St. John’s a Victorian Grade II listed building is located just off the seafront on an island between Lancaster Road and York Road in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.  A daughter church of the Parish Church of St. Nicholas, St. John's opened its doors on Sunday 7th February 1858 and was consecrated by the of Norwich on 22nd April 1958.  The church, originally built to serve the fishing community of Great Yarmouth, was also known as the Mission and the Beachman’s Church of Great Yarmouth and  is one of a few remaining of its type in the country. Sadly, St. John's closed its doors in 2008 due to a dwindling congregration and a lack of funds for urgent repairs to the boiler chimney.  The Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust took possession of St. John's in 2016 and are currently seeking funding for its restoration towards a sustainable future in the community. 

 

The Heritage Lottery Funded project Stories of St. John's, led by the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust, focussed on paper conservation and ancestral research related to historical paper items found abandoned at the disused church. Volunteers from the community and 100 local students took part in research and creative workshops relating to the historical paper items.  These activities along with associated memories of its160-year place in the community were celebrated at an end of project Exhibition and Special Event held at Great Yarmouth Library in April 2019.  

 

If you would like to share memories of St. John's with us, or would like to find out more about the project, please contact Stories of St. John’s Project Co-ordinator Carol Desborough at Carol.gypt@gmail.com or find us on Facebook @St.Johns.GYPT , @GreatYarmouthPreservationTrust,