, England. It is a busy Anglican parish church. This means it's a church for a specific local area, serving the community. The church is part of the diocese of Blackburn. It is also a Grade II listed building. This special status means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected.

History of St John's Church

This church is named after St John of Patmos. He is traditionally believed to have written the Book of Revelation in the Bible. The church was built between 1898 and 1901. It was designed by famous architects from Lancaster, named Austin and Paley. Building the church cost about £7,000 at the time. It was designed to hold 600 people for services.

Architecture and Design

Outside the Church

St John's Church is built from sandstone rubble, which are rough, broken stones. It also has smooth, cut stones called ashlar for decoration. The roofs are also made of sandstone, except for the tower and porch, which have aluminum roofs.

The church has a main area called a nave with a clerestory (upper windows). It also has side sections called north and south aisles. There is a porch on the south side. A tower stands at the crossing point, where the nave meets the chancel (the area around the altar). The tower has a vestry (a room for clergy) to the north and a transept (a part that sticks out) to the south.

The nave has five sections, called bays. There is also a shorter bay at the west end. Most windows have a Perpendicular style of stone patterns, which means they have strong vertical lines. The chancel windows have a Decorated style, with more flowing patterns. The large west window has four sections and is next to strong buttresses (supports).

The upper windows (clerestory) each have four sections. The aisle windows have two or three sections. Above the porch door, there is a special niche (a shallow recess) in a gable (the triangular part of a wall). This niche is topped with a cross finial (a decorative top). The south transept has a two-section window with decorative panels above and below it. The chancel has two two-section windows on its south side. The tower and its stair turret were not fully finished. The turret holds a bellcote, which is a small structure for bells.

Inside the Church

Inside, the main arcades (rows of arches) have five bays. They are supported by eight-sided piers (large columns). Between the nave and the crossing, there is a low wall made of alabaster (a soft, white stone). This wall includes the pulpit, where sermons are given.

The chancel roof is held up by corbels (stone supports) that are carved with gilded (gold-colored) angels. The font, used for baptisms, has a cover shaped like a building with a spire. The church's windows feature beautiful stained glass. These windows were added between 1920 and 1994. The large west window was created by the artist Hugh Easton. It shows the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation.

The church also has a two-manual organ. This means it has two keyboards. It was built around 1901 by Albert Keates. Later, around 1930, it was rebuilt by Rushworth and Dreaper.

More Information

• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)