St John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, Nottingham

The church of St. John the Baptist, Leenside, Nottingham was opened in 1844 as a parish church in the Church of England. It was destroyed in 1941.

St. John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, Nottingham
52°56′59″N 1°8′35″W
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipAnglo Catholic
History
DedicationSt. John the Baptist
Architecture
Architect(s)George Gilbert Scott
StyleEarly English Period
Completed1844
Construction cost£4,400
Closed1941
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseDiocese of Southwell
ParishNottingham

History

The foundation stone for the church of St. John the Baptist was laid by Charles Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers on 9 August 1843 and an address was delivered to the onlookers by Archdeacon George Wilkins. It was created out of the parish of St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. The architects were George Gilbert Scott and William Bonython Moffatt.[1] The Church Building Commission gave a grant of £800 towards the cost of its construction.[2]

The church was dedicated by Rt. Revd. John Kaye, Bishop of Lincoln on 5 November 1844.[3] It had seating for 800 people and cost £4,400. (equivalent to £468,160 in 2021),[4]

It was built in the Early English Period style in Bulwell stone. The dressings were from quarries at Cromford, Coxbench and Duffield, Derbyshire. The pier capitals were from Mansfield. The parsonage house was built in 1850–51 to the designs of local architect Francis Williamson.

The first incumbent was William Howard 1840 – 1853. Afterwards he became Rector of St Peter's Church, Nottingham. Howard was succeeded by John Montague Valpy in 1853.[5] During the incumbency of Valpy, St. John's was the first church in Nottingham to introduce a surpliced choir and choral and week-day celebrations of the Eucharist.[6] Although it was designed for the poor working-class people in the Leenside area of Nottingham, its High Church churchmanship soon attracted a more wealthy middle class congregation from The Park.[7]

In 1911 the Extra Parochial area of St. James' Church, Standard Hill was added to it.

It was bombed in a Second World War air raid during the Nottingham Blitz on 8–9 May 1941 and later demolished. The parish was joined with that of St George in the Meadows, Nottingham.

Organ

The organ was built by Lloyd and Dudgeon of Nottingham and installed in 1865.[8] It was replaced by an organ by Bishop of London in 1896. It comprised 3 manuals and pedals with 23 speaking stops.[9] It was destroyed in the Nottingham Blitz in 1941.

Official History via Southwell Diocese

Further details of the history of this church, as well as a graphic picture of the aftermath of its tortuous end, can be found via the Churches of Southwell official web portal.

References
  1. An itinerary of Nottingham. J. Holland Walker. 1935
  2. Port, M. H. (2006), 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818-1856 (2nd ed.), Reading: Spire Books, p. 340, ISBN 978-1-904965-08-4
  3. The Gentleman's magazine, Volume 177
  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 11 June 2022.
  5. The Clergy List. 1866
  6. The Anglican Church in the Industrialised Town. St. Mary's Parish, Nottingham. 1770-1884. M.W. Bowen. Dissertation. University of Nottingham. 1997
  7. A Centenary History of Nottingham. John Beckett. p.358. Manchester University Press. 1997
  8. "Opening of a New Organ at St. John's Church". Nottingham Journal. England. 27 May 1865. Retrieved 5 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. "NPOR [N13662]". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
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