St John the Baptist's Church, Arkholme facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist's Church, Arkholme |
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St John the Baptist's Church, Arkholme, from the southwest
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| OS grid reference | SD 589,718 |
| Location | Arkholme, Lancaster, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St John the Baptist, Arkholme |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 4 December 1985 |
| Architect(s) | Austin and Paley (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic, Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | c. 1450 |
| Completed | 1897 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Arkholme |
| Deanery | Tunstall |
| Archdeaconry | Lancaster |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
St John the Baptist's Church is located in the small village of Arkholme, near Lancaster in Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican church, meaning it belongs to the Church of England. The church is an important part of the local community. It is also connected with other nearby churches, like St Margaret's in Hornby.
This church is very special because it is listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is a particularly important historic building. The church stands at the end of the village street, looking over the River Lune. It is built inside the old walls of a former castle. There is even an old castle mound, called a motte, just northeast of the church.
Contents
The History of St John's Church
When Was the Church Built?
People believe a church has been on this spot since around 1450. At first, it was a small church, called a chapel of ease, connected to a larger church in Melling. In 1866, it became its own parish church.
How the Church Changed Over Time
The church has been repaired and updated twice. It started as a simple, rectangular building, almost like a barn. In 1788, a small tower for bells, called a bellcote, was added. A room for the priest, called a vestry, and a new door at the west end were also built.
The church was updated again in 1899 by famous architects named Austin and Paley. They made many changes. They replaced the west door with a window and put in new seats for people. They also added a new window at the east end and changed the pulpit, which is where the priest gives sermons. The vestry was made bigger, and the entrance porch was rebuilt. The old windows, which were in a style called Georgian, were replaced with new ones in the Perpendicular style. All this work cost more than £2,000 at the time.
What Does the Church Look Like?
The Churchyard and Its Old Cross
In the churchyard, which is the area around the church, there is an old stone cross base from the Middle Ages. It is made of sandstone and is shaped roughly like an octagon. It is about 1 meter (3 feet) wide and 0.6 meters (2 feet) tall. This old cross base is also a listed building, showing its historical importance.
The Outside of the Church
St John's Church is built from rough sandstone pieces, and its roof is made of stone slates. The church has a main part called the nave and a smaller section on the south side called an aisle. It also has a chancel, which is the area near the altar, a vestry, and a porch on the south side. On the west end of the roof, there is a bellcote where the bell hangs.
At the west end of the nave, there is a window with three sections, decorated with stone patterns called tracery. The west window of the aisle has a single, clover-shaped window opening. The main window at the east end of the chancel has four clover-shaped sections. The window at the east end of the aisle has two round-topped sections.
The Inside of the Church
Inside the church, there is a row of four round arches that separate the nave from the aisle. These arches are supported by eight-sided stone columns called piers. The top part of the easternmost column, called the capital, has cool carvings. You can see a dog chasing a hare and a horn carved into the stone!
In the chancel, there is a special seat for two people, called a sedilia, and a piscina, which is a basin used for washing sacred vessels. The church has two fonts. One is from the 1700s and has an eight-sided bowl. The other is from the early 1900s.
The church also has beautiful stained glass windows. One window, made in 1965, shows Saint Hilda and Bede, who were important historical figures. The church organ, which has two keyboards, was built in 1906 and later rebuilt in 1950. There is also a single bell in the church that is thought to be one of the oldest in England with writing along its bottom edge.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
- Listed buildings in Arkholme-with-Cawood
- List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)
