St John's Minster | |
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Church of St John the Evangelist | |
St John's Minster from the south
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Coordinates: 53°45′31″N 2°41′46″W / 53.7585°N 2.6962°W | |
OS grid reference | SD 542 294 |
Location | Church Street, Preston, Lancashire |
Country | England |
Denomination | Anglican |
Churchmanship | Modern Catholic |
Website | Preston Minster |
History | |
Dedication | Saint John the Evangelist |
Dedicated | 1581 |
Architecture | |
Status | Parish church |
Functional status | Active |
Heritage designation | Grade II* |
Designated | 1855 |
Architect(s) | E. H. Shellard |
Architectural type | Church |
Style | Gothic Revival |
Specifications | |
Materials | Sandstone, slate roofs |
Administration | |
Parish | Preston St. John and St. George The Martyr |
Deanery | Preston |
Archdeaconry | Lancaster |
Diocese | Blackburn |
Province | York |
Clergy | |
Rector | The Revd Canon Timothy Lipscomb |
Laity | |
Director of music | Sam Walmsley |
Churchwarden(s) | David Harrison, Margaret Warwick-Nelson |
St John's Minster, formerly the Church of St John the Evangelist, is in Church Street, in the centre of Preston, Lancashire, England. From its origin it has been the parish church of Preston. It is an active Anglican church in the deanery of Preston, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is united with that of St George, Preston. St John's is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
St John's stands on an ancient Christian site, originally dedicated to Saint Wilfrid. The church is not specifically mentioned in the Domesday Book, the earliest documentary reference being in 1094, when it was part of a grant by Roger de Poiteau to the abbey at Sées. None of the fabric of this church has survived. It was replaced by a new church, probably in the 16th century. In 1581 its dedication was changed to Saint John the Baptist. It was repaired during the following century, but by 1770 its condition had deteriorated. In that year its dedication was changed again, this time to Saint John the Evangelist. In 1811 the tower was partly demolished, to be replaced by new tower in 1814. However, by 1853 the church was in such a bad condition that, apart from the base of the tower, the whole church was demolished.
The new church was built between 1853 and 1855; it was designed by E. H. Shellard, and it is considered to be his major work. In 1856 the Lancaster architect E. G. Paley designed a font and probably added groining to the tower, in 1857–58 he designed a reredos, and in 1859 the organ case. In 1930 E. G. Paley's son, Henry Paley, supervised general repairs to the church, including new ceilings in the nave, chancel and chapel, at a cost of £802. Two years later he was in charge of repairs to the tower and spire, which cost £320. North and south galleries were removed in the 1960s. The church was re-ordered in the early 2000s by Francis Roberts. To mark the granting of city status to Preston, in 2003 the church was renamed the Minster Church of Saint John.