St John's Church, East Horrington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St John's Church
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Redundant
Year consecrated	1838
Location
Location	East Horrington, Somerset, England
Architecture
Architect(s)	Richard Carver
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Early English

St John's Church used to be a Church of England church. It is located in East Horrington, Somerset, England. The church was built in 1838. A famous architect named Richard Carver designed it. St John's Church closed its doors in 1975. Today, the building has been changed into homes. It is also a special historic building, known as a Grade II listed building. This means it is protected because of its importance.

History of St John's Church

Why St John's Was Built

St John's was first built as a "chapel of ease." This means it was a smaller church built to help people who lived far from the main parish church. The main church was St Cuthbert's in St Cuthbert Out. It was too small for everyone. Also, many people lived too far away to easily attend services there.

So, two new chapels were built. One was in East Horrington, and the other was in Coxley. St John's was meant for people in East Horrington, West Horrington, Chilcot, Witnel, and Haydon. About 400 people lived in these areas. They all lived at least two miles from the main church.

Building the Church

People raised money to build St John's Church. They collected donations from the public. The Bath and Wells Diocesan Church Building Association also gave a grant.

Richard Carver from Taunton drew the plans for the church. It was designed to hold 253 people. About 170 of these seats were free for anyone to use. The church cost about £1,000 to build. This was a lot of money back then!

The church was officially opened on October 4, 1838. The Bishop of Bath and Wells, George Henry Law, led the special service. Later, on September 14, 1844, East and West Horrington became their own church area, called Horrington.

Making Improvements to the Church

In 1896, people started raising money again. They wanted to fix up the church and add new seats. Edward Buckle, the church's architect for the area, made the plans. The work happened between 1899 and 1900. The church reopened with special services on February 2 and 4, 1900.

More improvements were planned in the late 1950s. This work was put on hold for a bit. An organ from another closed church, St James at East Cranmore, became available. St John's bought this organ for £700. It was officially dedicated on November 8, 1961. In 1962, new decorative panels, called reredos, were added behind the altar. These were made by Faith Craft Works in Westminster.

Final Restoration and Closure

St John's Church was restored again in 1963. Mr. James A. Pope from Wells did the work. It cost about £500. A special service was held on June 13, 1963, to celebrate the completion.

As part of this project, new communion rails were put in. These rails were a memorial to Mr. Frederick Arthurs. He was a former churchwarden and postmaster in Horrington. The Bishop of Taunton, Francis West, dedicated the new rails. These new rails were actually made from the old ones taken from the church at East Cranmore.

In 1975, the Horrington church area joined with Wells St. Thomas. Because of this, St John's Church was no longer needed by the Church of England. It officially closed on December 1, 1975. The church building was later sold to be turned into homes. This plan was approved in 1977.

What Happened After Closure

The churchyard, which is the area around the church, is still looked after by the Church of England. In 1982, some repairs were made to the walls around the churchyard. New gates were also put in. Some memorials from inside the old church were moved to a new wall in the churchyard.

By 1990, there were plans to change the church building. It could become a home or workshops. Some changes had already been made by then. A shower room, airing cupboard, and kitchen were added. In 1995, permission was given to finish turning the building into a single home.

Architecture of St John's

St John's Church is built from local stone. The stone pieces are rough and squared. The roofs are made of slate. The church has a main open area called a five-bay nave. It also has a chancel, which is the part near the altar. There is a south vestry, which is a room used by the clergy. Finally, there is a west porch at the entrance.

At the west end of the church, there is a pointed wall section called a gable. This gable has a small structure called a bell-cot. It was designed to hold one bell. The east gable, at the other end, has a cross-shaped decoration on top. Since the church closed, the inside of the building has been changed a lot to make it suitable for living.