Building Name

Church of St John Menston-in-Wharfedale Yorkshire

Date
1870
District/Town
Menston-in-Wharfedale
County/Country
Yorkshire, England
Work
New Build

MENSTON - The foundation stone of a new church, dedicated to S. John the Divine, was laid on Saturday afternoon. (30 July 1870). The building will seat 120 persons, and is estimated to cost about £1,000. The style, which is from designs by Messrs Price and Linklater, architects, Manchester, is Early Gothic. It will be built of stone throughout. The contractor for the masonry is Mr Lapish, of Hawkesworth; and for woodwork, Messrs Longley Brothers, Leeds. [Building News 5 August 1870 page 104].

CHURCH OF ST JOHN, MENSTON - The nave of the church will be entered through a south porch and has a spacious central aisle with open benches on either side, one bench being provided at the west of the main entrance for church wardens and sidesmen. The font will be placed against the centre of the west wall which has two trefoil headed lights, kept small from the fact of their occurring on the weather side of the building. The pulpit occupies the north-east corner of the nave. The nave is lighted at the sides by trefoil headed windows, resting on a moulded string course that runs round the greater part of the church at varying levels. The chancel is joined to the nave by a pointed arch of two orders, the inner one being moulded, and supported on moulded and carved corbel shafts, the columns of which will be of dark red stone. The chancel will be raised two steps above the nave and will be entered through an opening in the low chancel wall which will be of an ornamental character. The choir stalls and prayer desk, which have been carefully designed, are richer in workmanship than the seats in the nave, and like, them, will be finished in varnish only. The chancel will be lighted from the south side by two lights, having pointed heads and moulded tracery. The inner sill of the most eastern of these lights is carried down and forms a seat for priest within the altar space, which is one step higher than the rest of the chancel. In the opposite wall is an ornamental recessed piscina and credence table. In the eastern gable is a window of three lights under the arch with traceried circle in the head, of elaborate yet well balanced design. The inner sill forms a retable to hold altar decorations All the windows will, for the present, be filled with glass of three tints set in geometrical patterns.  The vestry is placed on the north of the chancel and is entered though a porch. It is lighted by coupled lancet windows, and has a fire place the flue of which joins that from the heating chamber under the chancel in the stack rising from the nave wall over the chancel arch. A segmental pointed arch 8 feet wide, of two orders, connects the vestry with the chancel. It will be filled with a traceried wooden screen. The vestry is so arranged as to act also as an organ room in which case the player will sit immediately behind one side of the choir, and out of view of the congregation. All the roofs will be open, and the principals, purlins and cornice moulds will be varnished. The wall posts of principals will spring from carved corbels, those in the chancel being richer than the remainder. The walls and ceilings will be finished in colour. The church will be of stone throughout, taken from the Hawksworth quarries near Guiseley, the walling being very smoothly hammer-dressed. The roofs will be covered with parti-coloured slating arranged in bands, and terminating with red ridge tiles and cresting. The east and west gables will be surmounted with carved crosses. A bell-cote of graceful outline and unusual design will be placed over the chancel arch, and the bell rung from the vestry. Through the very rapid fall of the ground eastwards room is provided for a heating chamber under the chancel (the hot air system will be adopted). The lofty basement thus provided gives an imposing and unusual and to the east end of the church. Mr Benjamin Lepish of Hawksworth has the contracts for stonework, excavations and drains; and Messrs Longley Brothers of Leeds for the remaining trades. The total cost might be about £1000. The architects are Messrs Price and Linklater of 17 Clifford’s Inn, London EC, and 1 Market Place, Manchester. [The Architect 13 August 1870 page 92]

Reference    The Architect 13 August 1870 page 92
Reference    Building News 5 August 1870 page 104