St John The Baptist Church is a Grade II* listed 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 Britai ...
in
Buxton, Derbyshire
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.
History
The church on St John's Road was designed in the Neo-Classical
Regency
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
style by John White. It was built between 1802 and 1811 through the patronage of
William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, (14 December 1748 – 29 July 1811), was a British nobleman, aristocrat, and politician. He was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, by his wife, the heiress Lady Charlotte B ...
. It is constructed from Ashlar gritstone with a slate roof. In 1896 the architect Sir Authur Blomfield redesigned the nave and the original east portico was enclosed to form the chancel. The large pediment on the facade is supported by undecorated Tuscan-style columns and is inscribed prominently with MDCCCXI. The stained glass windows include several by the Victorian designer
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lich ...
.
St John's Church became the town's new Anglican church (for the growing numbers of residents and visitors, close to the popular spa baths), succeeding St Anne's Church in Higher Buxton, which was later converted into a school. St John's initially served the parish of Fairfield until the parish of Buxton was created in 1898.
The church is used as an arts venue during the annual Buxton International Festival.
Parish status
The church is in a joint parish with
* Christ Church, Burbage
* Christ Church, King Sterndale
* St Anne's Church, Buxton
* St James' Church, Buxton
* St Mary's Church, Buxton
Organ
The organ was installed by William Hill & Son of London in 1897. A specification of the organ can be found on the
National Pipe Organ Register
The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...
.
Historical perspective
Anne Lister
Anne Lister (3 April 1791 – 22 September 1840) was an English diarist, famous for revelations for which she was dubbed "the first modern lesbian".
Lister was from a minor landowning family at Shibden in Calderdale, West Riding of Yorkshire, ...
visited here on 16 August 1816, and wrote, ''"At a little distance is the church, one of the neatest and most beautiful little buildings of the kind I ever saw. It has not been finished long, and is of fine free stone like the Crescent, the walls the same within as without, the plain stone looking infinitely better than any plaster, paint, or whitewash, tho' some think the appearance cold - the 2 interior doors are thro' a sort of porch, supported by 4 handsome Ionic columns ic each of one block. Perhaps it is the only church of the kind in England and is universally admired."''
Listed buildings in Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England. The town contains 93 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, ...