  
the
history of the
church in epping |
many of the pictures will act as links to give you more information |
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Founding the Church in Epping |
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In Saxon times, Epping was
one of the many clearings in the midst of a forest, reserved for the
sport of Kings and by the time of
Since the chapel was a royal foundation, the priest was paid for by the King himself and the chapel was deemed a 'Free Chapel', outside the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop.
In 1547 however, King Edward VI seized all the ‘Free Chapels' and in 1551 the chapel at Epping was vested in trustees under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London. |
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From Chapel to Parish Church |
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The present Church of St. John the Baptist stands on the site of earlier Chapels.
The ‘Free’ Chapel
established by William the Conqueror was replaced several times and
there are records of a chapel on this site in 1662.
It was this Chapel that was re-placed in 1889/90.
All this changed with the building of St John’s. An Act of Parliament which received the Royal Assent on 7th August 1888 provided for the pulling down of the old Chapel of Saint John the Baptist in Epping and the building of a new Church. Furthermore the new Church was to be designated the ‘Parish Church’ and the old church at Epping Upland was to become a ‘Chapel-of-Ease’ within the new Parish. Thus the church which was originally the 'mother' church, became the ‘daughter’. |
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generous vision |
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In order for the new Church to be built the generous benefaction of several local families was necessary. As early as 1848, John Clarmont Whiteman of Theydon Grove, Epping, gave a parcel of land (110 feet by 77 to 85 feet) for the expansion of the old Chapel. No expansion took place but the land was to be a key gift in the building of St. John’s which occupies the land then given. A relative of John Whiteman, Miss Elizabeth Horsley Whiteman, offered £3,000 towards the cost of a new Church in 1886, with the quaint proviso that work must be in hand by the 31st March 1890. Large though her generosity was, it was insufficient to finance the work. It became possible through further gifts, particularly from the Wythes Family of Copped Hall. As Patron of Epping Upland Church, Ernest James Wythes felt it his duty to “promise such substantial help as will make the undertaking practicable.” He gave a further £4,000. Trustees were appointed to oversee the work and further benefactions followed. St. John’s was thus built because of the generous vision of local Epping people. |
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Ernest James Wythes |
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Ernest James Wythes was the last resident of local Copped Hall. He was a great local philanthropist and he was a significant benefactor of this Church. Born in 1868, he married Aline Thorold in 1894. To commemorate their wedding they gave the fine four-manual organ, built by Messrs. Wordsworth and Co. Further benefactions considerably enlarged and improved this. They also gave the Rood Screen which includes their coat of arms, and many other gifts. In 1905, Mr Wythes enabled the completion of St. John’s by paying for the construction of the Tower. Designed by Bodley as part of the original design, this was to become a landmark of Epping. A plaque in the Lady Chapel commemorates the Wythes family benefaction. Also in the Lady Chapel is a servant’s bell from Copped Hall, which is used to announce the start of services. Under the Epping Act which allowed for the building of St. John’s, eight seats were reserved in the Church for the ‘owner and occupier’ of Copt (Copped) Hall and a further six for their servants. It is said that they entered the church by a special door which can be seen on the South side of the Church but which internally is now the niche in the Lady Chapel. |
There
has been a place of worship on this site for hundreds of years but its exact foundation date
is unknown. 
William
the Conqueror, Epping occupied a strategic place, being one of the few
‘high grounds’ in this part of Essex. On the ridge which is now the High
Street beacons could be lit to warn of invasion by marauding Norsemen.
The King maintained beacon tenders who later became forest keepers, and
he built a small chapel on the site of the present St. John’s, to cater
for their spiritual needs.
King Henry II subsequently
granted a charter to the Abbot of Waltham, passing responsibility for
the chapel to the Abbey and the Abbey sent priests to served the chapel
for the next 400 years.
