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

Quick facts for kids St John the Evangelist's Church, Winsford
West end of St John's Church, Winsford
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OS grid reference	SJ 635 663
Location	Delamere Street, Over, Winsford, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Conservative Evangelical
Website	St John, Over
History
Status	Parish church
Founder(s)	Hugh Cholmondeley, 2nd Baron Delamere
Dedication	St John the Evangelist
Consecrated	June 1863
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	12 March 1986
Architect(s)	John Douglas
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1861
Completed	1863
Construction cost	£5,000
Specifications
Spire height	140 feet (43 m)
Materials	Sandstone, grey slate roof
Administration
Parish	St John the Evangelist, Over
Deanery	Middlewich
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St John the Evangelist's Church is located in Over, which is part of Winsford, Cheshire, England. This church is a special building. It is listed as a Grade II listed building on the National Heritage List for England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it serves the local community as part of the Church of England.

History of St John's Church

In 1860, a nobleman named Hugh Cholmondeley, 2nd Baron Delamere, wanted to build a church. He asked John Douglas, an architect from Chester, to design it. The church was meant to be a memorial to Lord Delamere's wife, Sara. At that time, Douglas was just starting his career. He was already working for Lord Delamere at his home, Vale Royal Abbey.

A new church area, called a parish, was created for St John the Evangelist. This new parish was formed from parts of the areas covered by St Mary, Whitegate and St Chad, Over churches. The Bishop of Chester, John Graham, officially opened the church in June 1863. This was the very first church that John Douglas designed.

Later, in 1961, a new room for the choir was added. This was done to celebrate the church's 100th birthday. A small, special chapel called the Lady Chapel was opened in 1972. The next year, a special cupboard called an aumbry was added there. In 1979, new doors were put on the outside porch.

Architecture and Design

St John's Church is built from Runcorn sandstone and has a grey slate roof. It is designed in a style called Decorated Gothic. The church has a main area called a nave with five sections. It also has a clerestory, which is a row of windows high up. There are side sections called aisles on the north and south. The church also has a chancel (the area around the altar), a tower at the southwest corner, and a room for the clergy called a vestry at the northeast.

The tower has three levels and a tall, pointed roof called a spire. It has strong supports called buttresses at its corners. On the third level of the tower, there are openings for the bells and clock faces on three sides. There is no clock face on the south side. This is because when the church was built, there were only open fields on that side. The spire is about 43 meters (140 feet) tall. It has small windows called lucarnes and a wrought iron cross at the very top. A chimney stack rises from the roof of the vestry. Inside the church, the east end has stone panels and a model of the Last Supper made from alabaster.

Outside the Church

In the churchyard, there are many memorials. One of these is for people who died in a cotton mill fire in Over in 1874. This memorial is made of yellow sandstone blocks. It has words carved into it, including a quote from St Mark's Gospel. It also lists the names of the four people who died, including a baby who was only three months old. This memorial is also a Grade II listed building.

St John's Church Today

Today, St John's Church is a very active place. It holds regular services every Sunday. The church also hosts special events like baptisms, weddings, and funerals. It is very involved in the local community of Winsford.

St John's Church follows a certain tradition within the Church of England. It has made decisions not to allow women to become priests.

See also

• Listed buildings in Winsford
• List of new churches by John Douglas