St John the Baptist Church, Chipping Barnet
| St John the Baptist Church, Chipping Barnet | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | High Street, Chipping Barnet, Greater London, EN5 4BW |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Central/Anglo-Catholic |
| Website | Church website |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Chipping Barnet |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Hertford |
| Diocese | Diocese of St Albans |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | Fr Chris Ferris |
| Vicar(s) | The Revd Tristan Chapman |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Linda Sanders Rosemary Watkins |
| Organist(s) | Terence Atkins |
| Churchwarden(s) | Ian Peacock and Jacob Kurien |
| Verger | Jackie Peacock |
| Parish administrator | Tony Long |
St John the Baptist Church is the Church of England parish church of Chipping Barnet. It forms part of the Chipping Barnet Team Ministry, comprising St Mark’s, Barnet Vale, St Peter’s, Arkley and St Stephen’s, Bell’s Hill. It crowns the ascent up Barnet Hill, and stands at the junction of Wood Street and High Street. It is one of the few Anglican churches in Greater London to belong to the Diocese of St Albans.
The evidence for a church comes from the Manor Court records which show that a chapel was in existence in 1272, built to serve the needs of the people of the village, the market and those who passed through. It is assumed that the building had been built around 1250. The first mention of a priest was in 1258, when it was noted that the 'Parson of Barnet' owned a copy of the works of the Latin poet, Ovid. At the time Chipping Barnet was chapel-of-ease to the much older parish church of St Mary the Virgin in East Barnet. It was only in 1866 that the livings were separated by an Order in Council.
The church stands in what was the centre of the town. It was rebuilt by John de la Moote, abbot of St Albans, about 1400, the architect being Beauchamp. Playing on its antiquity, it continues to call itself "Barnet Church", although this is not an official title. It is in fact the parish church of Chipping Barnet only, whilst Christ Church is the parish church of High Barnet.
The church was extensively renovated by William Butterfield in 1871/2, at which time the tomb of Thomas Ravenscroft, a local benefactor who died in 1630, was moved from the chancel to a newly built chapel.
During the mid-twentieth century, the roof of St John the Baptist was repaired, and Church House was restored. A fire in 1974 severely damaged the choir vestry, then under the tower, and threatened to destroy the whole building. It was put out just in time, and in the aftermath, ideas came forward for some of the changes which were put into effect in 1984. These included new glass doors as the main entrance under the tower, the creation of a new choir vestry and alterations to the organ.
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