St John the Evangelist's Church, Greenock

St John the Evangelist's Church, Greenock, is located in Union Street, Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is an active Anglican church in the Scottish Episcopal Church.[1] It is designated by Historic Environment Scotland as a Category B listed building.[2]

St John the Evangelist's Church, Greenock
Map
55°57′17″N 4°46′13″W / 55.9548°N 4.7702°W / 55.9548; -4.7702
OS grid referenceNS 275,766
LocationUnion Street, Greenock, Inverclyde
CountryScotland
DenominationScottish Episcopal Church
Website[1]
History
Consecrated28 November 1878
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationCategory B
Designated13 May 1971
Architect(s)Paley and Austin
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking1877
Completed1878
Administration
DioceseGlasgow and Galloway
Clergy
RectorRevd Canon Wilhelmina Nesbitt

History edit

The original church on the site dated from 1824, and by the 1870s it had been decided to replace it with a larger church. A competition was held for its design, but this did not result in a satisfactory outcome. The perpetual curate of the church, Revd Julius Lloyd, recommended the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin, who were given the commission to design the church. It is the only church in Scotland designed by this practice. Building started in 1877 and the church was consecrated on 28 November 1878.[3] It cost a little over £7,000 (equivalent to £720,000 in 2021).[4] Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart gave £1,500 towards its cost, and land to allow enlargement of the original site.[5] In 1890 the successors in the Lancaster practice, Paley, Austin and Paley, designed stalls for the church, and in about 1897–98 the firm (then known as Austin and Paley) were asked to design an additional vestry.[6]

Architecture edit

The architectural style is Gothic Revival. The plan of the church consists of a four-bay nave with a clerestory, a chancel with a chapel, and a tower at the southeast corner.[2] Along the sides of the nave are three- and four-light windows.[6] The tower has a slate-covered pyramidal roof. Inside the church the arcades are carried on alternate octagonal and circular piers.[2] The rood screen was designed by H. O. Tarbolton, and the font is a copy of a 15th-century font in Suffolk. The pipe organ was built by J. and A. Mirrlees of Glasgow.[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ St John the Evangelist, Greenock, Scottish Episcopal Church, retrieved 31 August 2011
  2. ^ a b c Historic Environment Scotland, "St. John the Evangelist's Episcopal Church, Union Street (Category B Listed Building) (LB34153)", retrieved 20 March 2019
  3. ^ Brandwood et al. (2012), pp. 109–111
  4. ^ 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 11 June 2022.
  5. ^ Brandwood et al. (2012), p. 230
  6. ^ a b Brandwood et al. (2012), p. 111
  7. ^ St John the Evangelist, Greenock, Scotland's Churches Scheme, retrieved 17 October 2012

Bibliography edit