St John's Church is a 13th-century church on the corner of Grainger Street and Westgate Road in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, dedicated to
St John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
. It is a Grade I listed building.
History and Building Description
The old church of St. John is believed to date from c.1287. William Gray called it "a pretty little church, commended by an arch-prelate of this kingdom because it resembled much a cross". The quiet simplicity of the church contrasts with the modern buildings which surround and overtop it on three sides. Its tower is low and square, with small
pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...
s at the corners. Its windows have flattened arched tops, far from elegant in design. It is perhaps reminiscent of some little church in a rural aspect, standing as it does amongst trees in its quiet graveyard, amongst all the turmoil and bustle of the busy streets which run past it.
Over the outside of the large window in the south
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building with ...
, which looks into Westgate Street, is a stone to commemorate the generosity of Robert Rhodes and which has his arms carved upon it. He was the builder of
St. Nicholas’ steeple
In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...
, and the benefactor of this and all the churches of the town. The current stone is a copy of the original, which was placed there in Rhode's life, as were also his arms in the
groining of the tower. The original was taken down c.1861 during repairs, and is now in the castle.
Interior
The 15th-century
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a " sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mo ...
cover and the
Jacobean pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, acces ...
are fine examples of local woodwork. When the church was restored, a new sanctuary was created at the Crossing, which contains a stone altar slab given in 1712 as a reminder of the church revival under
Queen Anne. 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.
...
, now the Lady Chapel, contains a window including the fragments of medieval glass with the earliest known representation of the arms of Newcastle. Further along the wall is a cruciform opening which enabled the
anchorite
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites are ...
, whose cell was above the present
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually locate ...
, to see the altar. The
rood
A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church.
Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...
and
reredos
A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images.
The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for e ...
are both the work of
Sir Charles Nicholson.
Graveyard
Part of the graveyard was built over in the 1960s for meeting rooms and a hall. Since then, most of the rest has also been paved over. As of 2010, there remained about ten gravestones. Two of these, that to Solomon Hodgson, owner of the Newcastle Chronicle and that to the artist Ralph Waters are listed grade II.
Irish actor and poet
John Cunningham is buried in the graveyard.
Not far from the east window lies a stone slab, part of a table monument, its four supporting pillars lying half buried in the soil beneath it. This is one of the most interesting monuments in the city. The inscription on it reads as follows:
See also
St John the Baptist’s Church web sitePhotographs here
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newcastle upon Tyne, John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
Grade I listed churches in Tyne and Wear
Church of England church buildings in Tyne and Wear
12th-century church buildings in England