St John the Evangelist's Church, Cambridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John the Evangelist's Church, Cambridge |
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View of the West end and entrance
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| 52°11′07″N 0°08′20″E / 52.185292°N 0.138963°E | |
| Location | Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2RN |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad church/Central |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Style | Victorian Gothic |
| Completed | 1897 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St. John the Evangelist, Cherry Hinton |
| Deanery | Cambridge South Deanery |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Cambridge |
| Diocese | Diocese of Ely |
St John the Evangelist's Church is a Church of England parish church. It is located where Hills Road and Blinco Grove meet in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.
In 2023, the main priest, called the vicar, was Reverend James Shakespeare. He had worked at this church before as a curate.
Contents
How the Church Started and Grew
St John's Church began in 1892. It was set up by St Andrew's Church in Cherry Hinton. The goal was to serve the new homes being built between Hills Road and Cherry Hinton Road.
At first, church services were held in the chapel of Homerton College. A group of people from the local area and the University of Cambridge worked to raise money for a new building. The head of Peterhouse college led this group.
In 1893, a retired clergyman named Reverend John George offered to help. He volunteered to be the curate-in-charge. He was very important in getting the new church built. He and his wife even gave the church its pulpit as a gift. This was to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.
The first part of the church building was ready to use by the end of 1897. John George became the first vicar that same year. He served the church until 1903.
Building More Parts of the Church
The west end of the church was finished in 1929. This happened when Reverend Patterson Morgan was the vicar. The choir and clergy changing rooms were built earlier, in 1909.
A room for the parish was added on the south side of the church in 1982. This was during the time of Canon Frederick Wilkinson. This room was made bigger in 1995 to create community rooms and a new entrance. Canon Brian Jones was the vicar then.
Who Were the Vicars?
Many vicars have led St John's Church over the years. Here is a list of some of them:
- Rev John George (1897-1903)
- Reverend Love (1903–1914)
- Reverend Jackson (1914–1927)
- Reverend Patterson Morgan (1927–1938)
- Reverend Robert Jary (1938–1947)
- Reverend John Needham (1947–1955)
- Canon Frederick Stanbury (1956–1974)
- Canon Frederick Wilkinson (1975–1988)
- Canon Brian Jones (1989–1997)
- Canons David Reindorp (1997–2006)
- Canon Susan Wyatt (2006–2016)
- Revd James Shakespeare (2017-present)
Well-Known People Connected to the Church
Some interesting people have been part of St John's Church.
Stephen Sykes
Stephen Sykes was a professor at the University of Cambridge. He later became the Bishop of Ely. He worked as a curate at St John's from 1985 to 1990.
Angela Tilby
The Reverend Angela Tilby was an honorary priest at the church from 1997 to 2006. She then became the vicar of St Benet's Church. She is well known for her work on BBC Radio Four. She often spoke on Thought for the Day and the Morning Service.
David Reindorp
Canon David Reindorp was a vicar at St John's. He is now the vicar of Chelsea Old Church. He was also the chaplain in the ITV reality TV shows Lads' Army and Bad Lads' Army.
