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St John the Baptist
St John the Baptist, Beeston
52°55′32″N 1°13′0″W / 52.92556°N 1.21667°W / 52.92556; -1.21667
Location	Beeston, Nottinghamshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Broad Church
Website	beestonparishchurch.com
History
Dedication	St John the Baptist
Consecrated	5 September 1844
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Architect(s)	George Gilbert Scott
Groundbreaking	1842
Completed	1844
Construction cost	£3,600 (£454,774 in 2023)
Specifications
Length	115.66 feet (35.25 m)
Width	49.5 feet (15.1 m)
Nave width	24.2 feet (7.4 m)
Height	64 feet (20 m)
Administration
Province	Province of York
Diocese	Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham
Archdeaconry	Nottingham
Deanery	Nottingham South
Parish	Beeston
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Fr. Wayne Plimmer
Laity
Organist(s)	Phil Miles

St. John the Baptist Church is an Anglican church in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, England.

The church is Grade II listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as it is a building of special architectural or historic interest.

History

The church is medieval and the chancel remains, but the remainder was heavily restored and rebuilt in 1842 by George Gilbert Scott and William Bonython Moffatt. It was consecrated on 5 September 1844 by the Bishop of Lincoln.

The organ chamber was added in 1876 by Evans and Jolley of Nottingham. A new lectern and chancel stalls were provided. The chancel stalls were made by Mr. Tattershall of London.

An £860,000 re-ordering and renovation in 2007 moved the main entrance to the west end, and cleaned the interior, with new heating, seating and a new organ.

The font dates from the reign of King Henry III.

List of incumbents

• 1267 John de Brademare
• 1275 Matthew de Leycestre
• 1327 William de Wyllesthorpe
• 1339 William de Beckford
• 1349 Thomas de Oxton
• 1376 William Askham
• 1384/5 Richard Mason of Chillwell
• 1401/2 Henry Serle
• 1405 Thomas Mareschall (or Marchall)
• 1420/1 John Thymelby (or Themelby)
• 1423 John Gynger
• 1431 John Ketul
• 1451 John Meyson
• 1455 Nicholas Bubwith
• 1456/7 William Taylor
• 1457 Richard Ellesley
• 1465 Nicholas Blakwall
• 1500/1 Richard Burton
• 1510 Christopher Twistfeld
• 1528 William Garford
• 1538 John Mottram
• 1557 Nicholas Holmes
• 1562 John Fisher
• 1592 William Jeffreys
• 1603/4 Walter Kynnersley or Kindersley.
• 1650 William Westoby
• 1661 William Crosse
• 1662/3 Henry Watkinson
• 1711 Thomas Trowell
• 1744 John Henson
• 1758 Timothy Wylde
• 1799 Thomas Bigsby
• 1822 John Francis Thomas Hurt
• 1854 Thomas John Oldrini
• 1885 Richard Davies Harries
• 1901 Arthur Curtis Beckton
• 1906 Miles Hammett Pitts- Tucker
• 1914 William Pakenham Cole-Sheane
• 1924 Leonard Norman Phillips
• 1936 George Hansford
• 1943 John Paul Henry Halet
• 1962 Frederic Norman Keen
• 1970 John Anthony Johnson
• 1986 Stephen Arthur Lowe
• 2000 George Bryan Barrodale
• 2006 Wayne Plimmer

Organ

The first known organ was installed in 1854 by Kirkland and Jardine of Manchester. It cost £300, raised by subscription and was installed on a gallery. It was opened on Tuesday 25 April 1854.

Some extra stops were added in 1856 and in 1876 it was further enlarged and improved and moved to the chancel following demolition of the gallery. In 1903 and 1909 it was renovated by Charles Lloyd of Nottingham and underwent further renovation in 1946. It was removed and replaced with an electronic organ in 1983. This has subsequently been replaced by a new electronic organ in 2008.

List of organists

• Samuel Thornhill
• Frederick Kirkby ???? – 1862 – 1885 – ????
• Norman Frederick Byng Johnson 1895 – 1903 (afterwards organist of St Alkmund's Church, Derby)
• Horace Vernon Kington, FRCO, LRAM 1903 – 1925 (formerly organist of St. George's Church, Derby)
• John Hammond Fearon 1925 – 1931 (formerly organist of St. John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, Nottingham and St. George's Church, Netherfield)
• Stanley Nolan 1931 – 1935
• (James) Harold Allton, ARCO(ChM), LRAM 1936 – 1961 (formerly organist of Emmanuel Church, Woodborough Road)
• Michael Grantham 1961 – 1986
• Philip Sherratt 2010 - 2022
• Chris Warren (Director of Music) and Philip Miles (organist)

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

Gallery

• 
• The chancel
• The nave looking east

See also

• Listed buildings in Beeston, Nottinghamshire

References

1. ^ Historic England. "Church of St John the Baptist, Church Street (Grade II) (1263823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
2. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
3. "Consecration of Beeston Church". Derby Mercury. Derby. 11 September 1844. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
4. "Church Organ Re-Opening at Beeston". Nottinghamshire Guardian. Nottingham. 3 March 1876. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
5. Nottinghamshire Guardian – Thursday 4 May 1854
6. Nottinghamshire Guardian – Thursday 27 April 1854
7. Nottinghamshire Guardian – Friday 3 March 1876
8. History, Gazetteer & Directory of Nottinghamshire, 1885, p. 76
9. Nottinghamshire Guardian – Saturday 14 September 1895
10. "New Parish Church Organist". Beeston Gazette and Echo. England. 2 May 1925. Retrieved 22 June 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
11. Nottingham Evening Post 4 February 1931
12. "Church Organist Resigns". Beeston Gazette and Echo. England. 12 October 1935. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
13. Who's Who in Music. Fourth Edition. 1962. p. 4
14. "Death of Beeston Musician". Nottingham Evening News. England. 28 February 1961. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
15. "Appointed Beeston Church Organist". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 5 August 1961. Retrieved 12 May 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.

Sources

• The Buildings of England, Nottinghamshire, Nikolaus Pevsner.

External links

• See St. John's Church on Google Street View.

• Church of England church buildings in Nottinghamshire
• Grade II listed churches in Nottinghamshire
• George Gilbert Scott buildings
• Beeston, Nottinghamshire