St John

St John's was built in 1866 in the Parish of Newburn, initially as a chapel of ease to serve a congregation of 200 before eventually becoming a parish in its own right. The building, although not listed, has a unique design reflecting its evolutionary history. The first design consisted of a nave and a chancel with a rounded apse built in plain stone and a bell tower with a visible single bell. Most of the expense of building was borne by Messrs Spencers of Newburn Steelworks and in 1908 the Spencer family added an organ chamber to the North side. This chamber is now a chapel. 

In 1911 an ambitious programme to completely rebuild the church started. The east end of the church was demolished and a new, much taller, sanctuary was built, with vestries and a new organ chamber. The original plan was to rebuild the nave and add side aisles, but with the onset of WWI and a lack of funds the scheme was abandoned. Hence the building we have now is more modest than envisaged. The fully exposed roof leg scissor trusses and openness along its full length draws the eye to a magnificent stained glass window installed in 1999. The inspirational design by Duncan Storr of Darlington reflects the earthly elements of earth, wind and fire and fills the east end of the building with streams of tinted light.

In addition to church services, the church is a popular venue for family celebrations and is also regularly used for: choral and orchestral concerts, local history exhibitions, other local exhibitions such as fashion designs and photography, music and flower festivals and educational visits on a variety of topics by local primary and special schools.