The church of St. John the Baptist, Leenside, Nottingham was opened in 1844 as a 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 ...

. It was destroyed in 1941.

History

The foundation stone for the church of St. John the Baptist was laid by

Charles Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers Charles Herbert Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers (11 August 1778 – 27 October 1860) was an English nobleman and naval officer, the second son of Charles Pierrepont, 1st Earl Manvers. Naval career Pierrepont entered the Royal Navy as a midshipman ...

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 William Bonython Moffatt (1812 – 24 May 1887) was an architect, who for many years was a partner with Sir George Gilbert Scott at Spring Gardens, London. Moffatt was the son of a small builder and pupil of James Edmeston. He was originally take ...

. The Church Building Commission gave a grant of £800 towards the cost of its construction. The church was dedicated by Rt. Revd. John Kaye,

Bishop of Lincoln The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury. The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...

on 5 November 1844. It had seating for 800 people and cost £4,400. (equivalent to £ in ), It was built in the

Early English Period English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ...

style in Bulwell stone. The dressings were from quarries at

Cromford Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is north of Derby, south of Matlock and south of Matlock Bath. It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Do ...

Coxbench Holbrook is a village in Derbyshire at the southern end of the Pennines around five miles north of Derby, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,538. History Holbrook lies about two miles to the north-east of Duffi ...

and

Duffield, Derbyshire Duffield is a village in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, north of Derby. It is centred on the western bank of the River Derwent at the mouth of the River Ecclesbourne. It is within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Area and th ...

. 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 St Peter's Church, formally The Church of St Peter with St James, is an Anglican parish church in the city centre of Nottingham, England. It is part of the parish of All Saints', St Mary's and St Peter's, Nottingham. The church is Grade I lis ...

. Howard was succeeded by John Montague Valpy in 1853. 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. Although it was designed for the poor working-class people in the Leenside area of Nottingham, its

High Church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

churchmanship soon attracted a more wealthy middle class congregation from The Park. In 1911 the Extra Parochial area of St. James' Church, Standard Hill was added to it. It was bombed in a

Second World War 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 opposi ...

air raid during the

Nottingham Blitz The Nottingham Blitz was an attack by the Nazi German ''Luftwaffe'' on Nottingham during the night of 8–9 May 1941. Defence preparations Nottingham was the first city in Britain to develop an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) network. It was devel ...

on 8–9 May 1941 and later demolished. The parish was joined with that of

St George in the Meadows, Nottingham St George in the Meadows is a parish church in the Church of England in The Meadows, Nottingham, England. The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as it is a building of special architectural or histo ...

Organ

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

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 th
Churches of Southwell official web portal

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, Nottingham Former Church of England church buildings Buildings and structures in the United Kingdom destroyed during World War II Demolished buildings and structures in Nottingham Churches bombed by the Luftwaffe in Nottingham George Gilbert Scott buildings Churches completed in 1844 19th-century Church of England church buildings Nottingham St. John Nottingham, St John Former churches in Nottinghamshire Destroyed churches in England

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...