St John's Church

St John's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England. In 1967 it was recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is now vested in The Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands on the junction of St John's Street and Green Street and is open daily to visitors.

The tower, nave and chancel date from the late 12th century. During the following century the tower was raised and the chancel lengthened. A two-bay chapel was added to the north side of the chancel in about 1330. Later in the century windows were added to the lowest stage of the tower and to the west end of the nave. In the 15th century the north aisle and the porch were built, and the east window was added in the following century. In the 18th century repairs in brick were carried out. The north chapel was used as a schoolroom from the middle of the 17th century until about 1847. In 1874 the parish was united with the neighbouring parish of St Peter's, and St John's became derelict. Plans to turn the church into an RAF memorial chapel were in place in the 1940s but never passed. In 1947 the bells of St John's were removed and five of them were transferred to St Peter's Church. The same year an application was made by the Rector of St Peter's Church, Duxford to the Diocese of Ely to demolish the church as it had been "broken in to, defiled and misused in a great many and scandalous ways"; this was refused. The church was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 26th July 1979. The tower and the wall paintings were partially restored in 1985. Further restoration is ongoing. The church is still used for occasional services, events and an annual Advent Market in December.

More information

Comments Statistics

| | Public