St John the Baptist's Church, Earlestown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist's Church, Earlestown
St John the Baptist's Church, Earlestown, from the south
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Location	Market Street, Earlestown, St Helens, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St John, Earlestown
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	4 August 1875
Dedication	John the Baptist
Consecrated	6 January 1879
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Whalley and Fry Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1875
Completed	1926
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone
Administration
Parish	St John the Baptist, Earlestown
Deanery	Winwick
Archdeaconry	Warrington
Diocese	Liverpool
Province	York

St John the Baptist's Church is a special church located on Market Street in Earlestown, England. It's in an area called St Helens, which is part of Merseyside. This church is an active Anglican parish church. This means it's a local church for the community, part of the Church of England. It belongs to the Diocese of Liverpool. The church works together with other nearby churches like St Peter's, All Saints, and Emmanuel Wargrave. Reverend Dr Chris Stafford is the main leader for these churches.

History of the Church

In the 1870s, many people were moving to Earlestown. The town needed a bigger church. The church was part of St Peter's parish at the time. Canon Whalley, the leader of St Peter's, helped plan a new church.

Building the Church

Architects Whalley and Fry designed a large church. It was meant to hold 900 people and have a tall tower. The estimated cost was about £16,000. The first stone of the church was laid on 4 August 1875.

However, there wasn't enough money to build the church as planned. So, a smaller church was built instead. It could seat 600 people and did not have a tower. This church was officially opened on 6 January 1879 by the Assistant Bishop of Chester.

Later Additions

Years later, in 1925 and 1926, the church was made bigger. It was extended by half a section, adding 90 more seats. The base of a tower was also built. This work was done by architects Austin and Paley from Lancaster. It cost around £6,000. The tower was never fully finished. In the 1970s, a small building called an annexe was added to the west side of the tower.

Church Design and Features

The church is built from yellow sandstone, with parts made of red sandstone. The newer annexe is made of concrete.

Inside the Church

The church has a main area called a nave with three and a half sections. It has high windows called a clerestory. There are also side sections called aisles on both the north and south sides. At the east end, there is a rounded area called an apse for the chancel, which is where the altar is. There are also small rooms called vestries on both sides.

At the west end of the church, you can see the base of the tower that was never finished. The annexe is attached to this tower base. The windows in the church are tall and narrow, known as lancet windows. They have decorative stone patterns called tracery.

The inside of the church has been changed over time. The choir stalls and pews (benches) were removed. A platform now extends from the chancel arch towards the west. The baptismal font (for baptisms) and the pulpit (where sermons are given) are both made of stone. They have decorative columns made of alabaster, which is a soft, white stone. The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made by Shrigley and Hunt.