The Church of St John the Apostle, Torquay, is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

parish church 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 ...

Diocese of Exeter on Montpellier Road in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

History

The church started in 1823 as a chapel-of-ease to the parish church at Tormoham. The current building was designed by

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccle ...

and built between 1861 and 1873. The chancel was built first by Wall and Hook of Brunscomb, Gloucester at a cost of £4,000. The chancel was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Jamaica, the Rt Revd

Aubrey Spencer Aubrey George Spencer (8 February 1795 – 24 February 1872)''DEATH OF THE BISHOP OF JAMAICA'' The Morning Post (London, England), Monday, 26 February 1872; pg. 6; Issue 30645 was the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Newfoundland and Ber ...

, acting for the diocesan bishop, on 8 November 1864. It contained carving by

Thomas Earp Thomas Earp may refer to: * Thomas Earp (politician) * Thomas Earp (sculptor) Thomas Earp (1828–1893) was a British sculptor and architectural carver who was active in the late 19th century. His best known work is his 1863 reproduction of t ...

and mosaic work by

Antonio Salviati Antonio Salviati (18 March 1816 – 25 January 1890) was an Italian glass manufacturer and founder of the Salviati family firm. Biography A native of Vicenza, Salviati was a lawyer who became interested in glass work after participating in re ...

. The north aisle was completed next and opened in 1866. Construction on the nave and south aisle began in 1870 and it opened on 2 April 1871. The west tower was completed in 1884–85 at a cost of £2,000 to the designs of Arthur Edmund Street and the contractor being a Mr Chubb of Torquay. Special services were held on 30 April 1885 to mark the completion of the tower. A new bell was dedicated on 7 October 1885 which was cast in E flat by Warner and Son of London with a weight of nearly 19 cwt. The lady chapel was decorated between 1888 and 1890 by

John Dando Sedding John Dando Sedding (13 April 1838 – 7 April 1891) was an English church architect, working on new buildings and repair work, with an interest in a "crafted Gothic" style. He was an influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, many of wh ...

. The chapel was divided from the chancel and aisle by iron grills, and approached by a polished Torquay marble step was the ornate altar and reredos. New seating of oak was placed on oak platforms and the floor. The fronts and back were carved and traceried, and the ends of the seats had fleur de lis termination, and the sides had shields with sunken carved panels with scenes from The Passion. The work was carried out by

Harry Hems Harry Hems (12 June 1842 – 5 January 1916) was an English architectural and ecclesiastical sculptor who was particularly inspired by Gothic architecture and a practitioner of Gothic Revival. He founded and ran a large workshop in Exeter, Devon ...

of Longbrook Street, Exeter.

Incumbents

Organ

A temporary organ was acquired from Dicker of Exeter when the church opened, but when the nave was completed a new organ was built in 1872 by

William Hill & Sons William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century. The founder William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...

. The pipe organ has three manuals and pedals, with 47 speaking stops. A specification of the organ can be found in the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

References

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Torquay