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Evangelist Church, England
The Evangelist Church lies tucked away on the fringes of a small English town. The church stands on a small hill, making it a prominent landmark. The church was built in the 1880s and closed in the early 2010s.
The building is made of local red sandstone, which is dressed on the outside in a beige sandstone. The roof is green slate. The architecture of Evangelist Church is typical of Victorian ecclesiastical buildings, bold Perpendicular Gothic. There is seating for over 600 people; even today, most of the pews remain in place. Due to the small size of the plot and inclination of the surrounding land, there is no cemetery. Any internment took place in adjacent parishes.
Interestingly the tower, 120ft high, only contains a single bell weighing 0.7 tons. Externally it was designed to give the appearance of a full belfry. The tower was not able to house a full accompaniment of bells due to weakness in the foundations.
History of the Evangelist Church
In the 1880s, the population of the region had begun to grow. The existing churches could not accommodate the swelling faithful Anglican congregations. For every pew that was vacated, over 50 new applicants vied for space.
The newly-appointed sheriff from a neighbouring city donated land and £3000 towards the Evangelist Church. Initially, the church and the local community would foot the remaining £4000. Subsequently, the bill rose to £12000 due to unforeseen issues with the foundations.
Interestingly, there is no stained glass in the church. It is suggested, that this was a cost-cutting restriction imposed by the church during the later part of the construction. It is implied that during initial construction, the Sheriff would make substitutions. In one case, he refused to use the square panes for transept windows provided. Instead, he insisted in diamond-shaped panes and left the supplied square panes unused
The Sheriff lad the first foundation of the Evangelist Church during a grand ceremony. Local masons, clergy, school children and various regional figures were in attendance. There was a great celebratory feast. During the ceremony, a time capsule was placed in a hole or wall cavity. This included the latest copy of the parish almanack and newspapers, as well as other paperwork and coins. In true British style, the ceremony was cut short when it began to rain…..heavily!
Within 4 years the church was built, and consecrated.
The future of this abandoned English Church
During the early 2010s, the Evangelist Church was declared redundant and closed. The closure was in response to shrinking congregation sizes, as well as a lack of funds to repair the roof. A spate of lead thefts had damaged the roof, and the church could not justify the repair work.
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Gosh, so gorgeous, especially the full photograph where the ceiling and pews can be seen together.
Thanks Yvette :). I keep trying to re-visit this one, but it seems to be closed up every time I try now. I would love to know if there is more green mould, it contrasts so nicely with the red sandstone walls <3
It is most frustrating not to know where these places are, especially the churches. Any hint of where The Evangelist Church is would be greatly appreciated, from one photographer to another.
Lovely images.
Thanks David, I am glad you like your images. The world of abandoned places photography is different, and it is common for location names/addresses to be obfuscated. Please take a look at my FAQ for some background on why this is the case 🙂
The church needs to be saved and reopened. Not abandoned and left to rot.