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

Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist Church, Knutsford
St John the Baptist Church, Knutsford
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OS grid reference	SJ 753 785
Location	Knutsford, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Conservative Evangelical
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	John the Baptist
Consecrated	1744
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	18 January 1949
Architect(s)	J. Garlive, Alfred Darbyshire
Architectural type	Church
Style	Neoclassical
Completed	1879
Construction cost	£4,000 (equivalent to £620,000 in 2021)
Specifications
Capacity	525
Materials	Brick with stone dressings Slate roof
Administration
Parish	St John the Baptist, Knutsford
Deanery	Knutsford
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St John the Baptist's Church is a beautiful old church in Knutsford, Cheshire, England. It's a special building, listed as Grade II*, which means it's very important historically and architecturally. It's an active Anglican church, serving the local community as a parish church. It also works closely with St John the Evangelist, Toft.

A Look Back: The Church's Story

Knutsford used to be a "chapel of ease." This meant it was a smaller church for people who lived far from the main parish church, St Mary's Church, Rostherne. In 1741, a special law was passed to make St John's its own separate parish.

The church was built between 1741 and 1744. It cost about £4,000 back then. J. Garlive was the architect who designed it. Later, in 1879, the back part of the church, called the chancel, was made longer and updated by Alfred Darbyshire.

St John's follows a specific tradition within the Church of England. It believes in upholding the original teachings of the Bible and Christian order. The church aims to stay true to mainstream Christian beliefs, as they have been understood for a long time.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

The church is built in a Neoclassical style. This means it looks a bit like ancient Greek or Roman buildings. It's made of brick with stone decorations and has a slate roof.

The church has a tower at the west end. It also has a main hall, called the nave, which has two levels. At the very back is a small chancel. The tower has four sections. It has a main door, a round window, a clock, and round windows for the bells. The top of the tower has a decorative wall with fancy brackets and urns. The top of the nave also has a decorative wall with solid and open sections. There are special doorways at the southwest and northwest sides. They have triangular tops and rough-looking stone frames.

Inside the Church

The nave inside has a classical arcade. This means it has a row of four arches supported by Tuscan columns. These columns stand on tall bases. There are balconies on the north, west, and south sides of the church.

The church has two fonts. One is made of marble with an oak cover. It's from when the church was first built. The other font is from 1865 and has a more detailed, High Victorian style.

You can find an old chest in the tower. There's also a two-tier brass candelabrum, which is a large candle holder, given to the church in 1768. On the north wall, there's a pyramid-shaped memorial for Ralph Leycester, who passed away in 1776. Another memorial is for Elizabeth Leigh, who died in 1823. This one was created by the famous sculptor Richard Westmacott. The beautiful stained glass windows were made by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.

There are also two old memorial boards in the church. People think these were painted by members of the Randle Holme family from Chester. The church organ has three keyboards and was built in 1882 by Alex Young and Sons.

The church has a set of six bells. Four of these were made in 1748–49 by Rudhall of Gloucester. The other two were made more recently, in 1996, by John Taylor Ltd. The church's records of births, deaths, and marriages, called parish registers, go all the way back to 1581.

In 2014, the inside of the church was updated. This work was designed by Graham Holland Associates. They removed the old pews and put in a new oak floor. They also added glass screens between the entrance area and the main hall, and at the three outside doors. Four of the old Victorian stained glass windows were moved to the Church Hill side. The windows in the aisles were replaced with clear, leaded glass in a Georgian style.

Outside the Church Grounds

In the churchyard, there is a stone sundial. It probably dates from the late 1700s. It has a base shaped like a baluster (a small column) on a round stand. This sundial is also a Grade II listed item, meaning it's historically important.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Cheshire East
• Listed buildings in Knutsford