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The Idea and the Reasons behind it
The community of Whitchurch Hill and comparatively modern St John's Church
are 1.5 miles and some 300 feet up the hill from the village of Whitchurch on Thames
and ancient church of St Mary's. When he became Rector of Whitchurch in 1880,
Canon Slatter was immediately confronted with a problem to be solved, as one suspects
is often the case when an energetic man of vision takes over a new parish.
The churchyard at St Mary's was full, and the previous Rector had already sacrificed
part of his treasured garden. In defence of the rest, Canon Slatter set about
finding a site for a new burial ground. Canon Slatter also perceived a need for
a building where Divine Service might be heard by the ' poorer inhabitants'.
He wrote that they had been 'greatly discouraged from attending the old parish
church by the gradual encroachment on their privileges by the growth of the lower
village and the number of houses erected for the wealthy.'
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The Demographic Background
It's worth noting in passing that the land up the hill was open heath until
divided up between the landowners and assuming its present pattern in the early
nineteenth century. Old maps refer to it as 'The Wasteland' or 'Whitchurch Common'.
Here cottagers had enjoyed certain rights and sources of limited income in return
for their duties to the landowners. The old way of life of the rural population
on the hill was very different from that of the grander, more recent incomers down
in the lush water meadows in the valley. We can appreciate Canon Slatter's
perception of the need for a church where the cottagers might feel at home.
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The Building and the Benefactors
Mr Gardiner of Coombe Park gave two acres of land and promised £1000 for a church,
rather than the Chapel of Ease in the burial ground as first envisaged.
The Rector and the PCC contributed the balance of the £1,891, which the church cost
to build, fit and furnish. St John's was consecrated by the Bishop of Oxford on
All Saints Eve in 1883.
The church is 80' long and 18' wide, designed by Francis Bacon of Highclere,
and built by Wheelers of Reading. Although the nave is quite plain, there are lovely
colours and details, with the tiling in the sanctuary a particular delight.
Old carpeting in the aisle has recently been removed to show the patterning beneath,
which gets more complex as one approaches the altar, with unusual malachite -
coloured mosaic tiles as well as black and white and terracotta.
In recent years, our previous Rector, Rev. Richard Hughes, removed the riddle screen
and curtaining from around the altar, thus fully revealing the elegant apsidal end
of the church as it was designed. The organ by Walkers of London was given by
Miss Slatter in 1911.
The next major benefactors were the Palmers of Bozedown. Mr Palmer gave the handsome
choir stalls and pews, and later the lychgate in thanksgiving for the safe return of
his two sons from the 1914-18 War - a matter for rejoicing indeed.
After Mr Palmer's death, the porch was given in his memory by his family, who remained
active and generous in the parish.
The generous original gift by Mr Gardiner of two acres made it possible for an area
in the North-East corner of the churchyard to be used by the Parish of Goring who had
run out of space at St Thomas'. These days further space is the responsibility of the
Parish Councils, hence the new Goring Burial Ground at White Hill.
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The Churchyard
Canon Slatter provided a book with a detailed plan of the churchyard and each plot
carefully recorded; this interesting book is in the Vestry still. He also planted
the cruciform paths with cypresses, now alas only traceable from their stumps and from
the stone cross at the intersection. Photographs showing the splendid trees suggest
that their replacement might be a wonderful project one day. In the last three years
the Friends of St John's have done much work in the churchyard to define the paths
and to improve access to the graves. Seats have been placed for quiet reflection,
and many bulbs planted. Conservation has remained throughout an important priority,
with an annual mowing schedule, suggested by BBOWT, giving optimum conditions for wild
flowers to flourish. Fallen wood is a home for many insects, and the thick hedges
offer secure cover for nests.
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St Johns Rooms, Now Goring Heath Parish Hall
The land and the building, for what became known as the St John's Rooms were given
by the Foster family and were ready for use in 1889. It opened in October that year
as a Sunday School and also for 'Mothers' Meetings, Classes, Reading, Lectures, Concerts
and Entertainments 'under the rector's sanction'. In 1935, St John's Rooms were given
to the community, although their upkeep and administration remained in the hands of the
church as the only obvious authority.
In 1996, a Trust - Goring Heath Parish Charity - was set up by a group of parishioners
headed by Mr John Smith to buy the building from the Diocese of Oxford, and to extend,
refurbish and modernise the old Rooms as a modern Parish Hall. With the aid of much
generous public support, headed by the Parish Council and South Oxfordshire District
Council, and a grant from the Millennium Commission, with grants also for the garden,
the Hall became a comfortable and pleasing centre for the community. It was re-opened
by the Rt. Honourable Michael Heseltine in May 1998. The Hall is much in demand for
public and private events. All the activities in the original list of 1889 go on there,
perhaps with the exception of reading!
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