St John the Evangelist's Church, Abram facts for kids

St John the Evangelist's Church in Abram

St John the Evangelist's Church is a local Church of England church located on Warrington Road in Abram, a town in Greater Manchester, England. It is part of the Diocese of Liverpool.

This church is actually the second one built on this spot. The first church, built in 1838, was damaged when the ground underneath it began to sink due to local coal mining. The current church was built between 1935 and 1937 to replace it.

The Story of the Two Churches

The First Church and Its Problems

The original church's foundation stone was laid on March 9, 1836. It was officially opened and blessed on June 9, 1838. For many years, it served the people of Abram.

However, the ground in the area was unstable because of all the coal mining happening underground. This sinking ground, called subsidence, caused serious damage to the church building. In 1907, the problem became very clear when the bell tower on the church collapsed. A new, stronger tower with metal supports was built, but people began to realize that a whole new church was needed.

Building a New Church

It took a long time to start the new building because of the cost. Work finally began in 1935. The new church was designed by an architect named Henry Paley. It cost £11,113 to build, which was a lot of money at the time.

In 1936, people donated money to celebrate the Silver Jubilee (25-year anniversary) of King George V. This money was used to put a clock in the new church's tower. The new St John the Evangelist's Church was officially opened in 1937.

Features of the Church

The church you see today is built with strong stone from Darley Dale in Derbyshire. It has a short, wide tower with a special kind of roof called a saddleback roof, which looks like a simple triangle.

Some important items were saved from the old church and moved to the new one. These include:

• The beautiful stained-glass window at the west end of the church.
• Two monuments from the walls.
• The pipe organ, which has two keyboards (called manuals). It was made by a company called Richardson and Sons.

In the churchyard, there are the war graves of seven soldiers from World War I and five servicemen from World War II. These graves honor those who served their country.

In 2023, the Diocese of Liverpool announced that St John's was one of nineteen churches that might be closed to help save money on building repairs.

See also

• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1916–44)