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Between 1845 and 1849, he trained, with others, as an apprentice of the great Victorian architect, Sir Gilbert Scott (designer of St. Pancras Railway Station and the Albert Memorial). Bodley quickly developed his own style and, influenced by the writings of John Ruskin, sought to create churches that featured simple spaces, magnificently decorated. In designing St John's, he was influenced by the great 14th century, medieval church architecture of East Anglia. Although known as an architect of considerable ability, Bodley was as much interested in the interior design of his churches as their exteriors. His real talent lay in his ability to see the interior as a whole and all decoration - patterns, fittings, glass - became a harmonious unity. To achieve this, Bodley kept control of every design, even to the extent of designing the vessels used at Holy Communion and vestments worn by the priest. He was a great sponsor of other artists including the Pre-Raphaelites and was associated with William Morris and the stained-glass artist Charles Eamer Kempe.
It is also a building which encapsulates Bodley’s philosophy of space and grandeur – an Extravagant Vision which is all of a piece – a lofty, decorated space which carries the soul towards God. |
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Further links to information on Bodley: Church Times Article on his centenary |
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He specialised in stained glass though he also did some architectural work including the designing of new wings for nearby Copped Hall. His association with Ernest Wythes and his friendship with G F Bodley may well have been a key factor in the choice of Bodley as the architect for St. John’s Church.
His stained glass was highly valued in his lifetime. He started his own studio and at one time employed over 50 people.
As with many artists, Kempe had a special ‘signature’. All his
windows contain a representation of a
Two of Kempe’s windows are to be found in the Lady Chapel and one on the West wall above the Font. Kempe’s memorial is in Chichester Cathedral. |
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Extravagant vision |
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The choice of George Frederick Bodley as the architect of St. John’s brought to the project the immense expertise of one of Britain’s greatest architectural minds of his time. He has been described as the ‘greatest exponent of Victorian Gothic of the late 19th century.’ A pupil of the great Gilbert Scott (architect of the Albert Memorial and St. Pancras Station), he was deeply influenced by the writings of John Ruskin, particularly his work, ‘The Seven Lamps of Architecture’’ . He was also a friend of the Pre-Raphaelites and he gave William Morris his first church commission. The influence of the Gothic style played a major part in his design and many of his churches pay testimony to this. St. John’s is no exception though it is also unusual in that Bodley chose to interpret his ideas by reference to the 14th century style of Gothic architecture of East Anglia. In this, it harks back to an English style which is n line with many churches of the region. Though it does not soar like the great ‘Wool’ churches of Norfolk it has the same sense of ‘space’. Bodley always tended to build ‘high’ using roof space to express the grandeur and loftiness of God. For him, the interior was as important as the exterior and he tended to have control over every artistic detail. Thus he decorated his churches with a lavishness characteristic of his age. His was an ‘Extravagant Vision’ which sought to express his deep faith in Almighty God. Nothing was too grand for God and it was his legacy which makes St. John’s a fitting building for worship. His sole aim was to glorify God and for that extravagant gestures were not out of place. |
‘Wheatsheaf.’
