History
Hidden away in the church safe lay the Minute Book of 1846, which holds a record that ‘at a meeting of Gentlemen held at the Clifton Arms Hotel, Lytham, on Friday, 27th of November 1846, the best means of providing additional Church accommodation for the rapidly increasing population of the Town was taken into consideration; when it was unanimously resolved that an additional Church should be erected and a suitable endowment provided; the future funds should be raised by subscription’. This is the earliest record of St John the Divine in Lytham. It was built because the other Lytham parish church, St Cuthberts, could no longer support the growing Lytham community alone.
Many things have changed since 1846, notably that said Minute Book now resides in the County Record Office in Preston rather than the church safe, and that St John the Divine has now joined with its mother church to form the Parish of JC Lytham.
For a thorough history from 1846-1999, you can check out this booklet which was published to mark the 150th anniversary of St John the Divine. Or have a look at the document below, which we assume was created around the 1950s.
In 2020, during the Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown, both St John the Divine and St Cuthberts began working together to provide live-streamed services and support the whole community.
When it was closing in on the time for the Revd. Ann Wood to retire, it became clear that the future of the parish had a choice of two paths: join with St Cuthberts to create one parish or close. A referendum was held for all those on the electoral roll, and an overwhelming majority voted in favour of the joining of the two parishes. The PCC then voted unanimously and the pieces were set in motion.
You can learn more about the creation and progress of the Parish of JC Lytham on this page.
Past Vicars of St John the Divine
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William Henry Self
Vicar of St John the Divine from 1849 to 1870
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Thomas Gregory Smart
Vicar of St John the Divine from 1870 to 1986
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John Gilbertson-Pritchard
Vicar of St John the Divine from 1897 to 1931
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Arthur Robert Allen
Vicar of St John the Divine from 1932 to 1965
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Leslie Minhinnick
Vicar of St John the Divine from 1966 to 1981
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John Carlisle
Vicar of St John the Divine from 1982 to 2002
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Trevor Cooper
Vicar of St John the Divine from 2003 to 2006
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Jack Wixon
Vicar of St John the Divine from 2008 to 2015
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Ann Wood
Vicar of St John the Divine from 2016 to 2020
Stained Glass Windows
🚧 Under construction.
