St John the Evangelist

John Douglas 1830-1911, St John’s architect, was born in Sandiway and had a special affection for this church. He employed some of the most skilled craftsmen of his day to create fine oak furniture, richly coloured stained-glass windows and beautiful marble floors. 

St John’s has very recently undergone the first phase of its Heritage Building Project. The baptistry has been restored to its original purpose, the nave newly carpeted, the magnificent sea shell marble tiles revealed in the sanctuary and the splendid sandstone ramp, steps and glass doors added to the porch. The front two pews have been removed to create space for wheelchairs and enhance the space available for concerts, weddings and funerals and hand rails have been installed on the chancel steps.

Come and see: the delightful, glazed, blue and white Della Robbia plaque depicting Jesus with a group of children; the rare aumbry and sedilia in the sanctuary; the impressive “golden eagle” lectern; the splendid Wadsworth of Burnley organ encased in oak with angel decorations; the original Canadian Ash pews; the ornate Bishop’s chair; the octagonal font inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer; and the exquisitely carved pulpit and litany desk. 

St John’s exterior includes the 1902 foundation stone which was laid with a silver trowel by the Earl of Mansfield; a sandstone statue of St John the Evangelist with his symbol of an eagle, the eco-friendly gardens and the church tower which was built in three stages and houses the clock mechanism. The clock was made by Joyce of Whitchurch, the most eminent clock maker of his time. 

John Douglas built over 40 new churches and restored or made additions to many more but it was St John’s, here in Sandiway, which was probably more important to him than any other. He inherited land, in the village, from his father, also John Douglas, and called it his 'little estate in Sandiway'. Eight of the cottages on this land were built by Douglas. In 1899, when the go ahead was given to build a parish church in Sandiway, although he lived in Chester all his professional life, John Douglas was very happy to take up the reigns.

The church, a Grade II listed building, is Douglas’s great legacy to the village. He donated the land, the chancel and it’s furnishings, the east window, much of the cost of the church bell, the ceiling in the nave, the lychgate (also Grade II listed) and the wall by the roadside. In no other place of worship built by Douglas has he been as generous.

Not only was he a first-rate architect but, to quote Edward Hubbard in his book, The Work of John Douglas, he had '…a superb sense of craftsmanship and feeling for materials…' 

As you walk round this beautiful church look at the quality of the materials used by Douglas. If you do visit, you can be assured of a warm welcome. And whilst you are here why not do the John Douglas Trail around the village where you will see Douglas’s birthplace and eight of his distinctive cottages.