St John's Church, Middlesbrough

St John's Church, Middlesbrough, is the oldest parish church in the town of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is an active parish church and a Grade II* listed building which was listed by Historic England in July 1968. It is located at the junction of Marton Road, North Ormesby Road and Russell Street. It is opposite a small retail park and to the east of the main town centre. It can be seen when passing on the nearby A66 carriageway which passes the north and the east of the church. Its spire and tower is one of Middlesbrough's oldest and dominant landmarks which can be seen when bypassing the town.

The Church of St John the Evangelist, Middlesbrough
The Church of St John the Evangelist
The Church of St John the Evangelist, Middlesbrough
54.574°N 1.226°W / 54.574; -1.226
Location	Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Membership	Church of England
Website	www.columbawithjohn.org.uk
History
Status	Active
Dedication	Saint John the Evangelist
Dedicated	1865
Consecrated	1865
Associated people	Reverend Stephen Cooper
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	July 1968
Architect(s)	John Norton
Style	Early English style
Completed	1865
Specifications
Bells	6[1] (6)
Administration
Province	York
Diocese	York
Archdeaconry	Cleveland
Deanery	Middlesbrough
Parish	Middlesbrough

History

The church was built in 1865 by architect John Norton and it was dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist after completion. Historic England's official listing describes the church as:

Red brick with sandstone and patterned polychrome brick dressings. Brick with stone dressings to extensions and porch. Welsh slate roofs. North-west tower, clerestoried nave with aisles, transepts and south porch, and short apsidal chancel with north vestry and south chapel Early English style, with plate tracery.^[2]

The church is one of many in the town and still continues to be important for local Christians and others for use for weddings, community events, celebrations and other functions.^[3][4] It forms a joint parish with St Columba's church.^[5]

Present day

The church from Marton Road in 2013

The church is the oldest parish church and place of worship in Middlesbrough and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2015^[6] and continues to have a strong importance to both the religious and non-religious community in Middlesbrough and surrounding areas. It is also seen as a local landmark and occupies an important position in the town centre.^[7][8][9]