St John the Evangelist's Church, Crosscanonby
Encyclopedia
St John the Evangelist's Church, Crosscanonby, is in the village of Crosscanonby
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Solway, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland and the diocese of Carlisle
. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
was added in the 13th century. Further alterations were made in the 14th century and a restoration
was carried out in 1880.
blocks and has a green slate
roof. The roof has coped
gable
s with cross finial
s. On the west gable is an open bellcote. There is evidence that the sandstone blocks originated from a former Roman
building. The plan of the church consists of a three-bay
nave
with a south aisle, a south porch and a north vestry
, and a single-bay chancel
set at a lower level, with a south chapel that is continuous with the aisle. It is built in Norman
style; the Norman features include the doorway, one of the windows in the south wall, the chancel arch, and one of the windows in the north wall of the chancel. The other windows date from the 19th century, other than two 20th-century dormer
windows in the north side of the nave roof. A medieval
graveslab is set into the west wall.
dates from the 13th century; it is square and is carved with leaf motifs. In the chancel is a piscina
and an aumbry
, Royal arms
dated 1733 and boards carrying texts from a similar date. Over the chancel arch is a painting of the Last Supper
, probably by Matthias Read. The stained glass in the east window, dating from 1849, is by John Scott of Carlisle. In the church is part of a 10th-century cross-shaft decorated with images of dragons, and a coffin lid inscribed with a cross, zigzags and a human figure.
tombstone. One of the graves in the churchyard is that of John Smith, a local salt tax officer, who died in 1730. His tomb includes a carving of the salt officer sitting and working at his desk.
Crosscanonby
Crosscanonby is a civil parish in the Borough of Allerdale, Cumbria, England. The parish includes the villages of Birkby, Crosby, Crosby Villa and Crosscanonby. It is situated within the Solway Coast area of outstanding natural beauty ....
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Solway, the archdeaconry of West Cumberland and the diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building.
History
The church stands on one of the earliest Christian sites in in Cumbria. The present church was built in 1130 and the south aisleAisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
was added in the 13th century. Further alterations were made in the 14th century and a restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
was carried out in 1880.
Exterior
St John's is constructed in red sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
blocks and has a green slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. The roof has coped
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s with cross finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s. On the west gable is an open bellcote. There is evidence that the sandstone blocks originated from a former Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
building. The plan of the church consists of a three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a south aisle, a south porch and a north vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, and a single-bay chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
set at a lower level, with a south chapel that is continuous with the aisle. It is built in Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
style; the Norman features include the doorway, one of the windows in the south wall, the chancel arch, and one of the windows in the north wall of the chancel. The other windows date from the 19th century, other than two 20th-century dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
windows in the north side of the nave roof. A medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
graveslab is set into the west wall.
Interior
The fontBaptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the 13th century; it is square and is carved with leaf motifs. In the chancel is a piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
and an aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
, Royal arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
dated 1733 and boards carrying texts from a similar date. Over the chancel arch is a painting of the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
, probably by Matthias Read. The stained glass in the east window, dating from 1849, is by John Scott of Carlisle. In the church is part of a 10th-century cross-shaft decorated with images of dragons, and a coffin lid inscribed with a cross, zigzags and a human figure.
External features
Outside the church is an Anglo-Danish hog-backHogback (sculpture)
Hogbacks are stone carved Anglo-Scandinavian sculptures from 10th-12th century England and Scotland. Their function is generally accepted as grave markers.-Geography and description:...
tombstone. One of the graves in the churchyard is that of John Smith, a local salt tax officer, who died in 1730. His tomb includes a carving of the salt officer sitting and working at his desk.