St John's Church, Dukinfield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Church, Dukinfield |
|
|---|---|
St John's Church, Dukinfield, from the west
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 952,978 |
| Location | Dukinfield, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St John's, Dukinfield |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 3 September 1838 |
| Dedication | St John the Evangelist |
| Consecrated | 24 May 1841 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 6 February 1986 |
| Architect(s) | Edmund Sharpe |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1838 |
| Completed | 1840 |
| Construction cost | £3,299 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St John the Evangelist, Dukinfield |
| Deanery | Mottram |
| Archdeaconry | Macclesfield |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Province | York |
St John's Church is a beautiful old church located on Oxford Road in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, England. It's an active Anglican church, meaning it's part of the Church of England, and it serves the local community as a parish church. This special building is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical and architectural site. You can find it standing proudly on top of a small hill, looking over the area.
History of St John's Church
St John's Church is a type of building known as a Commissioners' church. These churches were built in the 1800s with money from the government to help communities. A famous architect from Lancaster, Edmund Sharpe, designed this church. It was built between 1838 and 1840.
The church cost £3,299 to build, which was a lot of money back then! A large part of this cost, £2,599, was paid for by a special grant from the Church Building Commission. The very first stone of the church was laid on 3 September 1838. This was on the same day that another church, St George's Church, Stalybridge, also designed by Sharpe, started construction.
St John's Church was officially opened for religious services on 24 May 1841. This special ceremony was led by Bishop John Bird Sumner, who was the Bishop of Chester at the time. The church started welcoming people for worship in July of that year. It was designed to hold many people, with seating for 1,234. About 50 years later, the church was restored. This means it was repaired and updated, but not many big changes were made, except for adding two windows to the front part of the church called the chancel.
A person named Rayner Stephens is buried in the church's graveyard.
Church Architecture and Design
The church is built from strong stone and has a roof made of slate. It has a main area called the nave with five sections, and long walkways on either side called aisles. At the back, there's a shorter section called the chancel.
At the west end of the church, there's a tall tower. This tower has four levels. It has a main door at the bottom. At the very top, the tower has a flat top with a decorative edge called a coped parapet and pointed decorations called pinnacles. The main walls and pointed parts of the church roof, called gables, also have this decorative parapet.
The windows in the church are special. They are paired lancets, which means they are tall, narrow windows with pointed tops, usually found in older churches.
Inside the church, there are balconies, or galleries, on three sides. These galleries and the rows of arches in the nave, called arcades, are held up by columns that have eight sides, known as octagonal columns. The church organ, which makes music, is located in the west gallery.
See also
- Listed buildings in Dukinfield
- List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe
- List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England
