St John's Church, Sevenoaks , Kent

St John's Church, Sevenoaks Church

Image Source: John Salmon

St. John the Baptist was built in 1858 as a chapel-of-ease to the main Sevenoaks Parish Church of St. Nicholas to cater for the population living in the newly built northern part of the town. The architects were the relatively unknown partnership of Morphew and Green. The church originally consisted of a nave with an apsed chancel and a western bellcote, designed in the Early Gothic style. In 1878 a north aisle was added. In 1901 the church was extended with a large clerestoried chancel replacing the original eastern apse. Then in 1905 a Lady Chapel to the south was added, along with the easternmost bay of what might have been intended to be a south aisle. Internally it works relatively well; but the clash of architectural styles and different building materials has resulted in the exterior looking extremely odd. To the west is the Victorian nave built using grey blocks of Kentish ragstone, while to the east is a red bricked chancel and south chapel, built to significantly greater proportions! The idea was that the original nave and north aisle would be replaced in the same Edwardian red bricked style, but due to the outbreak of the First World War this never happened. However, a central bellcote was added in 1939 shortly before the Second World War. The effect is an odd one: as though both the east and west ends are two completely different churches! The sturdy, red bricked Church Hall facing the main road was added to the north side of the church in 1910. St. John's, originally built to serve the poorer north side of what is now a very affluent market town, has always maintained an Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England. The principal feature is undoubtedly the baldacchino over the High Altar in the centre of the chancel, a very unusual feature in Anglican churches. This was erected in 1965 when the chancel and Lady Chapel to the south were reordered between 1960-68 by architect Lawrence King. The High Altar was moved from against the east wall to its present position in the centre of the chancel. Dividing nave from chancel is a large hanging rood dating from 1961 installed in memory of Alice Charles, a parishioner who had served the church faithfully over several decades. The main east window of 1904 was damaged during WWII but was painstakingly restored and reinstalled in 1950-51. The altar in the Lady Chapel to the south dates from 1960, as do the reredos and canopy. Both canopy and baldacchino canopies feature the Dove of Peace on their undersides, symbolising the Holy Spirit. The east window behind the Lady Chapel altar replaces one lost in WWII and dates from 1960. The other windows in the Lady Chapel, were designed and installed between 1890 and 1905 by Alfred Hemmings. Between 2000 and 2008 the south wall of the nave received a five colourful modern windows designed by stained-glass practitioner Caroline Benyon. The font dates from 1898 and was carved by Kate Clarke, while against the pillars at the east end of the nave, just before the Edwardian chancel, are three statues: a wood carving of the Blessed Virgin Mary from 1930; and ceramic statues of St. John the Baptist (from the 1940s) together with a more recent addition from 2018 depicting St. Anne. Text by Rob Baker

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: Not built

Morning Attendance: Not built

Afternoon Attendance: Not built

Evening Attendance: Not built

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: Morphew and Green 1858

Restoration: 1901

Second Restoration:

Notes

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