St John's Church, Gateshead Fell

Church in Tyne and Wear, England

54°56′18″N 1°35′19″W / 54.9383°N 1.5885°W / 54.9383; -1.5885OS grid referenceNZ 265 605LocationChurch Road, Sheriff Hill, Gateshead, Tyne and WearCountryEnglandDenominationAnglicanWebsiteSt John, Gateshead FellHistoryStatusParish churchDedicationJohn the EvangelistArchitectureFunctional statusActiveHeritage designationGrade IIDesignated26 April 1950Architect(s)John IonsArchitectural typeChurchStyleGothic RevivalGroundbreaking1824Completed1825Construction cost£2,742SpecificationsMaterialsStone, slate roofAdministrationProvinceYorkDioceseDurhamArchdeaconrySunderlandDeaneryGatesheadParishGateshead FellClergyVicar(s)Revd Danie LindleyAssistant priest(s)Revd Ken CoulsonCurate(s)Revd John MayesLaityChurchwarden(s)Catherine Mayes Yvonne StonebankParish administratorDiane Kindred

St John's Church, Gateshead Fell, is in Church Road, Sheriff Hill, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Gateshead, the archdeaconry of Sunderland, and the diocese of Durham.^[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.^[2] It was a Commissioners' church, having received a grant towards its construction from the Church Building Commission.^[3] The church stands at the highest point in Gateshead.^[4]

History

In 1809, the Enclosure Act decreed that there be a church built on Gateshead Fell and an acre of land was set aside for that purpose.^[5] A grant of £1,000 (equivalent to £110,000 in 2023)^[6] was given towards its construction by the Church Building Commission.^[3] Designed by John Ions,^[2] the foundation stone was laid by Rev. John Collinson, at a "lofty eminence" on Sour Milk Hill, on 13 May 1824.^[5] Building continued into the next year and the church was consecrated on 30 August 1825.^[5] The total cost was £2,742 (equivalent to £300,000 in 2023).^[6]^[7] In the 1990s alterations were carried out at the rear of the church to create meeting rooms, toilets, and a kitchen.^[4]

Architecture

St John's is constructed in ashlar stone with a Welsh slate roof. Its architectural style is Gothic Revival. The plan of the church consists of a nave, a short chancel, and a west tower with a spire. The tower also has diagonal buttresses and an embattled parapet. The windows along the sides of the church are lancets.^[2] The two-manual organ was made by Harrison and Harrison. It replaced an organ made in about 1929 by Blackett and Howden, and was installed in 2000. The organ was formerly in St Aidan's Church, Blackhill, Consett.^[8]

References

^ St John, Gateshead Fell, Church of England, retrieved 16 December 2011
^ ^a ^b ^c Historic England, "Church of St John, Gateshead Fell (1277868)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 December 2011
^ ^a ^b Port, M. H. (2006), 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818-1856 (2nd ed.), Reading: Spire Books, p. 326, ISBN 978-1-904965-08-4
^ ^a ^b The Building and Parish, St John's, Gateshead Fell, retrieved 16 December 2011
^ ^a ^b ^c MacKenzie, E & Ross, M (1834): An historical, topographical, and descriptive view of the county palatine of Durham p. 107 oclc 59482663.
^ ^a ^b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 7 May 2024
^ Lewis, Samuel (1831): A Topographical Dictionary of England, Lewis & Co, p. 217 ISBN 0-8063-1508-3.
^ Durham (Tyne and Wear), Gateshead--Gateshead Fell, St. John, Low Fell (D07943), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 16 December 2011