St John's Church, Barmouth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of Saint John the Evangelist |
|
|---|---|
Photo of St John's Church taken from Barmouth Beach
|
|
| 52°43′24″N 4°03′17″W / 52.7233°N 4.0548°W | |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| History | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Dedication | St John the Evangelist |
| Consecrated | April 1895 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | II* |
| Designated | 31 January 1995 |
| Architect(s) | John Douglas & Daniel Fordham |
| Style | Restrained Perpendicular |
| Years built | 1889-1895 |
| Groundbreaking | August 1889 |
| Completed | April 1895 |
| Construction cost | £33,500 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,000 seated (reduced to 620) |
| Materials | Local stone & Cheshire Sandstone |
| Bells | 8 (Change Ringing, Ellacombe, Clock Chime) |
| Tenor bell weight | 22-1-1 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bro Ardudwy |
| Deanery | Meirionydd Synod |
| Diocese | Bangor |
St John's Church in Barmouth, Gwynedd, Wales, was built between 1889 and 1895. It was designed by architects Douglas and Fordham from Chester. Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom laid the first stone. Most of the money for building the church came from Mrs Sarah Dyson Perrins. She donated it to remember her husband, James Dyson Perrins, who was linked to Lea & Perrins.
This church belongs to the Church in Wales. It is a special building, listed as Grade II*. This means it is very important for its history and architecture. It is part of the Bro Ardudwy Ministry Area.
Contents
Building the Church
In 1830, a new church called Saint David's opened in Barmouth. It was built because more people were moving to the town. The older church in Llanaber was too far away.
At that time, Barmouth relied on the sea for trade. But in the 1860s, the railway arrived. This brought many more tourists to the town.
Why a New Church Was Needed
In 1887, Edward Hughes became the church leader for Llanaber and Barmouth. He quickly saw that Barmouth needed a much bigger church. They tried to make St David's church hold more people, but it didn't work. So, in 1887, Hughes suggested building a new, larger church. The church leaders agreed.
Finding a good spot was hard because Barmouth is between mountains and the sea. But someone donated a rocky cliff above the town, and it was chosen.
How the Church Was Funded
Architects Douglas and Fordham created the design. People started raising money. Then, Mrs Sarah Perrins made a huge donation of £15,000. She was the wife of James Dyson Perrins. This money paid for the main part of the church, the tower, and other important sections. It was a memorial to her late husband. Mrs Perrins and her family had a holiday home in Barmouth. They knew the town needed a bigger church.
Building Challenges
St John's Church took seven years to build. Princess Beatrice laid the first stone in 1889. The church was officially opened in November 1895. There were some problems during construction.
On September 11, 1891, the church was almost finished. The roofs were not yet covered, and the tower was nearly done. But that evening, the tower fell into the church. It destroyed most of the unfinished roofs and many walls. The architects blamed the collapse on blasting work behind the church. This work was meant to let more light into the building.
Interesting Features
The Font
The Font is a special bowl used for baptisms. It is at the back of the church. It is a copy of a font made by a Danish artist named Bertel Thorvaldsen. His original font is in Copenhagen Cathedral. St John's font is made of pure marble.
-
The church font
-
Thorwaldsen's Font in Copenhagen Cathedral
-
The lectern decorated for the 2007 Harvest Festival. "The Seed is the Word" on one of the copper plates can be made out
The Lectern
The lectern is a stand where the Bible is read. It was made in Frome. It is crafted from wrought iron and copper. Its design shows the story of the Sower and the Seed.
The Bell Tower
The tower holds eight bells. They were made by Mear and Stainbank in London. There is also a clock mechanism from 1897. This clock plays the famous Westminster Chimes using some of the bells.
Stained Glass Windows
St John's has nine beautiful stained glass windows. They were made by CE Kemp.
The main East Window shows Jesus as King, with his twelve followers and St John the Evangelist. The West Window shows Jesus after he rose from the dead, with angels. The side windows in the Sanctuary show scenes from the resurrection. These include Easter Morning, the Woman at the Tomb, and Jesus with Doubting Thomas. The three windows in the Lady Chapel show the Annunciation and the Nativity.
The Organ
The church's design included a special space for the organ. This makes it easy to reach all parts for tuning. Mrs Perrins' daughter, Mrs Sarah Gertrude Potter, donated money for the organ. Her family was from the Worcester area. So, Nicholson & Co of Worcester was chosen to build it. The organ was brought to Barmouth by train.
It has three keyboards and a pedal section. It has 34 different sounds, called stops.
Since 1895, the organ has not had a major repair. It was cleaned in the 1970s and gets annual tuning. The only change was adding an electric blower system in the 1950s. The organ is so original that three volunteers can still pump it by hand if needed.
Before 1895, organs were rare in churches nearby. Only Dolgellau had a barrel organ for services. When it was built, this organ was almost as big as the largest organ in North Wales, which was in Bangor Cathedral. It is still one of the largest in North Wales today.
Over the next twenty years, Nicholson & Co installed four more organs in Barmouth churches.
-
The Casework of the St John's Organ
-
The three manual Console
See also
