St John's was built between 1890 and 1892 to a design by the Lancaster architects Paley, Austin and Paley. The estimated cost of the church was £6,800 but, because of problems with the foundations, its final cost, including the fittings, was nearer to £12,000. It provided seating for 616 people. Financial donations towards the site and structure of the church were made by Thomas Brooks, 1st Baron Crawshaw of Crawshaw Hall. Because of diminishing numbers attending the church, and because of thefts of lead from the roof of the church, the congregation has decided to opt for the church to be declared redundant. The church was declared redundant on 20 February 2012.
Architecture
Exterior
The church is constructed in sandstone with Yorkshire stone dressings and is roofed in green Cumberlandslate. Its architectural style is Perpendicular. The plan consists of a nave and chancel in one range, north and south aisles, a south transept, and a north transept above which rises a tower. A clerestory rises above the aisles along the length of the nave, to the south of the chancel is a chapel, and to its north is a vestry. There is a porch in the westernmost bay of the south aisle, and another porch in the angle of the south transept. On each side of the clerestory are ten square-headed two-light windows. The west window has five lights and contains intersecting tracery. Along the aisles are buttresses and two-light windows. The south transept also has buttresses, and a large five-light window containing Perpendicular and curvilinear tracery. The chancel has a large east window with six lights containing Perpendicular tracery. The tower has diagonal corner buttresses that rise to octagonal turrets surmounted by crocketed pinnacles. The summit of the tower has an embattledparapet.
Interior
The interior of the church is lined with red Rainhill sandstone. The five-bay arcades are carried alternately on round and octagonal columns. The chancel arch is high, and has two orders of moulding. There are carved wooden screens between the nave and the chancel, and between the chancel and the north transept. Some of the choir stalls have elaborately carved crocketed canopies containing statues. The reredos dates from the 20th century, and contains statues of the Four Evangelists. The font is hexagonal. In the church are memorials to members of the Brooks family. Inside the tower, and near to the tower, are carved texts from Psalm 148.
The Future
Sale
The Church of England Commissioners had agreed the sale of the church to a small non trading renewable energy company in 2013. However a planning application was rejected in January 2015, as the plans involved the removal of 80% of the trees on the site, most of which have Tree Preservation Orders on them. The siting of one 40 ft and two 20 ft used shipping containers in place of the tree's was also cited by planners the reason for rejecting the scheme. As the site has been removed from the Church's list of buildings for sale, its current status is unknown.
At Risk
the Church is on the English Heritage "Heritage at Risk Register". With its condition being described as "Very Bad". The Church was also listed on the Victorian Society's 2013 "Top 10 Endangered Buildings" List.
Local Interest
A local group "Save St Johns" is trying to find a new use for the church to benefit both local people and business.
