Saint John the Baptist Church, Penistone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Saint John the Baptist Church, Penistone |
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St John the Baptist, seen from the churchyard
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| 53°31′33″N 1°37′47″W / 53.5259°N 1.6297°W | |
| OS grid reference | SE 24651 03316 |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Designated | 23 June 1965 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Penistone |
| Diocese | Wakefield |
| Province | York |
Saint John the Baptist Church, also known as Penistone Church, is an old Church of England building. It is located in the town of Penistone, near Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England. This church is a very important building, listed as a Grade I listed building, and stands right in the middle of the town.
Contents
A Look Back in Time: The Church's History
How Old is Penistone Church?
People have worshipped at Penistone Church for a very long time! Records show that priests have been part of a church here since the year 1200. However, some parts of the church walls are even older, perhaps over 1000 years old.
You can even see pieces of an ancient Saxon cross built into the church walls. This shows that Christians were in this area a very long time ago. There's also another old cross base and stump in the churchyard.
The Tall Church Tower
The church has a tall tower, which is about 80 feet (24 meters) high. This tower is quite old, built around the year 1500. This means it has been standing for about 500 years!
The tower has two clock faces, one on the west side and another on the south side. Inside the tower, there are a total of eight bells.
Special Features of the Church
The entrance gate to the churchyard is called a lychgate. It was built in 1959 to remember a vicar named Rev. Canon William Turnbull. He was a vicar at the church for a very long time, from 1855 to 1915.
On top of the tower, there is a stainless steel weathervane. It is shaped like a fish. A local resident, Arnold Lesley Smith, made this weathervane by hand and gave it to the church in 1975. The fish is an early Christian symbol, and the stainless steel shows the local industry of the area.
The church windows are filled with beautiful stained glass. Much of this glass is hundreds of years old. New stained glass was added in 1992 to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Penistone Grammar School.
Recent Changes and Gardens
In 2006, the church hosted a special service for Yorkshire Day. Mayors and important people from all over Yorkshire came to Penistone for the celebrations.
Also in 2006, new gardens were created in the lower part of the churchyard. These are called the Heritage and Sensory Gardens (St Johns Gardens). They include large millstones with important local dates carved on them. There is also a memorial to Nicholas Saunderson, who was a famous mathematics professor at Cambridge University.
The church also had some work done inside in 2006. New community facilities were added to make the church more useful for everyone.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in South Yorkshire
- Listed buildings in Penistone
