Home The history of St John’s
Our story
The history of St John’s
From a corrugated iron mission room to a Grade II listed parish church — ninety years of worship on the corner of Elm Grove and Ripley Road.
The building
From mission room to parish church
St John’s began as a mission room. It was enlarged by the architect Norman Cachmaille-Day; the foundation stone was laid on 11th December 1936 and the new church was consecrated on 8th October 1937.
For its first three decades the church stood without a tower or spire. In 1951 St John’s area became a Conventional District, and St John’s District acquired a thin slice from the parish of St Andrew’s, West Tarring. In 1955 the Bishop agreed to St John’s becoming a parish in its own right.
The Church Hall followed in 1961, and the spire was finally built in 1966 — nearly thirty years after the rest of the church was completed. In 2009 the church was accorded Grade II listed status.
In pictures
How the church changed
Milestones
Ninety years, in brief
- 1936The foundation stone of the enlarged church is laid on 11th December.
- 1937The new church is consecrated on 8th October.
- 1951St John’s becomes a Conventional District, acquiring a slice of the parish of St Andrew’s, West Tarring.
- 1955The Bishop agrees to St John’s becoming a parish in its own right.
- 1961The Church Hall is built.
- 1966The spire is completed, nearly thirty years after the church itself.
- 1991Fr Lindsay Urwin, then Chichester’s Diocesan Missioner, brings a team of twelve missioners for a two-week ‘Come & See’ mission in West Worthing. Those who experienced it have never forgotten the impact it had on the parish.
- 2009The church is accorded Grade II listed status.
- 2012The 75th anniversary of the consecration is marked by re-ordering the chancel and bringing a new nave altar into use, with Bishop Mark of Horsham presiding and a three-day flower festival.
- 2016For the Year of Mercy, the South Door is designated Our Door of God’s Mercy; the parish makes a pilgrimage to the Holy Doors at Arundel and Chichester cathedrals.
- 2019The Survivors youth group takes a new name, SJ Ignite.
- 2026Fr Thomas Cotterill SSC becomes Priest-in-Charge of St John’s and St Andrew’s, Clifton Road.
Past to present
Priests and vicars of St John the Divine
If you have photographs of any of the priests below, the parish would be glad to hear from you — please write to webmaster@stjohnwestworthing.org.uk.
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Bernard Higgings | 1931–1933 |
| Leonard Richardson | 1933–1939 |
| Alfred S. F. Maitland | 1939–1953 |
| Thomas R. Taggart | 1953–1955 |
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| Thomas R. Taggart | 1955–1969 |
| Ross C. Baxter | 1969–1977 |
| Charles W. Danes | 1977–1987 |
| Keith Wood | 1987–1996 |
| Andrew M. Mitcham SSC | 1996–2004 |
| John K. T. Eldridge SSC | 2005–2019 |
| Timothy L. Peskett | 2020–2024 |
From the parish archive
Occasions we have kept
Photographs and accounts of some of the great days in the recent life of the parish. Each opens as a PDF in a new tab.
The Year of Mercy at St John’s
Pope Francis announced a Year of Mercy from 8th December 2015 to 20th November 2016, and cathedrals and churches across England, Wales and Scotland opened their Holy Doors to coincide with it. The Holy Door is opened to evoke the concept of forgiveness, a practice which may trace back to the ancient Christian discipline of public penitence, when penitents were not allowed to enter a church before completing their penance but were solemnly welcomed back in when it was fulfilled.
Parishes were encouraged to have their own door of mercy, and in March 2016 St John’s designated the South Door as Our Door of God’s Mercy, set up just before Palm Sunday and decorated for the rest of the year.
You would be very welcome
Whether you have been coming for fifty years or have never been inside a church before, there is a place for you at St John’s. Come as you are — you will not be singled out or asked to explain yourself, and someone will be glad to see you.