The History of St. John's Church

A brief summary

St John the Evangelist has been a parish church and witness to the Community of the southern part of Kenilworth for 150 years. The foundation stone was laid in August of 1851 and the church was consecrated in 1854. It was built as a "church plant" by some far-sighted or visionary people, as the "paupers" church, on a green field site on the outskirts of old Kenilworth. It was built for the princely sum of £5,000 to cater for a growing class of artisans, who may not have been overly welcome elsewhere!

The first vicar of St.John's was Rev. Robert Kite, who was originally Curate at St Nicholas, Kenilworth. Pictures of all previous thirteen vicars are on display in the church.

Between 1997 and 2000 a banner has been produced, showing some events of the life of the church and the town over the past 150 years. Pictures of the banner can be seen if you follow this link.

Details

From the Royal Leamington Spa Courier and Warwick Standard
Newspaper date: August 1851
Laying of the Foundation Stone

On the 19th instant the village of Kenilworth presented an unusually animated appearance, on the occasion of laying the foundation-stone of this new Church. The clergy of the neighbouring districts, many of the inhabitants, and several well-dressed visitors, assembled in the old parish church, at eleven o'clock, when a sermon was preached by the Venerable J. Sandford, B.D., Archdeacon of Coventry. Upon the termination of the service, a procession to the site of the new Church was formed. The Abbey street and the whole line of road to the site of the new Church, at the end of the village, towards Warwick, was more or less adorned with banners, dowers and evergreens. The entrance to the site was also adorned with banners and flowers; and a raised platform for the visitors, the school children & c., was graced at the back with a banner, on which the crown was emblazoned, with a loyal motto. Stretched out over the front of this platform, and near the foundation-stone, was a white streamer, with the words "Mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attend to the prayer that is made in this place." About half-past one o'clock, the procession reached the ground. The service commenced with the singing of a hymn, "Great is the Lord our God." The officiating minister, the Rev. E. E. Wilmot, then read selections from the Scriptures, appropriate to the occasion. After the minister had recited two collects, the auditory and children sang the 117th Psalm with good effect. The leaden box, containing the scroll of parchment, was then deposited in a cavity beneath the stone, and the silver trowel being presented to Lord Leigh by C. J. Wheeler, Esq., his Lordship layed the stone, saying: " In the faith of Jesus Christ, and in the memory of St. John the Evangelist, we place this stone in the name of Jehovah, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost." The Rev. G. S. Bull, of Birmingham, then ascended the stone, and delivered an extemporaneous address, characterised by much feeling and eloquence.

At the conclusion of the reverend gentleman's address, the assembly sang a hymn - " Lord, in this dark and stormy day."

The Rev. E. E. Wilmot then repeated some prayers, after which the National Anthem was sung by those assembled.

Mr. Boddington, surgeon, then mounted the stone, and asked for three cheers for Lord Leigh, which were given heartily. His Lordship briefly returned thanks, assuring the assembly how gladly he assisted, in his humble way, in promoting the work laudably set on foot by the Rev. Mr. Wilmot, to whose zeal and industry the parish was in the main indebted for the new edifice they were about to raise. His Lordship then concluded by calling for three cheers for their worth vicar. These being given, Mr. Wilmot returned thanks, and the procession again formed, and proceeded to the King's Arms, opposite to which it stopped, and after singing a hymn, separated. Some old people were regaled with tea and cake on the ground, and the school children were similarly entertained on the grounds adjoining the residence of the vicar.

The site of the new Church abuts on the Leamington Railway on one side, and faces the Warwick coach-road on the other. It is about an acre in extent, and affords space for a parsonage, which is to be built on one side of the Church, and a school, which is to be erected on the other. The cost of the land is £350. The Church is to be built in the early English style, with a tower and spire, at a cost of £2500, exclusive of the site and the architect's percentage. It is to contain seats for 600, of which 400 are to be free. A collection was made on the ground, which amounted to £96.

Newspaper date: 29th April 1854

Consecration of the Church of St. John the Evangelist

This church was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Worcester on the 21st instant. An admirable sermon was preached upon the occasion by the Rev. Dr. Goulbourn from Exodus Chap iii verse 2, and the collection, including a few contributions afterwards sent, amounted to £142. 17s. 2d. Many of the clergy and others afterwards lunched with the Bishop at the King's Arms Hotel; and in the evening 195 of the poor of the parish drank tea together at the National School. The church was commenced in 1851 and has been used for Divine service under a License of the Bishop since October 1852. An Ecclesiastical District will be immediately assigned; and the Rev. F.R. Kite, assistant curate of the parish, will be the first incumbent. The total sum raised has exceeded £5100; of which sum our kind and generous neighbour Lord Leigh, has contributed upwards of £300.

A History of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Kenilworth

The first mention of Kenilworth is in the ninth century when it was the site of the stronghold of a Mercian king called Kenelph. In the Domesday Book it is a small village, with a population of only ninety, in a clearing in the Forest of Arden. In 1115, King Henry I gave the manor of Kenelphsworth (giving Kenilworth its present name) to Geoffry de Clinton, who founded the Castle. The Castle was strengthened and enlarged by kings and nobles in the following years and in the Middle Ages the Castle and Abbey would have been very impressive and housed many people. The rest of the village of Kenilworth would then have grown around the Castle because of the protection that it offered. King Henry VIII dissolved the Abbey but the Castle still remained until the Civil War, when it was largely destroyed and the lake surrounding it drained.

In 1801 Kenilworth's population was 1,968; by 1841 it had increased to 3,149. This increase was big enough to justify a railway station, and more importantly, another church. The southern part of the town, known as Castle End, was where the poorer residents of Kenilworth lived. The registers of the 1850's show that most of the inhabitants of this part of the town had occupations such as "agricultural or builders' labourers, domestic service, cobblers and so forth". The wealthier residents of Kenilworth went to St. Nicholas' Church but "those sunk in iniquity and vice" had nowhere to worship. So a fund was launched and between three and four thousand pounds were raised to build the church.

Not surprisingly the low cost of the church meant that it was poorly built. The "Gothic Stone Walls" consisted of two stone walls filled with rubbish and the spire walls were only four and a half inches thick. Plans of the building, designed by Ewan Christian, show three aisles and a seating capacity of six hundred; the church has only two aisles, for the money ran out. Despite these setbacks, the Church of St. John the Evangelist was eventually finished and the first vicar, Rev. Frank Robert Kite, was appointed in 1854.

Timeline