St. John the Evangelist
St. John the Evangelist
St. John's Church
is a grade II listed building and is situated in Thomas Lane, Knotty Ash. It is
constructed of sandstone quarried from West Derby and Woolton. The village of
Knotty Ash, made famous by Ken Dodd was awarded conservation status in 2004.
The foundation stone of the Church was laid on June 26th, 1834, the following
inscription being engraved on a brass plate, which was laid in the plinth stone:
“On the 26th day of June Anno Domini, 1834, this Foundation Stone was laid by
Adam Dugdale Esq. of Dovecot House, on land given by him for the erection of
this church for the service of the Church of England; it is dedicated to St.
John the Evangelist, and was built by donations and subscriptions.”
First Trustees of St. John's
1.
Adam Dugdale
of Dovecot House
2. Thomas Littledale of Highfield (Mayor of Liverpool 1826)
3. Edmund Molyneux of Newsham House
4. John Chrichlow of Molyneux of Staplands
5. John Worrall of Knotty Ash House
Architects: Williams and Edwards
Built by Richard and Paul Barker.
The consecration of the Church took place on Thursday, February 18th, 1836. As
originally designed the Church consisted of the present nave with a small
shallow recess at the east end of the Church as a chancel. The whole of the
central portion of the Church was filled with pews, high and with a door to
each. In the early 1840's side galleries were added as there were not enough
'free' pews for the poor of the parish.
In 1890 the Church was extended and the new chancel, organ chamber and Lady
Chapel were erected. At the same time a new organ was purchased and the side
galleries removed. During this reconstruction dry rot was discovered in the main
floor, and some of the pews were renewed, along with the heating system. The new
chancel was consecrated on Saturday, April 26th, 1890 by the Lord Bishop of the
Diocese.
When the Chancel was completed it was decided to move the organ from the
west gallery. A new organ was purchased by voluntary subscriptions and was
dedicated on Thursday March 31st, 1898. Miss Thompson of Thingwall paid for the
elaborately carved organ case. In 1967 the organ was completely rebuilt.
Stained Glass Windows
On entering the Church, one is immediately aware of the beauty of the stained
glass windows.
1865-Window over the altar was first to be erected. Donor remains anonymous. It
is suggested that it may have been Mr E MacKinley of Leyfield House. The Window
was dismantled and rebuilt in 1890 when new chancel was completed.
Children’s Corner – Filled with glass given by Mrs Mary Molyneux of Staplands.
Several windows designed by Mr W Lonsdale – small window over north door,
window nearest vestry door, north window in the Sanctuary, East Window in the
Lady Chapel and three smaller ones, and the Memorial to Queen Victoria on South
Wall.
The small window over the north door was a memorial to the Littledale Family of
Highfield. This was used as a private doorway for the family into their family
pew.
Mr and Mrs Gunston of Halsneed, Prescot erected next window on north wall in memory of their son who died age 25. The designs were by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a Pre-Raphaelite artist and a contemporary of William Morris
The most eastern window on the south wall is glass designed by Mr C.E Kempe of
Oxford - it is also the most valuable
There are many more beautiful windows in this church. Do pay us a visit to find out more.
A tablet erected by Henry Yates Thompson in memory of his father
Mr Samuel
Thompson may seem to be of simple marble – however, it is a slab of porphyry,
which is of so large a size that it only has one rival in the world – the slab
on the grave of Henry VII in Westminster Abbey!
Henry Yates Thompson interestingly, also presented the City of Liverpool with
the Palm House in Sefton Park.
Altar
The
altar,
made of polished oak has within the design five inlaid crosses which stand as a
memorial of the five wounds inflicted on our Lord on the cross. This was
purchased through the voluntary offerings of all the communicants. The screening
behind the altar depicts the four evangelists and was presented by Colonel
Stanley Arnold in memory of his brother who is buried in the churchyard.
The Baptistry holds some rare treasures. Mr Thompson Yates had an interest in
the
Della Robbia pottery works of Mr Rathbone of Birkenhead (1894 - 1906) On his
death, his sister Miss A.M Thompson donated in memory the plaques, frieze
cherubs, and the oak panelling and screen that separates the Baptistry from the
Nave.
Queen Victoria's Coat of Arms
These coat of arms, sited above the balcony, entitle the church choir to wear red robes
The lych-gate makes a picturesque entrance to the village Churchyard. The word 'lich'
or 'lych' is our modern form of the anglo-saxon 'lic', meaning a 'corpse' and
the lich-gate was built for the sheltering of the bier as the priest performed
the introductory part of the Burial Service.
It was dedicated on December 30th
1900 and is found at the northwest entrance. It has been set at the north west
entrance by Mr R.D Radcliffe in memory of his parents/.
It has particular historic interest as it is made from oak timbers from an old
house in Finch Lane, West Derby known as ‘Boltons’ (demolished 1897) The arch of
the canopy of the high table from the old house is incorporated in the gateway,
together with other features from the original building.
This was the oldest house in West Derby, built around 1400. This is believed to
be Croxteth oak and is over 600 years old. The cost of labour to build this, due
to the toughness of the wood, was at the time a massive £400
Builder: James Wainwright of Huyton
Carpenter: Samuel Woods of Old Swan
The inscription on the gate reads:
(Facing the road)
‘Grant, O Lord, that through the grave and gate of death we may rise to our
joyful resurrection. This gate made mostly of oak from Bolton’s, Finch Lane,
built MCCCC(1400), pulled down MDCCCXCVII (1897), is set here by R. D Radcliffe, MDCCCC(1900).
Pro hoc memento mei Domine. Concerning this, remember me, O Lord.’
(Facing the church)’In
affectionate memory of Richard Radcliffe and Anne, his wife, on whose souls may
God have mercy. Peace to those who enter. Well-being to those who depart.’
In 1895 – Miss A.M. Thompson had purchased a field behind the vicarage and
presented a portion to the church as an addition to the churchyard.
1895 July 16th
– Consecration of this land. A sundial was placed here.
There are several gravestones worthy of study in the yard. You will find one
near the vestry door with a date preceding the opening of the church. This was because they were originally
from St Nicholas’ Church at the Pier Head and were moved when the dock road was
constructed.
We have tombs from the Gladstone Family of Court Hey – relations of the former Prime Minister William Gladstone.
Also a memorial to Norman Harrison, second engineer on the Titanic, who lived
with his wife Mary at 27 Baden Road, Knotty Ash. His body, if recovered, was
never identified
It is said that there are more Lord Mayors and Mayors of Liverpool buried here
than any other
in the city.
The Bell
1707 – Three years after the consecration of St Peters Church (this used to
stand in Church Street, Liverpool), Abraham Rudhall cast 4 bells for the church
where they hung until 1830. They sold one to St Johns having bought a new peal.
It is inscribed – ‘God save the Church and Queen, A.R.1707’
It is 38 inches in height and 351/2
inches at the sound bow giving it to be seven hundredweight in weight.
There was a legend in the village that this bell was cast from cannon taken from
the Dutch, and that the beauty and richness of its tone is due to the amount of
silver in its composition.
This bell must have rung in St. Peter's Tower for the victories of the Battle of
the Nile, Trafalgar, Waterloo. It has summoned Christian folk to the worship of
the Lord for nearly 300 years.
Much of the above information taken from the book 'Knotty Ash' by Gordon
Radley.
Edited by S. Thorpe and R. Southern
