Former Church Of St John The Divine

The former Church of St John the Divine was begun in 1881-83 to designs by J T Micklethwaite and S Clarke, but not completed until 1901-4. It was converted in 2004 for use as an arts and performance space. The church is constructed of red brick with limited Ancaster stone dressings, and has slate roofs.

The plan includes a partially aisled nave (western three bays only), a chancel, and a southeast organ chamber and vestry. The exterior displays a severe, French-influenced lancet style with good brickwork. The west end features a central buttress topped by a blocky bell turret, flanked by three-light windows with stepped lancets set within pointed arches. Plain, round-headed doors are located in the west ends of the aisles. Similar three-light windows and brick buttresses are present on the side elevations, while the east wall is blind. A gabled, half-timbered oriel is located on the south side.

The interior is a large, open space characterized by tall arcades of eight bays; however, only the western three bays open into proper aisles. The piers of the eastern five bays are freestanding, with a wall immediately behind them. The west responds of both arcades are elongated to create internal porches at the west ends of the aisles. An embattled cornice with fleurons is found in the chancel.

Original fixtures include a polygonal 19th-century font, a rood beam with a cross, and a stone altar on a raised platform. Most other fittings have been removed.

The church was originally built in 1881-82 to accommodate the rapidly growing population of Gainsborough. Initial designs included a six-bay aisled and clerestoried nave, a two-bay aisled chancel, and a west tower; the blank, unfinished aisles in the chancel and the eastern part of the nave reflect this original ambition. The body of the chancel and the eastern four bays of the nave were built in 1881-82, while the western part of the nave, including the partial aisles, was added in 1901-4. The church became redundant in 2002.

The church is designated at Grade II for its plain and severe brick construction, designed by the respected church architects J T Micklethwaite and Somers Clarke, built in two phases. It also possesses high-quality arcades internally, partially blocked and reflecting an unexecuted plan for a larger church. It shares group value with the adjacent former vicarage.