Country United Kingdom Churchmanship Anglo Catholic Construction cost £4,400 Opened 1844 Dedication John the Baptist | Denomination Church of England Completed 1844 Closed 1941 Province Province of York Architect George Gilbert Scott | |
Architectural style English Gothic architecture Diocese Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham Similar St Mary's Church - Nottingham, Coronation Chair, ChristChurch Cathedral - Christchurch, Holy Trinity Church - Halstead, All Saints Notting Hill | ||
The church of St. John the Baptist, Leenside, Nottingham was opened in 1844 as a parish church in the Church of England. It was destroyed in 1941.
Contents
History
The foundation stone for the church of St. John the Baptist was laid by Charles Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers 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. 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 on 5 November 1844. It had seating for 800 people and cost £4,400. (equivalent to £396,860 in 2015),
It was built in the Early English Period style in Bulwell stone. The dressings were from quarries at Cromford, Coxbench and Duffield, Derbyshire. The pier capitals were from Mansfield.
The first incumbent was William Howard 1840 – 1853. Afterwards he became Rector of St Peter's Church, Nottingham. 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 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 air raid during the Nottingham Blitz on 8–9 May 1941 and later demolished. The parish was joined with that of St George in the Meadows, Nottingham.
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 the Churches of Southwell official web portal.