Church of St John the Divine, The Church Hall and Bell Tower

Church of St John the Divine, The Church Hall and Bell Tower

A church, church hall and bell tower designed by Basil Spence and built by Wimpey between 1954 and 1957.

The church is constructed with a concrete portal frame, infilled with panels of no-fines concrete and finished externally with spar dash render. The roof is shallow-pitched aluminium. The building measures 90 by 30 feet and follows an open basilican plan, with steps rising to the choir and again to the sanctuary. The bell tower is of reinforced concrete and cedarwood, positioned to the north-west of the church and connected to it by a covered processional pathway leading to a door in the north flank.

The church's western gable end is entirely glazed with ribbed panels, at the centre of which is a cross formed of steel beams. The eastern gable end is blank. Both flanks are marked by bays formed by the portal frames, defined by chamfered joints in the concrete panels. Windows with projecting concrete surrounds are set in the lower walls and were held in place while the no-fines concrete was poured around them. At the eastern end of each side is a half bay of glazing casting light onto the altar: the north side is of ribbed glass, while the south side features five similarly shaped concrete frames with angled surrounds containing clear glass. A fascia board runs above the eaves around the building. At the west end, a lobby shared with the church hall adjoins on the south side and serves as entrance to both buildings.

Inside the church, window surrounds project as they do externally. The ceiling comprises thin timber joists laid between the concrete portal frames, with filler boards of dark red, interspersed with occasional bright blue or green panels creating an abstract pattern. The original architect-designed fixtures include choir stalls with ribbed fronts and music storage, reading desks at either side of the steps to the choir, an altar, and altar rails with attached kneelers, all featuring inlaid strips of lighter wood to their uprights. At the east end, a piscina with copper bowl is set in the walling on the south side. At the west end stands a circular wooden font with a fluted column and copper bowl. A red sandstone tablet inscribed with a cross is fixed to the north chancel wall; the stone was taken from the ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral. Heating dials for original thermostats are set into the column uprights of the portal frame, and original skittle-shaped light fittings remain. At the centre of the eastern wall is a glass sculpture by Chris Browne representing features of the parish, installed in 2000.

The community hall is approached from the shared lobby and has a monopitch roof with glazing across the whole of the upper eastern wall. The west wall features clapboarding to the lower body, above which are slit windows. The south wall is of yellow brick with a door and porch to left of centre. The hall's interior has a row of metal poles to the west supporting the roof, fitted lockers to the south wall, and doors to the western side providing access to a kitchen, changing rooms and lavatories.

The bell tower comprises four open stages of ascending height with corner posts and lintels of reinforced concrete. The lowest stage is bare; the upper stages have screens of cedarwood posts with enamelled metal plates set at angles between the uprights. Platforms at different levels have holes and iron hoops for ladders and bell ropes. The ceiling of the topmost stage has a cross made of concrete beams from which is suspended a central bell. The top of the building is crowned with a cross made from hollow metal poles.