St John the Baptist Church, Newcastle upon Tyne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Baptist |
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 St John the Baptist
Location in Tyne and Wear
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| 54°58′12″N 1°36′56″W / 54.9701°N 1.6155°W | |
| OS grid reference | NZ245639 |
| Location | Grainger Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5JG |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Traditional Catholic |
| Website | St John the Baptist Church |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
St John's Church is a very old church in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was built in the 13th century and is dedicated to St John the Baptist. You can find it at the corner of Grainger Street and Westgate Road. This church is so important that it's listed as a Grade I listed building, which means it's a special historic place.
Contents
A Look at St John's Church History
People believe that the old St John's Church was first built around the year 1287. A writer from the 1500s, William Gray, described it as a "pretty little church." He said it looked like a cross, which was something a famous church leader admired.
Today, the church is surrounded by modern buildings. It has a simple, low square tower. This tower has small pointy decorations called pinnacles and windows with flat, arched tops. Inside the south part of the church, there's a stone that remembers Robert Rhodes. He was the person who built the tall steeple of St Nicholas' Cathedral in Newcastle. He also helped out the churches in the town. The stone you see now is a copy. The original was moved to the castle around 1861 when repairs were being done.
Inside the Church: What to See
When you go inside, you'll notice some beautiful old wooden pieces. The cover for the font, where baptisms happen, is from the 1400s. The Jacobean pulpit, where sermons are given, shows amazing local woodworking skills.
The chancel, which is the area near the altar, is now called the Lady Chapel. It has a window with small pieces of old medieval glass. These pieces show the earliest known picture of Newcastle's official symbol. Along the wall, there's a cross-shaped opening. This opening allowed an anchorite (a person who lived alone in a small room for religious reasons) to see the altar from their cell. This cell was located above what is now the sacristy, a room where priests prepare. The large cross (called a rood) and the decorated screen behind the altar (called a reredos) were both created by a famous designer, Sir Charles Nicholson.
The Graveyard and Notable Burials
In the 1960s, some parts of the church's graveyard were built over to create meeting rooms and a hall. As of 2010, only about ten gravestones remained. Two of these gravestones are very important and are also listed as Grade II historic items. One belongs to Solomon Hodgson (who passed away in 1800) and Sarah Hodgson. They owned the Newcastle Chronicle newspaper. The other belongs to an artist named Ralph Waters.
The actor and poet John Cunningham, who was born in Dublin, is buried in this graveyard. Not far from the east window, you can find a stone slab. It's part of a larger monument, with its four supporting pillars partly buried in the ground. The words on it say:
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Here lie the Remains of |
More Information
- St John the Baptist’s Church website
- Pictures of the church
