Church Of St John

The Church of St John is a Roman Catholic church built between 1841 and 1843, designed by Joseph John Scoles. The towers were added slightly later, with a new roof constructed around 1901. The interior was re-ordered in 1964 and 1973. The church is built of red brick in a Flemish bond pattern on the Duncan Terrace frontage, with yellow brick behind, and stone dressings. The roof is covered with Welsh slate and lead.

The church is designed in a Neo-Romanesque style, comprising a nave, an apsidal chancel, and side chapels set in place of aisles, all under a single roof. The principal gabled front faces east and is flanked by towers. The central entrance features a round-arched portal with two Caernarvon-arched doorways, above which are three round-arched windows with sill and springing bands. A wheel window is set in the gable.

The south tower is divided into three stages; the first and second stages are flanked by engaged columns. The first stage has a round-arched portal with a Caernarvon-arched doorway. The second stage has two round-arched windows, one above the other. The third, belfry stage, stands detached above the body of the building and features round-arched openings flanked by brick pilasters, with an oversailing brick eaves cornice on each side, and a pyramidal lead roof. The north tower is similar in design but taller, with a short third stage of blank brick arcading, and a fourth, belfry stage with two round-arched openings. It has a machicolated brickwork eaves cornice and a broach lead spire.

Inside, the Neo-Romanesque style continues with round arches supported by engaged columns with stiff-leaf capitals, defining the nave and side chapels, and separating the nave from the apsidal chancel. A similar arcade is present at the clerestory level. The roof is of a later hammer beam construction.