Diameter: 24.13" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by Vickers Sons & Co 1885
Dove Bell ID: 53171 Tower ID: 19642 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Dipton: St John the Evangelist
Overview
Grid reference: NZ 151 534
The church was built 1885-86 to the designs of Oliver and Leeson. The large cruciform building, in the Early English style, sits within a small former mining community. It was sympathetically restored following a fire in the vestry in 1963 which damaged the Chancel and south chapel.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Cruciform plan. 5-bay nave with south-west porch, crossing tower with north and south transepts. Chancel with south vestry (current access) and WC to east. Boiler house under north-east corner.
Dimensions:
[Approximate] Nave 23m (75ft) x 8m (26ft).
Footprint of Church buildings: 440 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Dipton was a coal mining village, with records of mining activity existing from as early as 1333 and ceasing in the 1980s. Dipton was once bounded by small hamlets of Anglo-Saxon origin - Collierley, Dykes and Pontop. The part of the village the church is in, and to the west, was Pontop. A chapel stood in Collierley but was ruined by the mid-18th century.
The architects, Oliver and Leeson, designed a number of churches in County Durham, as recorded by Church Plans online. They designed St John's in 1885-86. An old photo at the west end shows the interior with no chancel screen and either paint or tile-work to the lower walls of the north and south chancel. The image presumably pre-dates a fire that affected the east end of the church c 1962, caused by an electrical fault.
The archaeological potential of the site is low. There are no known designations relating to the ecology of the plot, though it contains mature trees.
Exterior Description
St John's is a fine church for a small village. It is set lower than the level of the road so that the cruciform plan can be appreciated by passers-by. A short square crossing tower, with hipped roof behind a crenellated parapet, has projecting rainwater spouts at each corner. A bell hangs from the east side. Paired lights pierce each elevation. Extending to the north and south of the tower are gabled transepts. A narrow aisle-less nave with quite steeply pitched roof extends to the west, with low gabled porch in the south-west corner (interior stone vault). The chancel roof extends at the same pitch and height on the east side.
A sill beneath the five-light lancet west window continues around the exterior, forming hood-moulds over the north and south nave windows which are formed of groups of three lancets. The central of these is taller than its neighbours, and the trio are set within a smooth stone surround. A lower sill also runs continuously beneath them. Buttresses are situated between the first and second, and third and fourth bays. Paired lancets pierce the east and west elevations of the north and south transepts, and three-light windows within the north and south elevations. In the north-east corner a brick outhouse sits between the chancel and north organ chamber. A boiler house is situated beneath.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century 5-bay
Cruciform Plan
19th century
Porch
19th century south west
Tower (component)
19th century crossing
Transept
19th century north and south
Chancel
19th century with restorations
Vestry
19th century south
Boiler Room
19th century underneath north-east corner
Building Materials
Sandstone
19th century snecked yellow-buff
Ashlar
19th century dressings
Welsh Slate
19th century roof tiles
Stone
19th century tiles on porch
Interior
Interior Description
The main entrance through the south-west porch is inaccessible, so entry is through the vestry in the south-east corner. Nevertheless the main space is a long, not particularly wide or tall, space with painted plaster walls with ashlar dressings and a collared arch-braced roof. The trusses are painted mustard-yellow and rest alternately on stone corbels between the windows and at the wall-plate. The level boarded floor is laid with carpet in the aisles and seated with fixed open-backed pine benches to either side. The font is positioned at the west end. A storage cupboard in the north-west corner is formed from wooden panels and painted yellow to match the roof. Windows are filled with diamond-leaded panes of cathedral glass.
Through a pointed arch at the east end of the nave, is the tower crossing which provides welcome height to the interior and additional light. A moveable altar and a portable font have been placed within the space. The tower has a flat ceiling with ribs in a grid. Lancets on each of the tower elevations filters light down into the space. Transepts extend to north and south.
The north chapel has a boarded barrel-vault ceiling. It is seated with pews to the west and an altar is raised on a step to the east. Behind it are curtains which hide decorative organ pipes. It is furnished with various items in memory of a number of individuals. The south chapel is screened from the crossing by a curtain and wood partition. It also has a boarded barrel-vault roof and is seated with plastic chairs orientated towards the west. A door to the east leads into the vestry which has a south door and a WC to the east.
Back at the crossing, a high, pointed chancel arch opens into the chancel which has a wood panel barrel-vaulted ceiling. Three steps rise between a low stone chancel wall which forms the base of an ornate carved wood screen erected as a war memorial. Memorial plaques are fixed to either side of the opening. The carpet continues up the central aisle. Plain oak choir stalls, with minimal embellishment to the frontals, are positioned to the north and south sides. Organ pipes are recessed in the north wall, behind a stone arch. The furniture, including the iron and wood communion rails, were executed post-fire c.1960s. A door in the south chancel leads into the vestry, whilst beyond it to the east, the sanctuary is raised by two steps, with the altar raised upon a further step. The east wall is wood panelled. A stone piscina is situated beneath a single light window within the south sanctuary wall.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century oak table to sanctuary and oak panelled altar in north chapel
Reredos
20th century panelled east wall - part of a set
Pulpit
20th century octagonal soft-wood with remainder of the original pulpit still evident within
Lectern
19th century plain modern wooden lectern
Font (component)
19th century octagonal, gothic-style stone font on columns with flat oak cover and lead lined bowl
Rail
20th century curved oak handrail on painted metal diagonal struts
Stained Glass (window)
20th century • South nave window – depicts Christ in central light, with Virgin Mary to one side. Inscribed in memory of a local publican, George Brown, c.1906; • East window – in memory of the first vicar who built the church, depicting ‘Christ in Glory’ signed by Atkinson and Bros, Newcastle, c.1918.
Organ (component)
19th century 18th century pipe organ made for Manchester Collegiate church and later moved to Jesmond Parish church. Rebuilt 1895 by Blackett and Howden and relocated to Dipton.
Plaque (component)
19th / 20th century various memorial plaques
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers: Stored at archives in Durham County Hall – register of baptisms since 1965, marriages since 1982. Older registers presumably lost to fire.
Churchyard
Grid reference: NZ 151 534
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
The churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
Showing 8 entries of 8 View All
Quinquennial Inspections
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.