St John the Baptist's Church, Crawley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist, Crawley |
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The church from the southeast
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 St John the Baptist, Crawley
Location in Crawley
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| 51°6′50″N 0°11′19″W / 51.11389°N 0.18861°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Modern Catholic, Informal Charismatic |
| History | |
| Dedication | John the Baptist |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Crawley, St John the Baptist |
| Deanery | East Grinstead |
| Archdeaconry | Horsham |
| Diocese | Chichester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St John the Baptist's Church is an Anglican church. You can find it in Crawley, West Sussex, England. It is the main church for the Crawley area.
This church is the oldest building in Crawley town centre. It was first built around 1250. Many changes have happened since then. Only one wall from the very old building is still there. In 2017, a new team from St Peter's Brighton started working with St John's. The church now offers different types of services. These include traditional, informal, and modern styles. St John's is also part of the Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) network of churches.
Contents
History of St John's Church
In the old Norman times, places like Slaugham and Cuckfield were very important in northern Sussex. Crawley began as a small village in the 1200s. It was part of the Slaugham area. This area was called the Hundred of Buttinghill.
Crawley village was far from the main parish church in Slaugham. So, a stone church was built in Crawley. It was like a smaller, local church for people to use easily. This church existed before 1267. By the early 1400s, it became known as a "free" church. This means it was no longer just a daughter church of Slaugham.
The area around St John's became its own parish. This likely happened by the late 1300s. Crawley was a small parish. It did not even cover the whole village. The border between Crawley and Ifield parishes ran right through the middle of High Street. Ifield parish was much bigger than Crawley's.
Early Changes to the Church
The church got its first additions in the 1400s. A tall tower was built at the west end. The windows in the main part of the church, called the nave, were made bigger. A special screen, called a rood screen, was put between the chancel (where the altar is) and the nave. The roof of the nave was also rebuilt at this time. The oldest memorial carvings in the church are from the 1400s too.
By the 1500s, Crawley was a busy market village. Its church became more important than Slaugham's. The legal link between the two churches was ended. At least 150 people regularly went to St John's. However, the church did not earn much money. Priests often moved to richer churches. The building started to fall apart in the 1600s and 1700s.
In 1724, a survey found that the church had four bells. But only one worked, and three were cracked. These old bells were melted down. In 1742, two new bells were made from them. They were made by Thomas Lester in London.
Big Changes in the 1800s
Many big changes happened in the 1800s. The tower was partly rebuilt and made taller by 1814. The original stones were used again. More work was done in 1845. But the biggest changes happened in 1879 and 1880. A new section, called the north aisle, was added. A porch was built on the north side. The chancel was completely rebuilt. An organ chamber was also built.
Some people, like Nikolaus Pevsner, have said the church looks "dully Victorian" after these changes. They think the best part is the 15th-century nave roof, which was not changed.
At the same time, the church decided to fix its bells. The two bells from 1742 were cracked. Their wooden frame was rotten. So, a new set of eight bells was put in the tower in 1880. These bells were made by Gillett, Bland & Company. Each bell has a special message or word on it, like "GLORY" or "PRAYER."
In 1931, one of the bells cracked and had to be remade. The bells have been repaired and updated several times since then. An old system was installed in 1880. It allowed one person to ring the bells. It also let them ring the bells quietly for practice.
Famous Worshippers
The church was very close to the border of Ifield parish. So, people living on the west side of High Street often went to St John's. This was even if their official church was St Margaret's. One such person was Mark Lemon. He was the first editor of the funny magazine Punch.
Mark Lemon lived in Crawley. He regularly went to St John's. But he was a very large man. He had to sit in the gallery because the regular pews in the nave were not big enough for him.
The church, its graveyard, and the path to it are said to have ghosts. People have reported seeing strange things over the years. The churchyard also has war graves. Two soldiers from World War I and one airman from World War II are buried there.
Architecture of the Church
The church is built from a type of stone called Sussex limestone. The roof over the chancel is made of tiles. But the rest of the church roof uses flat pieces of local stone.
The south wall of the main part of the church is original. It is from the 1200s. But it has some changes from the 1400s. The nave ceiling is also from the 1400s. It has special wooden supports called wind bracing and tie beams.
The tower was rebuilt in the 1800s. It has three levels and old carvings. The pulpit (where the preacher stands) is from the 1600s. The altar rails are from the 1600s or early 1700s. There is some stained glass in the 1800s north aisle. You can also see it at the east end of the chancel. The oldest thing inside the church is the marble font. It is from the 1200s.
The Parish of St John the Baptist
In October 2017, the size of the parish was made smaller. It now covers Crawley town centre. Its northernmost point is where Kilnmead road meets London road. Its southernmost point is where Goffs Park road meets Brighton Road.
The church's parish used to be much larger. It covered most of the town west and north of the railway line. This was between Gatwick Airport and Crawley railway stations. It went up to the airport's edge.
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There are five other churches in the parish area today. St Peter's in West Green is older than the modern town. It was built between 1892 and 1893. It replaced a smaller church for St Margaret's. West Green was part of Ifield parish then. But it was far from the main church. The Diocese of Chichester did not pay for St Peter's. It was built with private money. St Peter's later got its own parish. This parish was then joined with St John the Baptist's.
St Elizabeth's is in the middle of the Northgate area. It was built in 1965. Like St John the Baptist's, it has a "Modern Catholic" style of worship. St Richard's is another modern church. It serves the Three Bridges area.
A fifth church, St Michael and All Angels, is also in the parish. But it is no longer used for Anglican services. William Burges designed and built this yellow stone church in 1867. It was built for the village of Lowfield Heath. This village was then in Surrey.
The building of Gatwick Airport next to Lowfield Heath changed everything. The airport grew very fast. It eventually destroyed the small village. All buildings except the church were pulled down. This made way for airport warehouses and expansions. The church is only about 500 feet (150 meters) from the runway. The Diocese of Chichester stopped using the church for services in 2004. In 2008, a Seventh-day Adventist group started using the building for their worship.
St John's Church Today
In September 2017, a team led by Steve and Liz Burston started a new chapter for St John's. They offer different services. These include traditional, informal, and modern services. The goal is to respect the past, live in the present, and build for the future.
St John's Crawley offers an Alpha course every school term. This course is a chance to talk freely about big questions. These include questions about life, faith, and purpose. They discuss these topics in a Christian setting. The church also runs programs to help the community. These include The Bridge Café and Turning Point.
Besides Sunday services, groups meet throughout the week. These groups help people grow in their faith. They also help people connect with others in the community. St John's believes that churches in Crawley should work together. They do this through helping the community and praying together. Prayer and church unity are very important to them.
See also
- List of places of worship in Crawley
- Listed buildings in Crawley
