The Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist (also known as St John's Church) is the parish church of the village of Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire, England. [1] [2] It is a grade II* listed building. [3]
The church dates from the 12th century, [3] and around 1160 priests were recorded. [4] In the early 13th century the tower was added to the small aisled church which had been built in the 12th. [3] The church was associated with Barnwell Priory until the dissolution of the monasteries. [4]
The condition of the church deteriorated in the 17th and 18th centuries and attendances fell. [4] The tower and spire were replaced after collapse in 1821. [3] Restoration and rebuilding of the chancel was undertaken in 1848, [4] and it underwent a Victorian restoration by W.M. Fawcett in 1871, [5] and John Ladds in 1878. [4]
In 2018 an event, entitled Waterbeach Thread[ed], was held in the church using a variety of clothing and textiles to "draw attention to the impact of clothing on the environment, human trafficking, church life, poverty, and consumerism". [6]
The parish is within the Diocese of Ely. [7]
The limestone building has lead and tiled roofs. It has a chancel and three-bay aisle. The tower has a parapet and is supported by buttresses. [3] In the tower are five bells. The tenor bell is tuned to G# and weighs 7cwt. [8]
This church contains an electric pipe organ. [9] The Caen stone pulpit is inlaid with mosaics. [10]
In the churchyard is a stone cross which acts as a memorial to those from Waterbreach who perished in World War I and World War II. [11] It also contains 25 war graves related to the nearby RAF Waterbeach. [12]