A Tour of Penistone Church
Penistone Parish Church (C of E) is a fine medieval building and landmark for the town dedicated to Saint John (the Baptist, not the 'Revelator') and some comers-in call it 'St. John's'. The Church is built of local stone although its original date of construction is somewhat lost in history. There are foundations of an earlier church from around 900 AD but most of the present building was erected in the 1300s and expanded over the years. A square Norman tower on the West side was added around 1500. It has a melodic and joyful carillon of eight bells and it is unusual in having clocks on two sides. There is an old Saxon cross built into an interior wall. Please see the church history page for more details.
| 1 | Inside the church |   |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Church exterior | |
| 3 | Going up the tower | |
| 4 | Views from the top | |
The Proper Name
Let's get the name right. In recent times, the proper name of 'Penistone Parish Church' has being avoided in favour of plain 'St. John's' in various announcements and writings, to make it equivalent to St. Andrew's and St. Mary's', etc. No doubt they will have an apparently equal stature on a list of names. But there are a lot of St John's Churches around. There's one in Upper Denby for example. It also devalues the special status of Penistone Church with its thousand years of history. Nothing against The Baptist, you understand. He was one of my favourite biblical characters.
Only one church in Penistone could simply be called 'Penistone Church', by virtue of its prominence, antiquity and location. In any case, older Penistonians think that 'St. John's' refers to the nearby community centre, as that was its old name as a school. Of course, the town council and local radio will feel compelled to use the currently approved title but most local people call it by its normal and proper name.
Guide Booklet
A marvellous new booklet has been produced which is well illustrated and contains a lot of history about local churches of Penistone C of E team ministry. It has details of: Penistone Parish Church, Thurlstone St Saviour's, Carlecotes St. Anne's, Midhopestones St. James' and Oxspring St. Aidan's.
Local graphics designer Adele Tolladay (see Gablelake) worked her usual special magic to make it a pleasant object for the bookshelf. I urge everyone to purchase a copy. It costs around £3 and can be obtained from Penistone church, which is usually open Saturday mornings and Market Days for tea and biscuits.
New and Improved Facilities
The church was refurbished in 2007 as part of the 'Open Doors' project. Community activities in the church expanded to encourage more interest, usually with coffee and buns or lunch each Saturday. These were the plans:
It is easy to take for granted that Penistone Church will always be there for weddings, funerals and christenings. But other churches have been turned into dwellings, carpet warehouses or even used for more primitive religions, so we must always be aware of that possibility. For their part church-goers have a big struggle to make visitors welcome, actively encourage people to worship there and - I would emphasise - to respect the sanctity of our fine medieval church. It should always remember its true intent and be there for moments when people just want some quiet contemplation.
I hope that the church people might try to imagine what motivated those ancient people when they built our fine church stone by stone. I hope that they will also feel the unseen eyes of thousands of people through the ages who reverentially passed through the doors in their Sunday best, wedding clothes or funeral clothes. After that I hope that they might imagine that the church does not actually belong to them. They are just temporary custodians, keeping it safe and intact for future generations. It belongs to the people of Penistone.
That Religious Feeling
As a sort of non-sectarian Christian-ish person I don't usually go to church except for special occasions. Even so, I understand that special and humbling feeling which is found in well looked after churches around the world where congregations are very devout. It is called 'holy' and leads you to be quiet and respectful. It can be found in any Polish church and I would say particularly the cathedrals of Poznan and Częstochowa. Also any Greek Orthodox church. Lincoln cathedral and Huddersfield parish church still have the magic. I feel reverence and sanctity in them and I have enjoyed my own moments of quiet contemplation in them all. None of them had a toilet or a kitchen in the active part of the church.
That holy feeling is hard to describe but comes from the dignity of a place and the respect that its worshippers feel for it. A holy place should always have this sanctity and respect. Ask any Pole about Częstochowa and they would be proud to explain its special value to them. The Poles and the Greeks know how to do 'holy'.
As a tourist, I once visited a small chapel in a Romanian monastery. The then communist government pushed it as a tourist destination and it had a continuous stream of visitors. I was horrified to see how the lack of reverence affected those who used it as a place of prayer and contemplation. And yet it still had a special atmosphere in spite of official attempts to ruin its purpose. A devout old Romanian lady was in tears as loud and brash Americans bellowed inane remarks and took flash photos. They were indifferent to her distress but I quietly crept out, ashamed to be a tourist there. The old lady knew what was in danger of being lost.
