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The Parish Church of Keswick St John is of relatively recent construction, completed in 1838 with enlargements in 1862, 1889, and 1917. Within a short time of its opening on St John’s Day, 27 December 1838, the church became an important evangelical centre in the Church of England. Its second vicar was T.D. Harford Battersby (1824-1884), one of the leading clergymen in Victorian England’s 19th-century evangelical revival.
Rev Battersby came to Keswick St John as curate under evangelical vicar Frederick Meyers. Under the influence of Rev Meyers, Rev Battersby moved away from his High Church inclinations to espouse an active evangelical faith. In July 1875, in the face of opposition from local people and fellow Anglicans, he held three days of inter-denominational Meetings for the Promotion of Christian Holiness.
That was the first Keswick Convention. Every summer since then, evangelical Christians from across Britain and around the world gather in Keswick for three weeks of Bible reading, prayer, Christian speakers, and other spiritual events. The convention’s motto is "All One in Christ Jesus".
This marble memorial to Rev Battersby was placed inside the church very shortly after he died. The text reads:
In memory of
The Rev T. D. Harford Battersby, M.A., Oxon.
For two years curate
and thirty-two years vicar of this parish,
Who died 23 July 1884, aged 60 years,
Revered and loved.
"Well done thou good and faithful servant"
The church also has striking stained glass. This is the east window depicting in the lower row figures from the Old Testament and above scenes from the New Testament.
As a final note of interest, the novelist Sir Hugh Walpole (1884-1941) is buried in the churchyard.
The parish has a website, but it doesn't have a lot of information. For more photographs, including a very neat aerial photo, click here.
Links to all my blog posts about British churches and Christian sites can be accessed through the box located at the top of the page.
