The largest church in the benefice
St John the Baptist, Somersham
When the building is open
This church’s page. Open daily from around 9am to dusk. Visitors can go into the building, except for the vestry and the bell tower, which are locked. A toilet in the vestry is open when there is a service or public event. There is on-street parking outside the church and a small free public car park on the opposite side of the road.
Benefice home page. Somersham is open every day from 9am to 4pm.
Service pattern published on this church’s page
| When | Time | What |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday morning | 10:30 | Regular Sunday worshipThe page says to see the newsletter for details. |
| Wednesday morning | 9:30 | Midweek communionFollowed by coffee. |
Welcome to the web page for St John the Baptist Somersham. This church is one of the four churches belonging to the Benefice of Somersham, Pidley, Woodhurst and Old Hurst. This page has information relating to St John’s, Somersham.
If you are new to, or visiting, one of the parishes in the benefice, the contacts page has details of how to get in touch.
Top ten attractions in Somersham church
- Medieval roof bosses
- Carved corbels
- A surviving memorial brass in the sanctuary
- Medieval five-lock chest made of a single piece of timber
- East window — a memorial to Somersham soldiers who died in the First World War
- The remains of the doorway and stairway to the former rood loft
- Brass candelabrum hanging in the sanctuary
- Various stone plaques and memorials in the chancel and sanctuary
- Stone font given by a former Rector
- Early 20th century pipe organ
Activities for children
St John’s Somersham is the home of several regular activities for those with young families. More is on the children and families page.
- Little Acorns. A baby and toddler group at St John’s every Tuesday in term time from 9:30 to 11:00am. Children sing, play, listen to stories and do crafts, and begin to learn about Jesus.
- Messy Church. Described as a way of attending church for families, Christ-centred, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and celebration. It is not a craft club.
- Sunday School. Meets on the first and third Sundays of the month at 10:30 in church, during the Sunday service. On the second Sunday, children’s crafts are available during the service. Children are welcomed at any service.
The children and families page gives different times for some of these. Both versions are kept on the services page.
Other activities at St John’s
Open the Book presents the Bible in primary schools in an accessible and enjoyable way in school assemblies. Members of this church and Somersham Baptist Church go into the primary and independent schools in the village and tell stories in a 10–15 minute presentation.
Mothers’ Union. A branch meets each month and supports the church in many different ways, including local charities, meeting ladies from the other churches, and outings. Open to men too. The diary lists Mothers’ Union on the first Wednesday, 10:30–11:30am.
Alpha. The Alpha course introduces the basics of the Christian faith through talks and discussions. It is described by its organisers as “an opportunity to explore the meaning of life”.
Bible study group. A group meets on Tuesday evenings to study different books of the Bible. You don’t have to be an expert.
Flowers. The church is usually decorated for Sundays or for weddings, by volunteer flower arrangers.
Bell ringers. The page says more ringers are needed, including for weddings, and that wedding ringers are paid. The diary lists practice on Tuesdays, 7:00–9:00pm. It does not say which tower.
Creative Minds. Meets once a month, often looked after by an art therapist. It is not an art group but a chance to do something creative and have tea, coffee and cake. See Creative Minds.
Church cleaners. The page asks for more volunteers and says to contact the churchwardens on the contacts page.
History and architecture
The parish church of St John the Baptist is the largest of the churches in the benefice. Situated in Church Street, in the heart of the village of Somersham, the church stands on a site which in all probability has been consecrated for Christian worship since the second half of the seventh century. The current building dates from the period between 1250 and 1300 and is likely to have been built and paid for by one of the bishops living in the (now disappeared) Bishop’s Palace, a few hundred yards from where the church now stands.
A longer guide, written by Barbara Hoy, is on the history and architecture page.
