St John's Church, Hartford

St John the Baptist Church, is in the village of Hartford, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building,[1] and is the Anglican parish church of Hartford and Greenbank.[2] It is in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich.[3]

St John the Baptist Church, Hartford
St John the Baptist Church, Hartford, from the southeast
St John the Baptist Church, Hartford Location in Cheshire
OS grid reference	SJ 638,722
Location	Hartford, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Conservative Evangelical
Website	St John, Hartford
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1824
Dedication	St John the Baptist
Consecrated	24 June 1875
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	18 July 1986
Architect(s)	John Douglas
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	29 October 1873
Construction cost	£12,508 (£1.43 million in 2020)
Specifications
Materials	Buff and red sandstone, red tile roof
Administration
Parish	St John, Hartford
Deanery	Middlewich
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Rev Mike Smith
Curate(s)	Rev Alec Ham
Minister(s)	Rev George Agar
Laity
Reader(s)	David Charlton Jeremy Hunns
Churchwarden(s)	Ian Barton, Danny Greaves,

History

The first church on the site was consecrated in 1824. Following this the population grew and the church became too small. In 1873 it was decided that a new and larger church was needed. The new church was designed by John Douglas. The foundation stone was laid on 29 October 1873. The new church was consecrated by William Jacobson, Bishop of Chester, on 24 June 1875. At this time, the church consisted of the chancel and nave with its porches and the foundations of the tower. The tower, also designed by John Douglas, was then added and this was dedicated by William Stubbs, Bishop of Chester, on 14 April 1887. On 20 June 1897 a ring of six bells was dedicated. The total cost of the church was £12,508 (£1.43 million in 2019).[4] In the 1920s a choir vestry was added to the east wall. In 1990 the church pipe organ was replaced by an electronic organ. In 1993 the roof was refurbished and during the following year the pews were replaced by chairs.[5] In 1997–98 an extension was added to the west end of the church to provide extra seating, toilets and a kitchen.[6]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built in buff sandstone with red sandstone dressings and a red tile roof. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a two-bay chancel with a vestry to the south and a chapel to the north, north and south porches and a west tower. The tower is in four stages with a stair turret at the southwest corner which rises higher than the tower. The parapet is embattled.[1] The tower is around 70 feet (21 m) high.[7]

Interior

Internally the plaster and wooden reredos depicts the Last Supper in a Gothic gilded setting.[1] The authors of the Buildings of England series describe the interior as being "altogether interesting, with a primitive look", commenting in particular that the two sides of the chancel are different.[8] The main entrance to the church is now through the west extension to the church.[7]

External features

The churchyard contains ten war graves of service personnel, three of World War I and seven of World War II.[9]

Present day

The church continues to be an active parish church in the Evangelical tradition,[2] and regular services are held.[10] In addition to Sunday services, the church has a busy mid-week programme and runs a wide variety of groups, cafes and community activities.[11] In October 2009 work started to demolish and replace the church hall. It was replaced by St John's Church Centre, which opened in November 2010.[12] The Church Centre is primarily used for church activities, but is also in frequent use by community and other groups.[13]

The parish is within the conservative evangelical tradition of the Church of England, and it has passed resolutions to reject the ordination of women as presbyters (priests).[14]

See also

• Listed buildings in Hartford, Cheshire
• List of new churches by John Douglas

References

1. Historic England, "Church of St John, Hartford (1228363)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 1 August 2012
2. St John's Church, Hartford, St John's Church, Hartford, retrieved 10 March 2008
3. St John's Parish Church, Hartford, Church of England, retrieved 3 January 2011
4. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 2 February 2020
5. St John's Hartford – origins, St John's Church, Hartford, retrieved 10 March 2008
6. St John's Hartford – the Church Extension, St John's Church, Hartford, retrieved 10 March 2008
7. St John's Hartford – a guided tour, St John's Church, Hartford, retrieved 10 March 2008
8. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 390, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
9. HARTFORD (ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 3 February 2013
10. Service Times, St John's Church, Hartford, retrieved 27 December 2011
11. Church Activities at St John's, St John's Church, Hartford, retrieved 27 December 2011
12. "£1.4M Hall opens at church", Northwich Guardian, Newsquest Media Group, 6 September 2010, retrieved 3 January 2011
13. St John's Church Centre, St John's Church, Hartford, retrieved 27 December 2011
14. "Newsletter: Summer 2018" (pdf), Bishop of Maidstone, August 2018, retrieved 24 October 2018

Further reading

• Hubbard, Edward (1991). The Work of John Douglas. London: The Victorian Society. pp. 130–131. ISBN 0-901657-16-6.