St John's Minster, Preston

St John's Minster
Church of St John the Evangelist
St John's Minster from the south
St John's Minster Location in Preston
Coordinates: 53°45′31″N 2°41′46″W / 53.7585°N 2.6962°W / 53.7585; -2.6962
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.