St John the Baptist, Pinner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist, Pinner |
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St John the Baptist, Pinner
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| Location | Church Hill, Pinner, London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | pinnerparishchurch.org.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Pinner |
| Deanery | Harrow |
| Archdeaconry | Northolt |
| Diocese | London |
St John the Baptist, Pinner is an Anglican church. You can find it on Church Lane in Pinner, Middlesex. It's a very old and important building in the area.
Contents
History of St John's Church
This church was officially opened in 1320. Most of the building you see today was built in the 1300s. When it was first built, St John's was a smaller church, like a "chapel." It was part of the bigger St Mary's Church in Harrow.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, a very important church leader, owned the land in Harrow. This meant St John's was under his direct control. Over many years, St John's became more independent. Finally, in 1766, Pinner became its own separate church area, called a parish.
Famous People and Old Stories
Some interesting people are connected to St John's Church. Henry James Pye, who was the Poet Laureate (a special poet for the King) to King George III, is buried here.
There's also a story about William Skenelsby. He was buried in the churchyard and was said to have lived to be 118 years old!
Since 1951, St John the Baptist Church has been a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important historical building that needs to be protected.
Exploring St John's Church
The church has many old parts. The tall West Tower and the South Porch, which is like an entrance area, were built in the 1400s. A room called the vestry was added in 1911. It was designed by an architect named Temple Moore.
Windows and Roof
The church has many beautiful stained glass windows. They come in different designs and were made at different times. Two of these windows were created by a famous artist named Ninian Comper.
The edges of the windows were fixed up in 1879-80 by J. L. Pearson. A rich landowner from Pinner, A. W. Tooke, paid for this work. Pearson also built the current roof of the church, which has gables (pointed sections). This new roof replaced an older one.
Inside the Church
The south chapel, a smaller part of the church, was built in 1859 and made bigger in 1880. St John's Church holds some very old and special items.
One of these is an octagonal (eight-sided) baptismal font from the 1400s. This is where babies are baptized. There are also altar rails from the 1600s. An old oak chest is even older; records show it needed a new lock in 1622, so it must be from before that year! The cover for the font was added in 1909.
Memorials and Monuments
You can find many memorials inside and outside the church. One memorial inside is for Sir Christopher Clitherow. He was a former Lord Mayor of London and owned land on Pinner Hill in the 1600s.
There's also a very unusual memorial in the churchyard, on the south side. It looks like a stone pyramid and has a fake stone coffin inside. This was built by an 18th-century plant expert named John Claudius Loudon to remember his parents.
