STAMFORD BRIDGE GROUP OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND
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History and Architecture of the Stamford Bridge Church
 | The church of St John the Baptist in Stamford Bridge was built in 1868 as a chapel-of-ease in the parish of Catton with Stamford Bridge and Scoreby. The mother church was All Saints at Low Catton which dates from 1150. Scoreby is a hamlet on the east side of the River Derwent and until the late 1920's parishioners were rowed across the river to attend services at All Saints.
In 1978 All Saints was under threat of closure and St John's became the mother church, the parish being known as Stamford Bridge with Catton and Scoreby. All Saints was saved by very dedicated parishioners and now has a small thriving community.
According to historical documents cited in "A Victorian History of East Yorkshire" in 1348 Stamford Bridge had a chapel in which a hermit lived. In 1444 a chapel of St Edmund was mentioned which was later suppressed as a chantry chapel. On a map of 1616 there was a chapel of St Leonard on the Catton road. There appears to have been a dispute about the collecting of tithes for the Rector's stipend and his provision of services. The Chancellor of York intervened and decided that there should be a weekly service at Stamford Bridge, but that "the better and more able sort" should hear services at the parish church in Low Catton eight times a year. In 1743 there were two services on a Sunday at Low Catton with Holy Communion five times a year. In 1865 a service was held on a Friday and a Sunday in Stamford Bridge in a "service room."
St John the Baptist was designed by G. Fowler Jones in early English style. It was built on land belonging to Lord Leconfield, partly financed by C.A.Darley of Burtonfield Hall in Stamford Bridge, with the remainder being raised by public donation.
The church is built of yellow sandstone with limestone dressings. The chancel has a vestry on the northern side; there is a nave with central aisle, a bell cot with two bells and a porch also on the north side. In the mid 1980's the church was reordered. The organ was removed from the left-hand wall of the chancel and the choir stalls removed. This enabled the altar rail to be brought forward and the altar table to be moved away from the rederos so that the officiating priest could face the congregation when presiding at communion. The organ was replaced by an electric one situated in the gallery at the west end of the church. Recently other internal changes have been made to create much needed space which includes the alteration of the Vestry into a kitchen and small meeting place. Shortly building will start on a much needed toilet facility.
The original churchyard surrounding St John's was enlarged in 1936.
In 1965, although All Saints in Low Catton remained the mother church, the Rector moved from living in the Rectory in Low Catton to a new house opposite St John's in Stamford Bridge. At that time morning and evening services were alternated between the two churches, with a special subsidised church bus to transport parishioners. Today there are two regular services on a Sunday at Stamford Bridge at 08.00 and 10.45. Special services are organised for the group of the three churches in the benefice. |
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The Interior Looking East
 | | In the October 2003 count of church attendance on a "normal" Sunday 60 adults and 11 children were present. However the All-Age and Informal Communion services have higher attendances, so these figures are probably too low for the current picture. |
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