St John the Baptist's Church, Old Colwyn
Encyclopedia
St John the Baptist's Church, Old Colwyn, is in Station Road, Old Colwyn
, in Conwy County Borough, Wales
. It is an active Anglican
church in the parish of Colwyn, the deanery of Rhos, the archdeaconry of St Asaph and the diocese of St Asaph
. St John's is the daughter church of St Catherine's Church, Abergele Road, Colwyn. It is a Grade II* listed building.
. It was designed by the Chester
firm of Douglas & Minshull. The foundation stone was laid in 1899 by Mrs Eleanor Frost who also paid for many of the church furnishings, including the reredos
, altar, rails, screen and the pulpit
. The tower was added in 1912 after the death of John Douglas, when the firm was known as Douglas, Minshull and Muspratt. Starting from 2005 the churchyard has been developed into a community garden.
with sandstone
dressings. The internal walls are in ashlar
Cheshire
sandstone. The tower is at the west end and the roof has the style of a double hammerbeam
. The stained glass in one of the windows in the south aisle
is by Kempe
.
Old Colwyn
Old Colwyn , is a small town just to the east of Colwyn Bay, in Conwy County Borough, Wales.Prior to local government reorganisation in April 1974 it was part of the Municipal Borough of Colwyn Bay, but the reorganisation established it as a separate parish , whose population at the 2001 census was...
, in Conwy County Borough, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. 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...
church in the parish of Colwyn, the deanery of Rhos, the archdeaconry of St Asaph and the diocese of St Asaph
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.-Geography:The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester in the east, to the Conwy valley in the west, to Bala in the south-west, and...
. St John's is the daughter church of St Catherine's Church, Abergele Road, Colwyn. It is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The church was built for the English speaking community when the services at St Catherine's were conducted in WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. It was designed by the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
firm of Douglas & Minshull. The foundation stone was laid in 1899 by Mrs Eleanor Frost who also paid for many of the church furnishings, including the reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
, altar, rails, screen and the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
. The tower was added in 1912 after the death of John Douglas, when the firm was known as Douglas, Minshull and Muspratt. Starting from 2005 the churchyard has been developed into a community garden.
Architecture
The external walls are built in local limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with sandstone
Sandstone
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,...
dressings. The internal walls are in ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
sandstone. The tower is at the west end and the roof has the style of a double hammerbeam
Hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
. The stained glass in one of the windows in the south aisle
Aisle
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...
is by Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
.