St John's Church, Egremont facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St John's Church, Egremont
Entrance front of St John's Church, Egremont
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OS grid reference	SJ 314 915
Location	Liscard Road, Egremont, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
History
Consecrated	31 September 1831
Architecture
Functional status	Redundant
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	20 January 1988
Architect(s)	Henry Turberville Edwards
Architectural type	Church
Style	Neoclassical
Completed	1833
Specifications
Materials	Stone

St John's Church is a historic building located on Liscard Road in Egremont, Merseyside, England. It used to be an Anglican church, but it is no longer used for regular church services. This special building is protected as a Grade II listed building. This means it is an important part of England's history and architecture.

History of St John's Church

St John's Church was built between 1832 and 1833. The person who designed it was Henry Turberville Edwards. This church is the only building he is known to have designed. The land for the church was owned by Sir John Tobin. His son later became the very first vicar, or priest, of the church.

The church was officially made sacred, or consecrated, on 31 October 1831. This ceremony was performed by Bishop John Bird Sumner. The church then opened its doors for people to worship on 19 May 1833.

In 1881, the church was updated and improved by Cornelius Sherlock. During this time, some parts were changed. The upper seating areas, called galleries, were taken out. The old box-shaped pews were replaced with new benches. The organ was moved, and the chancel, which is the area around the altar, was enclosed. Two new windows were also added.

During World War II, in 1942, the church was damaged by a bomb blast. It was repaired in the 1950s, and a new roof was put on. The church stopped being used for regular services on 1 July 2004. In 2006, permission was given to change the building into homes. However, in August 2018, the church was bought by private owners. They planned to open it as a church again.

Architecture and Design

St John's Church is built from stone that came from Storeton quarry. Its design follows the Neoclassical style. This style is inspired by ancient Greek and Roman buildings.

Outside the Church

The front of the church has a grand entrance called a Doric portico. This portico has four tall, grooved columns without bases. These columns support a flat structure called an entablature. Above this is a triglyph frieze, which is a decorative band with vertical grooves. On top of everything is a triangular shape called a pediment.

On either side of the portico are windows. These windows have decorative frames, called architraves, and small pediments above them. There are six similar windows along each side of the church. A decorative wall, called a parapet, runs around the top of the church above these windows. At the back, a narrower part of the church, called the chancel, sticks out under its own pediment. The back wall of the chancel has a decorative window shape with four flat columns, called pilasters, and an entablature with wreaths.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has an arched opening to the chancel that is shaped like an oval. When the building was used as a church, it had a painted screen behind the altar, called a reredos. There were also paintings on the walls of the main part of the church, called the nave.

The font, used for baptisms, was made of alabaster. It stood on three marble steps and was held up by carved angels. It was decorated with carved cherubs' heads and a wavy pattern called gadrooning. The wooden pulpit, where sermons were given, was once part of a larger two-level structure.

The ceiling of the church is very wide, spanning about 19.35 meters (63 feet, 6 inches). This makes it the largest unsupported ceiling in the Merseyside area. The church's original pipe organ was built by Bewsher and Fleetwood. It had two keyboards, called manuals. Over the years, the organ was made larger and repaired several times by different companies. After the church closed, the organ was moved to St James' Church, New Brighton.

Churchyard and War Memorial

The churchyard, which is the area around the church, has a war memorial. This memorial was also recognized as a Grade II listed building on 4 January 2022. The memorial remembers the people who lost their lives in the First World War (1914-1918). It used to have a brass plaque inside the church. This plaque listed 96 people from the local area who died in World War I.

See also

• Listed buildings in Wallasey