Facilities and features
Accessibility
The path up to the church from the churchyard gate is quite steep but smooth tarmac (no steps), and there is a handrail.
Immediately at the church door, there are two steps down. Folding aluminium wheelchair ramps are available close by.
A wheelchair is available in church for use of visitors.
St John’s Church is open for visitors and private prayer every day from 9am to 4pm, a welcome oasis for peaceful reflection
An accessible toilet is available at the Church Street Rooms, halfway down the hill from the church. We are hoping to be able to install one in St John’s itself, if we ever get permission to do so (been trying since 2017) …
The car park is next to the Church Street Rooms, about halfway up the hill.
Baby changing facilities are available at the Church Street Rooms, halfway down the hill from the church.
Our Building
The building is Grade 1 listed, and the churchyard gate Grade 2. The church has some of the finest medieval wallpaintings in Lincolnshire, some unique survivals in the whole of the UK.
Fragments of medieval stained glass – including one of St John the Evangelist, which is used as our church logo – are incorporated in windows in the north aisle. The chancel includes two memorial stained glass windows installed in the 1800s.
An accessible toilet is available at the Church Street Rooms, halfway down the hill from the church.
Music and Worship
St John’s has a ring of six bells, rung by a team of local bellringers and their Tower Captain, who have a joint practice night with neighbouring bellringers every Thursday at either Corby or Edenham. Contact the churchwarden if you would like to join them
The oldest bell dates from 1590; it would have been tolled for the death of Queen Elizabeth I, and we tolled it also for the death of Queen Elizabeth II
The church has excellent acoustics for choral music and welcomes visiting choirs
Originally from Stamford School, the organ is a well-maintained single manual instrument.
Groups, Courses and Activities
Sessions of Lectio Divina (an ancient method of meditating on the Word of God) are held fortnightly on Thursday evenings in a private home — please contact us for more details.
Messy Church sessions are held on Saturdays close to important days in the Church’s year from 2pm at the Church Street Rooms.
Help for Visitors
Full fibre connection…
The church and churchyard are open for visitors and prayer every day from 9am until 4pm (November-March) or 6pm (April-October)
The church is open for individual prayer every day from 9am until 4pm (November-March) or 6pm (April-October)
Other Features
St John’s Church actively supports Bourne Food Bank, accepting donations of food from the community via a hamper in the church porch.
There are some lovely stone buildings around the church, some dating back to the 1600s
The Church Street Rooms, managed jointly by the church and the community, is available for hire – see https://churchstreetrooms.com/ for more details