St John the Baptist's Church, Bollington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist's Church, Bollington |
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St John the Baptist's Church, Bollington,
from the southwest (now redundant) |
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| OS grid reference | SJ 9390 7778 |
| Location | Church Street, Bollington, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Former parish church |
| Dedication | St John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 9 December 1983 |
| Architect(s) | William Hayley and Thomas Brown |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1832 |
| Completed | 1834 |
| Construction cost | £4,002 |
| Closed | 1 February 2006 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roofs |
St John the Baptist's Church is an old church building in Bollington, Cheshire, England. It used to be a busy Anglican church, but it's not used for regular services anymore. This means it is a "redundant" church. It is a special building because it is listed as Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. This list helps protect important historic places. The church was built with help from a special fund called the Church Building Commission. Today, the main church for the area is St Oswald's Church, Bollington.
Contents
History of the Church
Building a New Church
This church was built a long time ago, between 1832 and 1834. Two architects, William Hayley and Thomas Brown, designed it. Building the church cost £4,002 back then. A large part of this money, £3,475, came from the Church Building Commission. This commission helped build many churches across England.
Changes Over Time
In 1854, more seating areas called galleries were added inside the church. The church served its community for many years. However, on February 1, 2006, it was officially declared "redundant." This means it was no longer needed for regular church services.
What the Church Looks Like
Outside the Church
St John's Church is made from strong, rough-cut sandstone. It has smooth stone details and roofs covered with Welsh slate. The church has a long main part called a nave. It also has a smaller section at the east end called a chancel, with a small room (vestry) next to it. At the west end, there is a tall tower.
The tower has four main levels. It has strong supports called buttresses at its corners. There is a door at the bottom of the tower. Above the door, there is a window with three sections. Higher up, you can see clock faces. The very top part of the tower has openings for bells, covered by slanted slats called louvres. The top edge of the tower looks like the top of a castle wall, which is called an embattled parapet.
Windows and Walls
The sides of the nave are divided by buttresses. Each section has a window with two lights (sections of glass). These windows have a special stone pattern called Y-tracery. The large window at the east end of the chancel has three lights. An embattled parapet also runs along the top of the nave walls. At the corners of the nave and chancel, there are eight-sided buttresses that rise up to pointed decorations called finials.
Inside the Church
Inside St John's Church, there are galleries on three sides. These are like balconies that provide extra seating. Thin iron columns hold up these galleries.
The Organ and Bells
The church once had a two-manual organ, built in 1836 by Samuel Renn. An organ is a large musical instrument with many pipes. Over the years, the organ was made bigger and repaired several times. This organ has now been moved and restored. It is currently installed at St George's Church in Nailsworth. You can find more details about it on St George's parish website.
The church also had a set of eight bells. These bells were taken down and restored. They are now installed at St Thomas's Church in Stockton Heath, Warrington. Two new bells were added to the set. The new set of ten bells rang for the first time on January 8, 2017, at a special service.
Churchyard Features
The churchyard is the area around the church. It contains the graves of 15 soldiers from the Commonwealth countries. Thirteen of these soldiers died in World War I, and two died in World War II. Most of these graves are in a newer part of the churchyard. You can find more information about all the burials and memorials in the churchyard on the parish website.
See also
- List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England
- Listed buildings in Bollington
