St. John's Church, Oakfield, Ryde is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

located in

Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

History

The church was built in 1842-43 by Charles Langdon & Co. to a design by the architect Thomas Hellyer. The church was consecrated on 18 July 1843 by

Charles Richard Sumner Charles Richard Sumner (22 November 179015 August 1874) was a Church of England bishop. Life Charles Sumner was a brother of John Bird Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury. Their father was Robert Sumner and their mother was Hannah Bird, a first co ...

the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. Successive enlargements to the building were made in following years as the local population grew, and on 3 December 1870 the enlarged church was re-consecrated. At the same time St John's became a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

church, until that time having been a

chapel-of-ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ease is deliberately bu ...

in the parish of St Helens. A

Lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, an ...

was added in 1914 in memory of the 7th Lord Calthorpe whose family lived at nearby Woodlands Vale, and were regular worshippers at the church. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

of the church was enlarged in 1954. The churchyard contains

Commonwealth war graves The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...

of 13 service personnel from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and two from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1970 a church hall was added as an extension of the church building, the previous hall having been situated some distance away at the junction of St John's Hill and St John's Avenue. The church hall was refurbished in 2006 and was used for a number of years as The Park Centre, a community resource. Management of the hall has now returned to the PCC of St John's Church and continues to be used by church and community groups.

Organ

A specification of the organ can be found on th
National Pipe Organ Register

List of organists

*J. Heaton-Bailey 1886 - 1890 *Walter Brennand Smith ???? *Sidney L. Torr 1910 - ca. 1912 - ???? *R. H. Toogood. ca. 1921Thornsby, Frederick W., ed. (1921) ''Dictionary of Organs and Organists''; 2nd ed. London: G. A. Mate *Dudley Teague ca. 1967 *Jeanette Richards ca. 1980

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oakfield, St. John Church of England church buildings on the Isle of Wight Grade II listed churches on the Isle of Wight Ryde