St John the Baptist's Church is the former
cathedral of
Chester,
Cheshire, England during the
Early Middle Ages. The church, which was first founded in the late 7th Century by the
Anglo Saxons, is outside
Chester's city walls on a cliff above the north bank of the
River Dee.[1] It is now considered to be the best example of 11th–12th century church architecture in Cheshire,[2] and was once the seat of the
Bishop of Lichfield from 1075 to 1095.
The church remained Chester's cathedral until 1082 when the
see was transferred to
Coventry.[3] With the
dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century,
Chester Abbey became Chester Cathedral and St John the Baptist lost its ecclesiastic importance. The east wing was partially demolished and its status was reduced to a
parish church. Although repairs were carried out during the reign of
Elizabeth I, the church was garrisoned in the
English Civil War by the
Roundheads during the
siege of Chester in 1645. In the middle to late 19th century, restorations created the present-day church within remains of the larger medieval building. The site is designated Grade I
listed building and is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England.[2]
St. John's Church yard and remains of the monastery, 1793
The church was reputedly founded by
King Aethelred in AD 689.[6] In 973, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle records that, after his coronation at Bath, King
Edgar of England, came to Chester where he held his court in a palace in a place now known as Edgar's field near the old Dee bridge in
Handbridge. Taking the helm of a barge, he was rowed the short distance up the River Dee from Edgars field to St John the Baptist's Church by six (the monk Henry Bradshaw records he was rowed by eight kings) tributary kings where a
royal council was held.[7]
After the
Dissolution, much of the east end of the church was demolished and some of it remains as ruins to the east of the present church.[11] Since the Dissolution, it has been a
parish church.[2] Parish registers began in 1559, and in 1581 the parishioners obtained a grant of fabric from
Elizabeth I to restore the nave as a parish church. In 1572 the northwest tower partially collapsed and in 1574 there was a greater collapse of this tower which destroyed the western bays of the
nave. This was rebuilt on a "magnificent scale".[12] In 1645, during the
siege of Chester when the
Royalists held the city for
Charles I, the
Parliamentary forces besieging the city used the church as a garrison and gun platform from which they bombarded the city and its walls.[13]
Between 1859–66 and 1886–87, a
Victorian restoration of the church was undertaken by
R. C. Hussey.[11] While the northwest tower was being repaired in 1881 it collapsed again, this time destroying the north porch. The porch was rebuilt in 1881–82 by
John Douglas.[12] John Douglas also built the northeast
belfry tower in 1886.[2] In 1925 the chapel at the south east corner, then the Warburton chapel, was extended to form a
Lady Chapel.[1]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in
sandstone. At the west end is the ruined first stage of the northwest tower. The plan of the body of the church consists of a four-
bay nave with a
clerestory, north and south
aisles and a north porch, a crossing with north and south
transepts each of one bay, a five-bay
chancel with aisles, and chapels at the north and south. The north chapel lies beneath the 1886 belfry tower and is now used as a
vestry; the south chapel is the Lady Chapel. To the south of the Lady Chapel is a room known as the Chapter House.[2]
Interior
St. John's, Chester, England, 1914.
While the external fabric of the church is largely
Early English in style due to the
Victorian restorations, much of the interior consists of
Norman material.[12] This is present in the nave, the crossing, the first bay of the chancel, the arch to the Lady Chapel and in the remains of the choir chapels.[14] Richards considers that it is the best masonry of the Norman period in Cheshire.[1] Inside the church are many early
effigies which are all damaged, some dating back as far as the late 13th or early 14th century.[1][2] Monuments to the Warburton family are in the Lady Chapel. In the church are two
fonts, one dating from the 15th century, the other from the
Commonwealth period. Two brass
chandeliers are dated 1722.[1] The
pulpit is from the 19th century. The
reredos, dated 1876, is by John Douglas and was made by
Morris & Co.; it includes a painting of the Last Supper.[2] The organ had been built as a temporary organ for the
coronation of
Queen Victoria in 1838 by William Hill and Company of London. It was then rebuilt for St John's, transported to Chester by barge and installed at the west end of the church. It was opened on 28 October 1838 with the opening recital given by
Henry Gauntlett as he could actually play the pedals. In the 1859–66 restoration it was moved to the south transept and in 1895–96 it was moved to the north transept, when the organ was put in its current case. In the 1960s it was converted to
electro-pneumatic action by Charles Whiteley and Company. In 2002 it was restored by Rod Billingsley following vandalism.[15] The organ case dated 1895 is by
Thomas M. Lockwood. A memorial to Lockwood is in the north aisle. The stained glass in the east window dated 1863 was designed by
T. M. Penson and made by
Clayton and Bell. The west window was designed by Edward Frampton and is dated 1887–1890. In the north aisle is a barely visible wall painting of St John the Baptist.[14] The church contains nine memorial boards by members of the
Randle Holme family.[16] Also inside the church are fragments of late
Saxon stone crosses that are thought to have been originally in the churchyard.[17] The
parish registers begin in 1559.[1]
Ruins of St John's
Gallery
Nave looking east
The east window, depicting the wedding feast at Cana
The west window, depicting the history of Chester
External features
Outside the church to the east are ruined remains including parts of former chapels,[11][12] which are recognised as a
scheduled monument.[18][19]
The exterior of the church contains a few tombstones that remain in their original positions. The vast majority of the gravestones have now been repositioned and laid to the ground forming the footpaths immediately in front of the church. In 2009 a research project recorded the inscriptions on the remaining tombs and gravestones.[20]
An
anchorite cell, originally associated with the church, is nearby.