Old St John the Baptist's Church, Pilling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old St John the Baptist's Church, Pilling |
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Old St John the Baptist's Church,
from the south |
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| OS grid reference | SD 403 485 |
| Location | Pilling, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Dedication | John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 17 April 1967 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Georgian |
| Completed | 1717 (altered 1813) |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roof |
Old St John the Baptist's Church is an old Anglican church in the village of Pilling, Lancashire, England. It stands about 150 meters south of the new church, which is also named after St John the Baptist. This church is special because it's a rare example of a small Georgian church. It is listed as a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's very important. The Churches Conservation Trust now takes care of it.
Contents
Church History
The village of Pilling first had a small chapel. This chapel was served by monks from Cockersand Abbey until the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when many monasteries were closed.
In 1716, the people of Pilling asked the Bishop of Chester for a new church. So, St John's Church was built in 1717. The only major change to the building happened in 1813. The walls were made taller to add galleries inside.
The church became unused when a new church was built in 1887. The Churches Conservation Trust took over the care of Old St John's on August 1, 1986. It is called a chapel, not a church, because it was part of the larger parish of Garstang. It was looked after by a "perpetual curate" instead of a "vicar."
Church Architecture
The church is built from red sandstone. It has a plinth (a base for the walls) and chamfered quoins (corner stones with angled edges) made of grey sandstone. The roof is covered with slate. It is a simple, long, and low building.
Outside the Church
On the west end of the church, there is a double bellcote. This is a small structure that holds two bells. The church has five sections, called bays.
On the south side, there is a row of windows. These windows have round tops and a single mullion (a vertical bar that divides a window). The door is in the westernmost section. Above the door is a smaller window, similar to the others, but without a mullion. The door has a special stone called a keystone with the date 1717 carved into it. Above this, there is a sandstone sundial with the date 1766.
The east window is like the windows on the south wall, but it has two mullions. The north wall has two rows of five windows. The lower windows have flat tops, called lintels. The upper windows are lunette windows, which are shaped like a half-moon.
Inside the Church
The inside of the church has a flat plaster ceiling. The walls are painted white. The floor is made of large stone flags.
There are galleries on the north and west sides. These galleries are supported by columns in the Tuscan order style. On the ground floor, there are simple wooden benches. There are also box pews, which are like enclosed seating areas. One of these box pews has the date 1719 on it.
The church also has a two-decker pulpit. This is where the preacher stands. The baptismal font is made of sandstone and looks like an urn. It is from the 18th century. A special painting, called a funerary hatchment, shows the Royal coat of arms of King George I and is dated 1719. Before the roof was changed in 1813, the inside of the chapel was open, showing the wooden rafters of the roof. The pulpit used to have three levels and was on the north wall.
Churchyard Features
The churchyard is the area around the church. It contains the war graves of two soldiers and one sailor from the Merchant Navy who died in World War I.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
- Listed buildings in Pilling
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England
