Church of St John the Evangelist

St John the Evangelist’s Church stands in Derby’s town centre as a Gothic box-shaped building with four tall corner turrets. Francis Goodwin designed it, and the foundation stone was laid in September 1826. Inside, wide galleries run along each side, and the apsidal chancel was added in 1871. In 1891 the chancel was lengthened by ten feet and its floor raised to improve sightlines from the galleries. At the same time the heating, lighting and stained glass were renewed, and Charles Lloyd of Nottingham improved the organ. The church houses a fine organ built in 1875 by Henry Willis, though its first instrument arrived second-hand from Gray and Davison in 1836. Local stories link this earlier organ to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where Gray and Davison supplied an oratorio organ until 1834. Further repairs in 1902 included dismantling and adjusting the upper stonework and repainting the interior. Visitors find a spacious nave with galleries on three sides and a deep apsidal chancel at the east end. The Willis organ occupies the west gallery, and stained glass by Ward and Hughes fills the east window. The stone walls and ceiling, cleaned and painted in 1902, give the interior a calm, light feel. The church’s Grade II* listing recognises its architectural importance in Derby’s heritage.