Description

WEYMOUTH

SY6880SW DORCHESTER ROAD
873-1/16/69 (East side)
12/12/53 Church of St John The Evangelist

GV II*

Anglican parish church, built as a chapel of ease to St
Mary's. Opened October 1854 (Kelly), transepts added c1868. By
John Bury. Coursed and square Portland stone with cream ashlar
dressings, green slate roofs.
PLAN: the church in Decorated style is oriented with the main
altar to the N, and lies at the junction of Dorchester Road
with Greenhill. It has a 6-bay nave with clerestorey and
aisles, SW tower with porch, E porch, twin-gabled transepts,
chancel with chapels, NW vestry.
EXTERIOR: windows generally have stopped labels, and copings
are saddle-backed; there are stone terminal crosses to the
nave, chancel, and 2 porches.
The 3-stage tower has an octagonal broach spire with lucarnes
at 2 levels, corner buttresses finished to a gable in the top
stage, a stair clamp at its junction with the aisle, and
2-light openings with fretted screens and plate tracery to the
bell stage.
Facing S is a deep porch with gable stopped to carved angels,
and stone vault, on 6 full-width stone steps, over a pair of
plank doors with strap hinges. The plinth runs round the whole
building, developing greater depth on the W side where the
ground falls away. The nave S end has a large 5-light window
incorporating a rose, and under a small spherical triangle
with trefoil, and a slightly set back aisle with 2-light
window.
The E side, to Greenhill, has four 2-light clerestorey windows
to segmental pointed heads divided by flat pilasters under a
roll-mould stone eaves and gutter, and large stone gargoyles
at the chancel end. The aisle has three 2-light windows
separated by square buttresses to 2 offsets, and at the left
end the projecting porch with squat diagonal buttresses. The
twin-gabled transept, with ridges below the clerestorey gutter
level and central valley gutter, has a central and corner
diagonal buttresses, and 3-light windows; on the E side there
is a large carved gargoyle figure at the outlet from the
central valley to the transept.
The return transept wall to the S is plain, but with C20
ventilating ducting externally. The chancel, narrower and
lower than the nave, has a deep 2-light window to the E and W,
diagonal buttresses, and a large 5-light N window. The chapel

in the internal angle on the E side has ball-flower decoration
to the eaves cornice, a 2-light window, central and diagonal
corner buttresses, and a 2-light window to the N. On the W
side the internal angle is filled with a complex of chapel and
vestry, including twin gables, and a lower, flat-roofed range
with octagonal projecting unit. The W side otherwise
corresponds with the E in layout and detailing.
INTERIOR: painted plaster walls, on carpeting throughout,
except for Minton tiling in the sanctuary area. The nave has
arch-braced trusses, carried on long wall posts to leaf
corbels, plus deep brattished tie-beams, and a king-post. The
arcades are in 2 chamfered orders with labels to foliage
stops, on octagonal piers; at the transept position the pier
is extended as a short length of walling each side. The aisles
have 'propped' lean-to roofs, and dado panelling to sill
height. The doubled transepts have transverse arch-braced
roofs and a 2-bay arcade, but the outer bays are closed off on
each side by a lightweight screen to approx 2.5m height.
The N wall of the right transept has a large blocked archway,
and to the left transept is a door in moulded arch, under a
pierced stone panel with 4 trefoils, presumably in conjunction
with the adjacent organ gallery.
The deep chancel has a panelled multi-facet barrel ceiling.
The richly carved stone reredos is flanked by dark panelling
in Gothic detailing each side, with 2 canopied stalls to the
right. To the left is the main organ case, in a high flat
segmental arch.
FITTINGS: octagonal stone pulpit, brass lectern and brass
communion rail, fine carved altar front. No pews or fixed
seating. Many of the windows contain stained glass, including
the great S ('W') window of 1862, a memorial to Georgina
Phipps, wife to John Stephenson (d.1905), the first vicar to
St John's.
The church, which stands on a busy traffic island, is the most
prominent building on the sea-front, visible from most parts
of the town, and acting as a visual focus at the N end of the
Esplanade. Its lofty tower and spire are reminiscent of the
work of Benjamin Ferrey, who was the Diocesan architect at the
time.
(Buildings of England: Newman J & Pevsner N: Dorset: London:
1972-: 451).

Listing NGR: SY6823080058

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St John the Evangelist at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17554205

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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