Church of St John the Evangelist, Lancaster, Lancashire

Address:
North Road, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 1PA
How to find us
Opening times:
Access to this site is currently restricted, for more information please email Elanor Johnson Regeneration Officer [email protected]
  • Built in 1754-55 by Henry Sephton, as a chapel of ease for Lancaster Priory, St John's is a church of five bays and semicircular apse in ashlar sandstone under a slate roof.  © Ian Hamilton
  • There is a fine collection of box pews in the nave complemented by oak-panelled galleries on the north, south and west sides of the church, linked by Ionic columns to the barrel-vaulted ceiling. © Ian Hamilton
  • The chancel and sanctuary are formed within the added apsidal or semi circular east end. The east end of the church was redesigned in the 1870s and again in the 1920s. © Ian Hamilton
  • The stained glass in the north aisle and the chapel dates from the late 19th or early 20th century and is by Shrigley and Hunt. © Ian Hamilton
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Refined Georgian craftsmanship and a complex legacy of Trans-Atlantic commerce in the heart of the city

Consecrated in 1755, with a distinctive Neoclassical tower and spire added in 1784, St John’s was built by and for the expanding merchant community of Lancaster, at a time when Trans-Atlantic trade - including trade in enslaved people - brought prosperity and growth to the city.  It was built near to the Lune-side docks, which connected Lancaster to the Atlantic and thence to Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, and known locally as ‘t’owd fish church’ for its fish-shaped weathervane and maritime associations. 

Internally, the majority of the Georgian interior survives including the altar rail, box pews, galleries and 1780s organ casing, the latter by the renowned Gillow’s of Lancaster, cabinet-makers, donated by local MP Abraham Rawlinson. Later alterations, including a porch and side chapel, are sensitive to the character resulting in an austere but coherent aesthetic. Set behind tall railings in its overgrown churchyard, this is one of Lancashire’s hidden treasures. 

St John’s has been closed and underused since flooding in late 2015 and subsequent outbreaks of wet and dry rot.  It is in significant need of repair and conservation; despite investment of in excess of £250,000 over the last decade, the condition of the historic fabric continues to deteriorate and the building is on the Heritage At Risk register.  CCT is working with local stakeholders to secure a new, sustainable use for the building which will repair it and prevent future decay; for more information on the regeneration of St John’s see our dedicated page for The Chamber at St John's project.

Donations to support this work, and the repair and upkeep of St John’s are vital; please help us by donating a gift of £5 or £10 by texting the numbers below or visit our donation page here

Text LAN to 70970 to give £5

Text LAN to 70191 to give £10

Your generous donation will help us to protect a beautiful part of local and national heritage. Thank you!

 

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