| ©2018 St. John the Evangelist, Sandown
Over
a
hundred
and
twenty
years
ago
an
iron
church
stood
on
this
site
surrounded
by
fields
and
farmland,
overlooking
a
much
smaller
town
than
Sandown
is
today.
It
was
erected
when
Christ
Church
-
at
the
other
end
of
town
-
proved
too
small
for
the
number
of
people
wanting
to
go
to
church.
Eventually
this
iron
church
was
not
large
enough
and
largely
on
the
initiative
of
the
Vicar
at
that
time
(the
Rev
Gilbert
St
Karney) work was started on a new full scale stone church on the same site.
The
iron
structure
was
dismantled
and
sent
to
Devon
where
it
was
re-erected
in
Teignmouth.
One
remaining
window
from
this
church
has
been
incorporated
in
the
St
John's
you
see
today.
Services
were
held
in
the
adjacent
school
and
the
Town
Hall.
Lady
Oglander,
of
Nunwell
House,
Brading,
laid
the
foundation stone for the new church on 26 September 1878.
The
church
was
built
in
Isle
of
Wight
and
Portland
stone,
able
to
seat
700
people
and
cost
£7,000
to
build
-
which
was
considered
remarkably
good
value.
It
was
a
considerable
act
of
faith
to
do
this
as
all
the
money
had
to
be
raised
locally.
Rev
Karney
was
an
inspiration
and
under
his
energetic
leadership
funds
came
in.
(You
might
be
interested
to
know
that
Lewis
Carroll
once
played
with
the
Karney
children
at
Sandown).
When
Rev
Karney
left
the
parish
in
1881,
before
the
work
of
the
new
church
was
completed,
he
donated
the £1200 which was raised as a testimonial to him by the town to the Church Completion Fund.
You
will
find
a
marble
tablet
in
a
wall
at
the
west
end
of
the
Church
which
is
dedicated
to
this
gift.
This
contribution
left
only
£659
to
pay
of
which
£276
was
for
the
architect’s
commission
but
a
collection
made
at the opening service wiped another £123 from this debt.
The History of St John the Evangelist and Guide
This
service
took
place
on
Thursday,
2
June
1881
and
saw,
for
the
first
time,
a
large
congregation
worshipping
in
the
Parish
Church
of
St
John
the
Evangelist.
Rev
Karney,
making
a
return
visit,
was
the
preacher though the service was opened by the new Vicar - Rev William Townsend Storrs.
St
John's
is
built
in
the
Early
English
style
with
stone
from
nearby
St
Boniface
quarries
and
roofed
with
tiles.
London
architect
B
S
Luck
had
given
the
nave
eight
massive
Portland
stone
columns
with
moulded
caps
from
which
sprang
five
graceful
arches
with
clerestory
above.
The
112ft
long
by
30ft
wide
church
was
without
a
conventional
spire
but
the
60ft
high
roof
was
topped
by
a
turret
terminating
in
a
finial
100ft
from the ground. The church had been well built by a local builder, Issac Barton of Ryde.
Nearly
127
years
on,
in
spite
of
several
additions
and
extensions,
the
church
has
retained
its
essential
simplicity
and
charm.
It
has
a
wide
brick
interior,
a
short
Chancel
and
narrow
aisles.
The
pews
and
woodwork
are
plain
but
not
unattractive.
An
authority
on
architecture
has
said
that
if
St
John’s
possessed
an Apse, it could well be described as a Basilica in Gothic style.
The
interior
is
very
light
and
spacious
with
many
windows
with
most
lower
windows
having
stained
glass
which
is
worthy
of
the
closest
attention.
The
craftsman
is
a
source
of
some
perplexity
but
the
windows
were
described
by
the
poet
John
Betjeman
as
“a
rarity
and
the
colouring
quite
magnificent”.
The
choir
stalls
are
in
the
nave
so
that
the
bareness
of
the
elevated
chancel
sets
a
stage
for
the
superb
east
windows
of
double
tiered
trefoiled
lancets,
all
depicting
scenes
from
the
life
of
Christ.
The
three
larger
lights
show
the
Holy
Family,
the
Crucifixion
and
the
Resurrection
-
notice
the
skilfully
graduated
colour
on
the
angels’
wings.
Another
fine
window,
in
the
north
wall,
shows
similar
use
of
colour
in
the
wings
of
the
angels
in
the
side
lights.
There
are
more
beautiful
windows
on
the
south
wall,
the
central
one
in
memory
of
Hilda
-
daughter
of
the
Rev
Canon
Whitby
(Vicar
1891-1905)
and
depicts
Mary
and
Martha
at
Bethany
with
a
central
figure
of
Christ
in
a
robe
of
vibrant
red
-
of
such
lustre
that
in
daylight
a
three
dimensional
effect
is
achieved.
More
imaginative
use
of
colour
can
be
seen
in
the
window
to
the
left,
a
memorial
to
a
young 21 year old soldier who died whilst serving in the Transvaal War in 1901.
The
church’s
rectangular
design
allows
the
chancel
and
side
chapels
to
extend
across
the
full
width
of
the
building,
the
latter
divided
from
the
former
with
carved
wooden
screens
in
gothic
style
-
a
design
repeated
in
the
clerics’
stalls
and
the
altar
reredos,
where
is
frames
a
painting
of
The
Last
Supper.
The
Lady
Chapel
screen
serves
as
a
memorial
to
those
who
died
in
The
Great
War.
Behind
the
Chapel’s
altar
is
an
interesting
contemporary
needlework
panel
by
Freda
Copley
of
Leeds.
On
a
blue
batik
background
embroidered
forms
reflect
ideas
of
the
origins
of
life
and
the
creation
as
described
in
the
opening
verses
of
St
John’s
Gospel.
The
Father
Willis
organ,
built
in
Winchester,
was
first
installed
in
1883
and
was
moved
from
the
North
side
of the Chancel to its present post in 1966 when the West Porch was built.
The
Church
Annexe
was
opened
in
1966
which
added
rooms
and
a
kitchen
to
the
church
facilities.
Nowadays
this
is
used
by
a
number
of
organisations
for
a
host
of
activities
including
a
playgroup,
various
clubs,
drama
rehearsals,
fund
raising
jumble
sales,
coffee
mornings
etc.
In
February
2004
the
Beverley
Community Hall was opened giving additional space for use by St John’s and other organisations.
St
John’s
is
very
much
part
of
the
local
community,
a
centre
for
pastoral
work
which,
through
its
active
Parish
Church
Council,
Priest-in-Charge,
Assistant
Curate
and
congregation,
encompasses
all
ages.
The
various
clubs
and
guilds
which
use
the
Annexe
and
the
Beverley
Community
Hall,
the
participation
of
the
present
Priest-in-Charge
(the
Revd
Jonathan
Hall)
on
the
governing
bodies
of
the
two
local
Church
schools,
and
the
many
activities
which
have
the
church
as
a
focus
all
point
to
a
continuing
need
for
St
John’s
as
one
of Sandown’s active churches.
A
final
thought
-
this
building
must
have
been
very
cold
in
winter
before
the
heating
was
installed
and
on
the
west
wall
can
be
seen
a
plaque,
placed
by
the
Vicar
and
churchwardens,
recording
the
work
done
between
1907-1912,
when
the
chancel
was
redecorated
and
the
glorious
east
windows
installed.
But
significantly the first item
"in thankful record of the reheating ……….."