Church of St. John the Evangelist

HER Number:
7423

District:
Gateshead

Site Name:
Church of St. John the Evangelist

Place:
Chopwell

Map Sheet:
NZ15NW

Class:
Religious Ritual and Funerary

Site Type: Broad:
Place of Worship

Site Type: Specific:
Church

General Period:
20TH CENTURY

Specific Period:
Early 20th Century 1901 to 1932

Form of Evidence:
Extant Building

Description:
DESCRIPTION & SIGNIFICANCE This beautifully finished and well-kept turn of the 20th century rural church is in snecked, tooled, golden sandstone with ashlar details. Below the small bell turret the stonework advances, giving the impression of a tower, but with an unusual and dramatic full height round-headed lancet rebated within a stone surround. The slate roof features stone water tabling leading into corner buttresses. The ashlar window surrounds frame round-headed lancets with leaded coloured lights. The church is of excellent quality with an elegant simplicity to its design, especially given that it was built largely by voluntary local labour, with the foreman, Gowland, recruiting a team of masons as the sole paid workers. The Clerk of Works was the Colliery Manager, and the stonemen from the colliery quarried the stone in their spare time, transporting it using colliery vehicles. When the project ran into financial difficulties, the villagers also helped out. It was therefore a church very deeply connected with the people of the area, and stands as a testament to their commitment, a graceful and unspoilt landmark for the area. The spacious, grassy churchyard, with its mature trees, also makes a very special, peaceful contribution to the local landscape. MATERIALS Sandstone, slate, stained glass ARCHITECT Diocesan Architect Clerk of Works: John English Foreman: Mr Gowland DATES Built 1907, opened 1909. LOCAL LIST

Easting:
412290

Northing:
558790

Grid Reference:
NZ412290558790

Lats/Lons:

Sources:
Gateshead Council Local List Fact Sheet X20/LL/041; History of Chopwell, Coal Community and Conflict