St Johns Church - Sept 21

[BikinGlynn]

St Johns Church

St John's was built in 1834 to a design by Lewis Vulliamy A grant of £3,253 (equivalent to £330,000 as of 2021) was given towards its construction by the Church Building Commission. The church was declared redundant in March 2008 due to a declining congregation.

In 2018 the church was put up for sale for £120,000.
The 180-year-old Grade II-listed St John the Baptist church in Smallbridge, Rochdale closed in 2008 due to a dwindling congregation and spiralling repair costs - estimated at £250,000.
I dont believe a sale has been reached.

The explore was as often for me a look in on the off chance a few years ago & we was easy in.
What we discovered was superb, this is certainly one of the top 10 churches Iv done, I loved the gothic architecture & carvings everywhere, hence there is quite a few pics again.
Am hoping this one dosent get battered but its not exactly hidden away so dont think posting will make a difference.

]

Thats Ya lot from here​

 

[HistoryBuff]

What a beautiful church, I wish some rich person or group could buy and give it a good future.

 

[BikinGlynn]

What a beautiful church, I wish some rich person or group could buy and give it a good future.

yep cant believe its just left to deteriate. the council should step in & make basic repairs its structurally pretty good so could be saved but if the roof goes there wont be much hope for it.

 

[Hayman]

Looking at the 1960s-1970s panel of switches, the organ had something done to it to modernise its playing.

 

[BikinGlynn]

Looking at the 1960s-1970s panel of switches, the organ had something done to it to modernise its playing.

Yeah you are prob correct

 

[night crawler]

I can only sum this up in one word "Stunning"

 

[Cuban B.]

Looks like a set from a Hammer Horror film. Very nice if a little pigeony.

 

[BikinGlynn]

I can only sum this up in one word "Stunning"

thanks mate my thoughts exactly

 

[BikinGlynn]

Looks like a set from a Hammer Horror film. Very nice if a little pigeony.

lol does a bit but still has a beauty about it

 

[verdigris]

yep cant believe its just left to deteriate. the council should step in & make basic repairs its structurally pretty good so could be saved but if the roof goes there wont be much hope for it.

ex-Rochdalian here - there is no way the council would step in and save it. The town has a history of corporate vandalism going back to the 1960s. eg There was a 'temperance billiard hall' in the town centre which was a nice Victorian building with beautiful stained glass. I remember large Victorian pubs with etched glass and mahogany fittings. A Methodist church dating back to the very early 1800s left to rot (whilst doing some juvenile urban exploring there I filched the original, large, leather covered book of births marriages and deaths but my mother threw it away..) All gone.
Whilst the Council has managed to keep the Rochdale Pioneers museum ( the Co-Op) it has added an extension to the building which is entirely out of character.

 

[Hayman]

ex-Rochdalian here - there is no way the council would step in and save it. The town has a history of corporate vandalism going back to the 1960s. eg There was a 'temperance billiard hall' in the town centre which was a nice Victorian building with beautiful stained glass. I remember large Victorian pubs with etched glass and mahogany fittings. A Methodist church dating back to the very early 1800s left to rot (whilst doing some juvenile urban exploring there I filched the original, large, leather covered book of births marriages and deaths but my mother threw it away..) All gone.
Whilst the Council has managed to keep the Rochdale Pioneers museum ( the Co-Op) it has added an extension to the building which is entirely out of character.

I've just had a look online - and can only ask how much the 'architect' (I use the word very loosely) was paid to 'design' (again, I use the word very loosely) what looks like an imitation gas holder. At least gas holders had character.

 

[BikinGlynn]

ex-Rochdalian here - there is no way the council would step in and save it. The town has a history of corporate vandalism going back to the 1960s. eg There was a 'temperance billiard hall' in the town centre which was a nice Victorian building with beautiful stained glass. I remember large Victorian pubs with etched glass and mahogany fittings. A Methodist church dating back to the very early 1800s left to rot (whilst doing some juvenile urban exploring there I filched the original, large, leather covered book of births marriages and deaths but my mother threw it away..) All gone.
Whilst the Council has managed to keep the Rochdale Pioneers museum ( the Co-Op) it has added an extension to the building which is entirely out of character.

I guess Rochdale like most northern towns does not exactly have excess funds but its a shame.
Same reason I suppose they cant find a private buyer, its a lot of building for the money but again who would want it? its almost too big for a house conversion. suppose it could be apartments but again the resale price may not be high enough to make it financially viable.

 

[leoboiiiii]

St Johns Church

St John's was built in 1834 to a design by Lewis Vulliamy A grant of £3,253 (equivalent to £330,000 as of 2021) was given towards its construction by the Church Building Commission. The church was declared redundant in March 2008 due to a declining congregation.

In 2018 the church was put up for sale for £120,000.
The 180-year-old Grade II-listed St John the Baptist church in Smallbridge, Rochdale closed in 2008 due to a dwindling congregation and spiralling repair costs - estimated at £250,000.
I dont believe a sale has been reached.

The explore was as often for me a look in on the off chance a few years ago & we was easy in.
What we discovered was superb, this is certainly one of the top 10 churches Iv done, I loved the gothic architecture & carvings everywhere, hence there is quite a few pics again.
Am hoping this one dosent get battered but its not exactly hidden away so dont think posting will make a difference.

]

Thats Ya lot from here​

Hi looks amazing I love exploring and was wondering where it was as there are many St. John’s churches

 

[night crawler]

Hi looks amazing I love exploring and was wondering where it was as there are many St. John’s churches

You could try reading what he wrote, you might get a clue

 

[BikinGlynn]

Hi looks amazing I love exploring and was wondering where it was as there are many St. John’s churches

yeah as @night crawler said I generally only post reports on places that I am willing to give away the locations of (ie they are already well know about) if you copy & paste the bit of history I put in there see how long it takes you to find ;-)
Prob took longer to type that response tbh.

It may not be anywhere near you but my advice would be pin it on maps cos you never know when you may be in the area & thats how you will build up lots of pins

 

[sadlerwells]

How beautiful. I do hope it survives.

 

[BikinGlynn]

How beautiful. I do hope it survives.

yep me too. Iv done over 100 churches &this is deff top 10 for me.

 

[night crawler]

yeah as @night crawler said I generally only post reports on places that I am willing to give away the locations of (ie they are already well know about) if you copy & paste the bit of history I put in there see how long it takes you to find ;-)
Prob took longer to type that response tbh.

It may not be anywhere near you but my advice would be pin it on maps cos you never know when you may be in the area & thats how you will build up lots of pins

You want to see my map on the Church Explorer, I've got nigh on 500 pins on it where I visited and a fare few more I want to visit. PS I corrected the typo

 

[Hayman]

I too enjoy looking at – looking around – old churches. Despite my being a realist – an atheist – with not the slightest belief in any religion, or the existence of any god or goddess or other deity. Just as with so many old buildings, these religious ones (some hundreds of years old) have a calming influence on the mind (well, mine anyway). I put that down to the heavy materials (usually stone) they are made of, the many curves in their structure, and the apex-shaped roofs, often with a tapering spire (even square-topped towers are not that brutal); and that they have survived for so long. Compare them with the hard rectangular shapes of almost any large post-WWII building; if not rectangular then with harsh straight lines. Would anyone else who obtains pleasure from visiting old religious buildings care to declare his or her attitudes towards religion and gods, etc?

 

[Big Duke 6]

That is some SERIOUS woodworking in there - just tremendous.