2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Duncan Browne)
A town church, school and care home are preparing to celebrate their 150th anniversaries - and your memories are being sought. Spalding’s St John the Baptist church and school buildings will both reach the special milestone this summer, as will the neighbouring St John’s care home, which began life as the original vicarage. To celebrate, the church is hosting a week of celebrations, including concerts, fairs and services, as well as sharing memories of the church - whether photographs or musings - being requested from members of the public.
"A lot of memories have been sent in by people who come to church, what we need is to hear from people who have had dealings with church as well, who have been married here or whose children have been baptised,” said Hilary Moriaty, who is part of the organising committee. “We’d love to hear those memories. “The memories don’t have to be from a long time ago, we want this to be a history up to the present day.
” The church will officially turn 150 on June 24, and a week of celebrations will begin on Sunday, June 22, with a service led by Bishop Rob Gillian, who acted as an interim vicar at St John’s until the arrival of the Rev Greg Bannister in 2021. From Monday, June 23 to Friday, June 27, the church will be open for the public to visit the memory displays, learn more about the church and also enjoy a series of lunch time concerts, including an organ recital and a performance from the school choir. The celebrations will culminate with a joint fair and family fun day hosted by the church and school which will include performances by the Spalding Community Choir, The Houndogs as well as stalls, a bouncy castle and more.
An updated history of the church - which has also hosted fashion shows, Ceilidhs and acted as a polling station since its reordering 10 years ago last month - has also been penned by Michael Moriaty while it is also hoped that a commemorative booklet featuring memories from both the church and school - who are collecting their own anecdotes - can be produced. “There are so many different links from so many different people that we would like to hear,” said Mr Bannister. It was the financial backing of renowned Spalding benefactor Mary Ann Johnson that enabled the building work to begin 150 years ago.
“It was about £10,000 she gave to fund the church, school and vicarage in 1874, and they were completed in 1875,” Michael explained. “I think eventually it increased to cost about £20,000. Converted that’s roughly £2.
5 million these days.” Over the past 150 years the church has had its own fair share of characters, including the wonderfully-named the Rev Lancelot Smith, who was known to keep a cricket net in his garden. For Mr Bannister, the chance to celebrate the anniversary with the care home and school makes the milestone extra special.
“There are some lovely links between the three,” he said. “The school have a nice relationship with the care home, sending children over to do performances, and the care home have sent cards to the school. It’s a nice little trio.
“Apparently if you had a child he would be over to find out if it was a boy or a girl, and if it was a boy he had to start playing in his cricket team,” Hilary said. “I don’t think it was quite as necessary to come to church as it is to be in Lancelot Smith’s cricket team.” Another familiar face was the Rev John Moon, an ex-Para, and a familiar sight in the parish on his bike.
“I guess he’s most famous for when he went on visits and when he was offered a cup of tea he’d always request something stronger,” Mr Bannister said. “It would make everyone smile, this larger than life character.” You can share your photos and memories by emailing 50@stjohnsspalding.
org or visiting a page on the church’s website which is set to be active soon..