This logo was originally three golden wheat-sheaves on a red
background contained within a shield. Eventually, as in the case of
the windows at St. John’s, this was replaced by a single
wheat-sheaf, usually in the bottom left hand corner. When Kempe died
in 1907 this was replaced by a single golden
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An eye for detail |
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Bodley’s eye for detail stretched to include every part of the interior, including the vestments used in worship and the decorated altar cloths. St. John’s still has some of his Chasubles (the vestment worn by the priest for the Eucharist) and altar frontals. We also have a cope (a highly decorated festival garment worn like a cloak at times of special celebration). In order to ensure the best, Bodley would often design these himself though he also engaged the skill and artistry of people like William Morris (of nearby Walthamstow). To make sure that his designs were carried out exactly, Bodley joined two other architects – George Gilbert Scott and Thomas Garner (his partner)- in setting up their own company. It traded, as it trades still, under the name of Watts & Co. The Company produces Church vestments of a high quality and also wallpaper designs – many still to designs of Bodley and his associates. The name ‘Watts’ was chosen because Bodley believed that architects ought not to deal in trade so he refused to lend his own name to the Company. When asked why he chose the name ‘Watts’, he is said to have replied, “What’s in a name?” Amongst the things Bodley designed for St. John’s is the White High Altar Frontal on display in this Festival. It has recently been completely renovated by Tine Rumble, a member of our congregation. Using new backing fabric woven specially for us by Watts & Co, Mrs Rumble painstakingly re-created the original design using materials supplied by Watts and incorporating much of the original decoration. The ‘Superfrontal’ – the top fringe of the frontal – is entirely new. It was designed by Piers Northam to be in sympathy with Bodley’s original design. |
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In three phases |
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The Church of St. John the Baptist was completed in three phases. The Foundation stone was laid in 1889 and the Nave and Chancel were completed in 1891. The North Aisle was added in 1908 in memory of The Revd. Edward Buckmaster, who had been Vicar from 1888-1906, and who had overseen the building of the new Church. In 1907 the foundation stone for the Tower had been laid on December 4th. It was dedicated by the Bishop of St. Albans (in whose Diocese St John’s was at that time) on April 28th, 1909. Thus, over a period of 20 years, St. John’s was completed in three stages but to one comprehensive architectural design. |
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A vision for all generations |
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In various buildings the Chapels and Churches on this site have served the people of Epping. It is our intention that the Church will continue to do so in future generations. Inevitably, buildings of the Victorian and Edwardian eras suffer wear and tear. St. John’s is no exception. A few years ago, work began on brightening the interior and the aisle walls were re-decorated, along with the Lady Chapel. This was made possible through the launching of an Appeal which raised money through donations from the Congregation and from the people of Epping. Recent Architectural inspections revealed that remedial work was necessary on parts of the exterior stonework, particularly at the base of the Tower and on parts of the North Wall (the side least visible), which are all completed. A beam in the Tower was replaced and the metalwork at the top of the Tower was repainted in February 2009. In addition we have renewed the electrical wiring and re-lit the Church more sympathetically and with an eye to flexibility of use. In 2008, a neglected storage area was converted into a Chapel of Transfiguration and this was dedicated in September 2008. In addition to our regular worship, St. John’s is used by many groups from the community from Schools to local Arts Society. With its magnificent acoustics it is a popular venue for music-making, especially by local choirs. This is something we wish to encourage and develop, believing that we are here to serve our community in whatever appropriate ways are possible. We are also conscious that the interior decoration, particularly the painted ceiling, reredos (above the High altar), and the organ casing all need attention. Bodley used distemper which was popular in his time but it does not wear well and there is a gradual deterioration. Renovation of this is going to be costly. In February 2002 we re-launched our Appeal and through fund-raising events, appeals to local community and businesses and through application for relevant grants we have raised almost £50,000. The Appeal is on-going. Our determination is to continue the Vision of those who built St. John’s and to make this a worthy building to hand on to future generations of Epping folk. |
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...and a crazy dream too! |
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Our Victorian forebears had grand ideas as the presence of St. John’s Church testifies. They were people of Extravagant Vision and they built grandly. St. John’s was built for the Glory of God and for His people in Epping. Following in their footsteps we are also prepared to ‘dream dreams and pay the price to make them come true.’ We are currently working on our ‘Dream’ Project to replace the present St. John’s House – the house between the Church and the Library – with a purpose built Hall, meeting room , kitchen and office. It is intended that it will be designed with facilities for the disabled, including toilet facility and ease of access into the Church through an extension linking it to the present West door. Our present Church Hall (further down St. John’s Road) is used by many Community groups but it is increasingly inadequate and getting somewhat dilapidated. This is hardly surprising. It was built as a temporary structure in the 1880’s as a meeting place for the Church whilst St. John’s was being built! Our hope is that we can translate our dream into a new facility which will be used not only by the congregation but by the wider community. Colin Kerr our architect is now drawing up plans after a number of consultation meetings and 2009 will be a year of fundraising to make our Vision a reality. An Extravagant Vision? Certainly ! Mr Wythes and the people of Epping of the 19th Century would certainly approve ! |