'Sanctity is Dead' ?
Some church people say that 'sanctity is an old-fashioned concept' and that we must move with the times but the church needs to invite newcomers for a variety of community events and not just for worship. The church needs the community as much as the community needs a church, as it always does at certain times. People might sometimes be a little afraid to venture into somewhere they have not visited before, perhaps with pre-conceived ideas of what a church is all about. Also, we saw from the Covid pandemic that people get out of the habit of going where they use to go.
This section used to be a grumble about the possible inappropriateness of some events held in Penistone church. Some would object to having beer festivals with rock music but arts festivals are probably rather more inoccuous and have proved to be very popular. One in November 2024 was absolutely packed with stalls and visitors, and that can't be a bad thing, although, and on more than one occasion, many would find pentagram symbols inappropriate for a place of Christian worship. There weren't any obvious ones in 2024. I have personally enjoyed the beer festivals and they would each be opened with a prayer. Not much harm done.
My friend Richard Galliford ('Friends of Penistone St John's Church') took me to task on the subject and, after pondering his remarks, I have come to accept the validity his way of thinking and he has a lot of experience of visiting churches. He wrote:
'Today so many churches face closure to become (such as), private homes, places for climbing walls and many other reasons. If a church is to exist and serve its parishioners, of which they are fewer each year, and continue to maintain the fabric of the building, church’s have had no other choice but to adapt. Not every event will suit everyone, and yes, some may find that some events are not of the type of 'dignified' events suitable of a church.
Speaking of our own church at St John’s, it does have a variety of fund-raising events, all of them with the aim of to keeping the church and churchyard maintained. The church is used by so many groups these days, many that would not exist without the use of the church. Many individuals come in and spend their own silent time sat in their own thoughts and in their comfortable place of sanctuary. After all, how do you define sanctuary. In the old days, it was a place of safety, today that remains the same. It’s a place of warmth in the winter with the doors open as long as someone is inside. The heating is on and a hot drink can be provided. The churchyard graves are a place of comfort for so many of our community.
It’s easy to be negative about the ideals of what a church should be or represent, but that should be balanced with the many positives that the church now offers. Possibly as a non believer you have no need of the church other than its historical aspect. Before I took over from Steve Lavender, I never considered the battle to keep the church standing and fit for a community and for all and not the few. I now have a much deeper appreciation of the daily task that I never considered before. Leaking roof, unsafe tower, unkept graveyard, walls ready to collapse. All that have serious cost implications. I think I could speak for the other volunteers when I say, that every effort is made to maintain the dignity of the church so users can find peace, comfort and sanctuary.
Whilst it is always an option to dislike a particular event and walk out, there is always an alternative view that possibly should be explained to your reader's regarding the daily difficulties of running a church that is trying to serve its community and kept standing.'
I agree, and well-said Richard. One or two bad examples that I have attended ought not be a reason to be put off and not return. We ought to take things as we find them.
Church Procession 2007
On a 2007 gift day, PGS Samba Band stirred Penistone up with a vigorous drum performance in their procession to Penistone Church. The first picture is from that procession with Penistone Mayor of the day Cllr Unsworth in the cross-bearer's wake. You might call it 'a cross on the crossing'. In fact the vicar looks a bit cross with me as well.
Other Penistone Area Churches
Churches Together
Churches Together in England is the national body set up in 1990, and has partner bodies in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Churches Together in England is a visible sign of the Churches' commitment as they seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another, and proclaim the Gospel together by common witness and service. Its strength comes from people from different traditions finding new ways to work and worship together.
These local churches and chapels are members of the Penistone group.
See also these pages:
Visitor information can be found in Penistone Church on all Thursday Market Days, 10am - 12.30pm and in Penistone Library.
Websites
Penistone and Thurlstone Team Ministry,
Penistone Church on Facebook.
Penistone Church on Wikipedia.
Friends of Penistone Church on Facebook
Yorkshire church Grants
H. G. Wells (1866-1946) - 'Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.'