THE HISTORY OF ST. JOHN'S
An extract from "St. John the Evangelist Church Bexley", complied by R. J. Soar, St. John's Church Archivist, 2002
St. John’s Church Bexley was founded as a proprietary chapel of St. Mary’s, Bexley in 1878.
The original parish of St. Mary’s contained the hamlets of Blendon, Bridgen, Upton and Hurst and had a population nearing 4000 that was increasing rapidly. St. Mary’s Church, even with restoration and some re-pewing could only provide seating for a maximum congregation of 400. It was therefore deemed necessary to have another church to cater for the spiritual needs of the ever-growing population.
As growth at the western end of Bexley village around Parkhurst and Upton Roads had seen much new housing and at Park Wood where several houses had been erected, a church at this end of Bexley village near Bexley Station, was an obvious choice.
Sunday worship had been held for some time at Bridgen Road School for the convenience of the inhabitants of the Hamlets of Bridgen, Blendon, Upton and Parkhurst; the distance to St. Mary’s being much further. In those days, of course; Bexley did not have the A.2 road passing through. The A.2 was opened in 1926.
In 1866 with the coming of the railway, Bexley was fast becoming a residential district for people working in London with middle class housing being built first along Parkhill Road in the late 1860’s then Parkhurst and surrounds in the 1870’s and 1880’s. Prior to this the area was mainly agricultural.
The committee responsible for building the new church obtained a gift of a site and a promise of a donation of £2,000 from the University of Oxford. The site to be on the rising ground, at the western end of Bexley village. The University owned the land upon which the church now stands. The committee had collected altogether £2,055 9s plus the sum of £2,134, 3s. in contributions received at the laying of the foundation stone.
The association with Oxford University derives from a benefaction from William Camden, the antiquary and historian in 1622. He conveyed to the University from the Manor of Bexley £140 per annum, to provide the stipend of a History Lecturer; this post is now the Camden Professorship of Ancient History.
A contract was made with Naylor and Son the builders to complete the building work; (exclusive of the tower and spire) by March 1882, for the sum of £4,734. To this was added the fees of the architect and clerk of the works with the cost of fencing (estimated at £500), the total cost being £5,200. The tower and spire were estimated to cost about £1,600. The spire however was added in 1890 and the clock also installed in 1890. The architect commissioned was George Low FRIBA.
Subscriptions and pledges were made by many of the residents in the neighbouring parishes and it was known that many gave liberally at the ceremony on 23rd March 1881 at which Mrs Arbuthnot of Bridgen Place laid the foundation stone.
On 23rd June 1882, His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archibald Campbell Tait, came to Bexley and consecrated St. John’s Church. A stone set in the base of the Tower, next to the Tower door, records the event; along with the names of the Building Committee and Mrs Arbuthnot, of Bridgen Place.
St. John’s as it was then, was a daughter church to St. Mary’s. Both churches are now in the Diocese of Rochester, but were originally in the Diocese of Canterbury until 1905.
St. John’s was built in the Victorian Gothic style and is a Grade II listed building. The walls of the church are built of Kentish Ragstone with Bath Stone details. The Spire is of Bath Stone and is 155 feet high with the weathervane topping at 161 feet in height. The whole length of the church is 108 feet long and 55 feet wide. The Nave is just less than 71 feet long. The Chancel is 35 feet long and 22 feet in width. The internal walls are plastered. The Church consists of a nave of five bays, aisles, chancel with the vestry to the south of this and the tower to the north, the base of which forms the organ chamber.
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St. Johns Church without a spire, 1885
St. Johns Church, 1910
St. Johns Church, 1912
 St. Johns Church, 1939
 Altar in Hall
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